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Mallaig and Glendon compete on provincial stage

Reaching provincials is a major milestone for sports teams, with the Mallaig Stingers boys and the Glendon Marquise girls each capping off a successful basketball season by vying for provincial titles.

Reaching provincials is a major milestone for sports teams, with the Mallaig Stingers boys and the Glendon Marquise girls each capping off a successful basketball season by vying for provincial titles.

The Mallaig Stingers boys travelled to Lundbreck, Alta. on the weekend of March 17 to 19, and the Glendon Marquise girls travelled to Trochu Valley on the same weekend, with each team competing in the 1A school category.

Mallaig experienced a tough weekend, managing to win one game out of three and finishing 11th out of 12 teams.

Coach Steven Jeffery said that the record did not necessarily show how the team played all weekend.

“We had a really good weekend. The first game we came back and tied it but unfortunately had a couple of late turnovers, and the next game we played very well, but we couldn’t manage to pull off a victory,” he said.

The first game ended in a 74-69 loss in a nail biter of a game, while the second game, the Stingers faced a strong team that had a height advantage over the boys, making it difficult for the Stingers to compete. In their final game, they managed to defeat their opponent using their strong defensive skills as well as outside shooting to defeat their opposition, much like they did all season long, said Jeffery.

“Our Grade 12 leadership was great all season long and they led the team this weekend,” he added.

Jeffery also gave a shout out to the host school on the weekend as a whole.

“Livingstone School did an amazing job of hosting, with the banquet and game night that all of the players could participate in. It really made the whole experience great and the boys really enjoyed it,” he said.

With Grade 12 players Austin Himschoot and Dylan Gervais graduating, Jeffery and his wife and team manager Karla Jeffery are hoping to see more Grade 9 players join the team next year.

“It will be sad to see our Grade 12s go especially since they did such a good job of leading this year, but Karla and I really would like to invite any interested Grade 9s to come and play next year so we can keep this run of success going.”

The Glendon Marquise had a near identical record to Mallaig, finishing 11th out of 12 teams.

In the first two games, the girls faced very strong teams and dropped both by considerable deficits.

Assistant Coach Brittany Webber says although the weekend didn’t result in a big win, it was still a great weekend and a great experience for the girls.

“We came into provincials ranked 12th so we were the underdogs, but overall we had a really great experience. The girls were laughing and joking around and it was easy to tell they were enjoying themselves,” she said. “We had a really young team, so after an up and down season, we really defied the odds and we’re proud of that. Our five returning players showed great leadership all year, we just never really gave up and this weekend was a reward for that hard work.”

Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association (ASAA) recognized Grade 12 Glendon player Mindy Mack, as well as Glendon parent Danny Skrypichayko who was in attendance,? for their sportsmanship.

“We’re really proud of the great sportsmanship not just from Mindy but from the whole team all weekend,” said Webber.

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