Basketball season came to a close for the Hanley Sabers senior boys and Loreburn Aztecs senior girls teams last week at regionals.
The Sabers made it to the final at the March 15-16 regionals in Birch Hills, but foul trouble did them in. Despite leading at the start of the game, the team would eventually lose to the Birch Hills Marauders by over 20 points.
Mark Anderson, head coach of the Sabers, said the club held a 14-12 lead heading into the second quarter, but it was all Birch Hills after that. He said the Marauders were up by seven at the half, 12 by the end of the third quarter and rolled through the fourth eventually putting up 85 points to Hanley’s 62.
“We didn’t shoot well,” said Anderson. “If we had shot anything like the night before (a 83-59 win over Balcarres), we would have been in fine shape. Our top scorer from the night before (forward Steven Sira) had four fouls before the first half, so I had to pull him and then he fouled out in the second half. Our top scorer from this game (centre Josh Anderson) had four fouls as well, so it was tough.”
Anderson said the kids on his team had a great season even with the miss on Hoopla competition and should be proud with the strong athletic game they brought to the court. He said his team is more of a “football team playing basketball,” but as the season progressed they picked up their play and became a real threat.
“When we got to the end here, if we could of put it all together we would have been dangerous, but at the end we faltered,” he said. “It was a great group of kids and a really good game.”
Loreburn Aztecs
The Aztecs can say they ended their season on a winning note, but a loss a day earlier cost them a chance of playing at Hoopla.
Tim Hom, head coach of the Aztecs, said the club beat the Kerrobert Rebels “handily” in their final game at regionals in Frontier. He said despite the lopsided win, both teams showed great sportsmanship throughout the game.
A day earlier the club lost to the Middle Lake Avengers, whose undefeated record at regionals propelled them to this past weekend’s Hoopla tournament.
“We lost by 40 (to Middle Lake),” said Hom. “They are a very good team, well-coached and have lots of good skilled players. We had a pretty short bench, but that’s no excuse. We played well.”
Hom said he is happy with the season the Aztecs put together this year and credits their fans, parents and staff at the school for their support and help building a great basketball program at Loreburn Central School.
“The girls gave a lot of effort,” he said. “Success isn’t measured in wins or losses, but I thought we were pretty (good). A lot of our team is coming back (next year), so hopefully we get a better result.”