The battle for the junior high boys and girls’ St. Paul Athletics Association (SPAA) Championship was spirited and dazzling on Nov. 24.
A total of 16 school teams staked a claim for one of those two championships. The final results of this year’s tournament were the same as the 2014 competition - The Racette Raiders won both the junior boys and girls championship banner.
Both the Racette teams were considered major contenders to win the championship because both finished SPAA league play ranked number one in the standings. The boys earned a record of 13-1 in league play and the girls accumulated a 17-1 record.
Tanya Hebert, the head coach of the Racette boys’ team, said as a result of coming into this tournament ranked first overall, her team had to be cognizant of opponents putting their best foot forward.
“Being number one in the league means that every team is trying to beat you, and they will do whatever they can to beat you. We had to have the mentality of not taking anybody lightly. We had to push hard for every point for every game.”
The Raiders boys did look like a focused club on the court throughout the day. Their intensity helped propel them to a perfect 3-0 record in round robin action. They handed defeats to Mallaig, Ashmont and Glendon.
As a result of finishing first in pool “A,” the Raiders semi-final matchup was the second place team in pool ‘B,” the F.G. Miller Crusaders. Racette triumphed in straight sets over the team that it had defeated in two prior tournament finals.
The Raiders matched up against the Mallaig Stingers in the final. The Stingers were coming off a semi-final win over the Two Hills Tigers.
Racette prevailed in two sets, but both sets were hard fought. In the first set both teams continually traded the lead. Late in the game the Stingers held a 20-19 advantage, but the Raiders then proceeded to score six of the next seven points to take the set 25-21.
The second set was competitive as well. At one point the score was tied 14-14. After that, the Raiders found another gear. They potted 11 points compared to four for the Stingers to win the game 25-18.
“Both teams fought very hard from the beginning to the end and that made the match really exciting for our fans to watch,” said Hebert. “Our boys have great chemistry and they were having fun on the court and that helped them make big plays in the game.”
Like the boys, the Racette junior girls earned an unblemished record on Tuesday. They earned first place in pool “A” by virtue of earning a 3-0 round-robin record. The Raiders defeated Mallaig and Glendon in two sets, and they took care of Ashmont in three sets.
In the semi-final, the Raiders matched up with the second place team in pool “B,” Kihew Asiniy. The Raiders earned a two-set victory in that match to propel them into the finals against their cross-town rivals the Glen Avon Panthers. The Panthers punched their ticket to the final by downing Ashmont Secondary School.
The Raiders and Panthers met in two previous tournaments. In both those matchups the score for each set was close, a tie breaking third set was required and the Panthers were the victors.
The SPAA finals match was very different to the previous Racette/Glen Avon showdowns.
The Raiders won convincingly by taking both sets with a 25-14 score. Early in the first set, both teams battled to a 5-5 tie. The Raiders then found another gear and went on multiple lengthy scoring runs to put the set out of the Panthers’ reach.
The second set was similar. Both teams traded momentum early in the set. Glen Avon struck first, Racette responded, Glen Avon battled back and then Racette responded yet again. When the Raiders regained momentum, they never let it go. They earned 17 points and only allowed six after both teams were tied 8-8 to take the gold medal.
“The girls stepped up and played really well today,” said Janelle Kulczycki, one of the coaches of the Racette team. “They played well as a team offensively and defensively and they did a great job digging deep when they had to. I am really proud of them.”
