Cinderella story falls short for Mohawks

By Ryan McCracken on March 17, 2018.

rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com @MHNMcCracken

The Hat High Mohawks’ Cinderella story came to an end on Friday at the Alberta Schools Athletic Association 4A boys basketball championship.

While the host and 13th-seeded Mohawks kicked off the tournament with an upset — edging out the No. 4 St. Mary’s Saints — they finally met their match in an 88-57 quarter-final loss to the Cardston Cougars.

“We learn from our mistakes and fight right back,” said Mohawks Grade 12 guard Jaxon May, adding nothing can tarnish the feeling of their first-round upset over St. Mary’s. “That was unreal that we did that.”

Mohawks head coach Chad Watson says the Mohawks did a good job of working the ball inside to forward Bailey Gosse in the first half against Cardston — which kept them within 12 points at the break — but that plan fizzled out in the second.

“We battled hard,” said Watson. “Our guards just couldn’t get it to him. He was open, we just never got him the ball so eventually when we couldn’t do that they just pulled away.”

Gosse finished with 22 points in the loss — 18 of which came in the first half. Ben Menesho added 10.

The Cougars worked the three-point line to near perfection, racking up nearly half of their scoring from outside the arc with 14 long balls. Bryn Nelson led Cardston’s offence with 16 points and Adyn Card followed up with 15.

The Mohawks had their season end with an 82-62 loss to the LCI Rams on Friday night, but Watson says the future is bright for Mohawks basketball after an impressive showing at the tournament.

“This group has never lacked energy, they’ve never lacked the ability to work,” said Watson, adding next season looks even brighter. “We only lose three Grade 12s, so I’m excited for the future.”

Calgary’s Bishop O’Byrne will face Edmonton’s Harry Ainlay in the boys final at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Kwahommies win one

Over at Crescent Heights, the Hat High Kwahommies rebounded from their first-round loss with a 61-49 victory over Chestermere in the 4A girls’ consolation quarter-final.

The Kwahommies went on to drop an 83-57 contest to Paul Kane High in Friday afternoon’s consolation semifinal, dropping them into a battle for 11th against Leduc. Head coach Jeff Harrold says he’s proud of the resolve it took to rebound and earn a victory at the provincial event.

“It’s nice to get that W, we’ve been really working hard,” said Harrold. “It’s a great feeling and a great experience.”

Harrold added he’s been especially impressed with what his team’s younger players have been able to accomplish at the tournament. With only one Grade 12 on the floor, Harrold says his seven Grade 10 rookies have flourished in important roles.

“They’ve really stepped up and they’ve really embraced the challenge. They’re taking advantage of their opportunities,” said Harrold. “This is just a great opportunity for them to learn to grow, and they’re definitely taking advantage of it. We’ve had a lot of girls step up.”

Centennial High will face Bishop Carroll in the girls gold medal game on Saturday at 6 p.m. Both boys and girls finals are at Hat High.