The Innisfail Jr/Sr High School girls and boys basketball seasons have come to an end and they are champions in every sense of the word.
James Thompson's Cyclones junior boys team won the Chinook's Edge Athletic Association (CEAA) crown, as well as the Chinook's Edge Northern Athletic Association (CENAA) title and placed fourth in the Central Western Alberta Junior High Athletic Association (CWAJHAA). Derek Baird's girls took the bronze medal and the CENAA title as well. The JV Cyclones girls took the CENAA championship and placed second in the Chinook's Edge School Division (CESD) season.
ìMy girls had a good run over the last weeks,î said Baird, coach of the Junior High Cyclones girls. ìTwo weeks ago we took the CENAA championship and played in the CWAJHAA championship in Rocky Mountain House.î
The Cyclones took on Rocky in their first game and won 36-21.
ìThis was not our best game,î said Baird. ìWe knew the tough game against Lindsay Thurber was coming the next day so we held back but still came out on top.î
The squad's game against the Lindsay Thurber Raiders was a ìgame for the ages,î noted Baird.
ìWith injuries and illnesses to our team, we fought hard against the Raiders,î said Baird. ìThe game was close to the end, and we were leading right up to the last minutes but we ran out of gas with our girls hurt and tired. We lost by two points in what the referees described as ëthe most entertaining' game they had refereed in 20 years.î
The Cyclones beat the Hunting Hills Lightning 29-21 to win the bronze medal and capture third place.
Baird added the game was ìamazing to watchî as the girls were battling tiredness and mounting injuries, ìyet their will to win was unstoppableî. He said all the girls bought into the program, which made the year's record of 20 wins and one loss satisfying to him as a coach.
On the boys' side of the court, the Cyclones went to Rocky as well and returned with fourth place, losing to Lacombe 47-43 yet still knocked Lindsay Thurber out of the running with a 58-48 victory.
ìWe played an amazing game,î said Thompson. ìAustin Thompson scored 30 points in what was the best game the Cyclones played all season. The team was pumped up to win, and we did.î
The team lost to St. Thomas Aquinas 54-51 after leading the game until the five-minute mark in the fourth quarter.
ìI called a time out to calm the boys down,î said Thompson. ìThey went on court and could not maintain the lead and lost by three points. We were a little flat after our win against the Raiders and the boys could not control their emotions and that cost us the game.î
In the bronze medal match, the boys took on the Lacombe Saints and fell short in the final minutes, falling 47-43 capturing fourth place.
Still, the boys were not finished.
The Cyclones boys team took on the Olds Koinonia Royals on March 12 who won the Chinook's Edge Southern Athletic Association title. The Innisfail squad won 46-31, taking the CEAA banner.
ìWe accomplished everything we set out to do and more,î said Thompson. ìI could not be more proud of the team and alumni assistant coaches Matthew Ryerson and Taylor McCubbing.î
The Junior Cyclones girls chose not to participate in the CEAA championship game due to injuries and absent players.
On the senior side, the Junior Varsity Cyclones girls challenged the Didsbury Dragons for the CESD title and lost 73-56 in an exciting game that saw the Cyclones challenged by the Dragons' strong defence.
Leading by 20 points after three quarters, the Dragons kept pressure on the Cyclones, dominating the game on the boards. Shooting more accurately, the Dragons finished the game with a 17-point victory and the CESD banner.
