OLDS — The École Olds senior boys basketball team came within one point of getting into the final in their home tournament last weekend.
The Spartans lost to Stettler by one point in the semifinal, 77-76.
However, they dominated the bronze medal game, downing Springbank 79-56.
Chance Bullock and Liam Hartt had a strong game in the bronze medal match, scoring 23 points each. Colin McDougall racked up 20.
“A really strong showing from our boys,” head coach Taylor Grenier wrote in an email.
The senior boys’ next game is this Wednesday against Carstairs.
Although he’s pleased with the way the Spartans battled Friday and Saturday, Grenier says there’s still room for improvement.
“Moving forward, we just need to find a little more consistency to our game and our movement on offence,” he wrote.
Going into their home tournament, the École Olds High School senior boys basketball team had a fairly decent record at 4-3.
In recent weeks, they beat Olds Koinonia Christian School, a team that Grenier described as “tough,” so that gave them some confidence.
Grenier said this year’s squad contains mostly Grade 12s, so that provides some experience.
“We need to work the most on our offensive systems to make sure everyone is comfortable at running it consistently on the court,” he wrote in an email.
“It’s been a really strong start to our season. We have a fantastic group of players who work so hard to get better and ensure they are competitive."
The senior girls lost 55-46 to JT Foster in the consolation final.
Head coach Leanne Haines-Doig says overall, her squad “had a good weekend.”
“Devyn Rice set the tone for the team both offensively and defensively, running the offence and being tasked to defend and contain the other team’s best player,” she wrote.
“We are a small quick team and have a lot of young players," Haines-Doig said.
“All team members are contributive in each game and are improving. The team struggles to score, which we continue to work on.”
