NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN The McCoy Colts senior girls basketball team celebrates after winning the Southeast Basketball Conference championship with a 63-44 victory over the Eagle Butte Talons on Thursday, March 5, 2020 at McCoy High School.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken
The Colts completed a championship trifecta on Thursday night at McCoy High School.
After watching the junior varsity girls basketball team cruise to a 67-28 win over the Brooks Buffalos in their Southeast Basketball Conference final, the senior girls rallied to defeat the Eagle Butte Talons 63-44 , then the varsity boys hit the hardwood to complete the triple championship with a 75-66 victory over Brooks.
“It’s definitely a special night,” said boys head coach BJ Melle, whose Colts are ranked No. 1 in the province. “It’s been a long time since we won the league, so it was nice to be able to host all three games at our school. There were lots of people here for all three games, it was a really special night.”
But the season isn’t done yet, far from it. The jam-packed evening of championship basketball night served as a solid tune-up for both senior squads, who will host the South Zone championships at McCoy next weekend with a ticket to provincials on the line.
“It’s awesome for the kids to be out and cheering for our kids and getting ready for next weekend,” said senior girls head coach Janice Laing, whose Colts are ranked second provincially. “We’re lucky to be ranked No. 2. The girls have had a good season. They’ve worked hard … Our boys have had a fabulous season, our JV girls have had a fabulous season too.”
Brooklyn Schafer led the senior girls with 14 points in their victory. BJ Jul followed up with 11 and Claire Holt added nine.
“Our team was passing very well and running our plays very well. We cohesively bonded very well as a team tonight,” said Schafer, adding Thursday’s raucous atmosphere was a great way to prepare for what’s to come at zones. “It definitely increases the hype of the game and makes everybody more pumped up and amped for it. With the team being so attached this year and the majority of us being in Grade 12, it’s really nice to have this win in our pocket. Definitely the fans helped us out a lot.”
Visiting statistics from the senior girls game were unavailable.
In the boys game, Ethan Smith fuelled McCoy with a 25-point performance that included seven clutch buckets from outside the arc.
“Everyone on the team contributed and that was just my part of contributing tonight,” said Smith, adding the three titles are a testament to the school’s basketball program. “I think it’s a good representation of our school and what we’re all capable of, and how good the coaches are for us.”
Bubu Benjamin added 18 points, and Kameron Roberts followed up with 13 to secure the win for the Colts.
Brooks kept on McCoy’s heels through the first half – helped in part by a 23-point night from Musab Adballa – and even held a one-point edge entering the second quarter’s dying seconds. But Smith stepped up with a buzzer-beating long ball to take a lead into the third, and then the Colts never looked back.
“Our defence picked up and we got out in transition and started to hit some outside shots,” said Melle. “I didn’t think our shot selection was particularly good in the first half, but we just picked up our defence and it got some energy going.”
In the junior girls championship game, it was Hannah Cameron who led the way for the Colts with a 12-point outing. Myla Anhel followed up with 11 and Rowyn Ulrich had nine.
“It just shows how much dedication we put into our program,” Benjamin said of the triple championship. “We have a bunch of good players who are willing to play for us.”
Jessica Philpott led Brooks with five points in the loss.
Zone championships kick off next Friday at McCoy.
