Muir, Cooper close out Rattlers careers with win over Augustana

By RYAN MCCRACKEN on March 9, 2020.

rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken

It may not have been the ultimate goal, but Morgan Muir and Paige Cooper still closed out their careers as winners on Saturday afternoon at the Snake Pit.

The pair of graduating Medicine Hat Rattlers rose to the occasion in front of a home crowd, defeating the University of Alberta’s Augustana Vikings 61-57 to finish fifth as hosts of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference women’s basketball championship.

“It was really emotional for me, bittersweet obviously,” said Muir, who was named to the tournament’s all-star team after posting 13 points, five rebounds and five steals in Saturday’s win. “It was awesome to play my last game ever as a Rattler in my home gym in front of a home crowd and friends and family … My mom and my aunt are here, they flew out (from Australia) for my last provincials. It means a lot to have my family in the crowd.”

Augustana made sure the win didn’t come easily, rallying to erase a 10-point gap late in the fourth before finally settling for the loss. When the buzzer sounded, Cooper and Muir came together for an embrace as they walked off the court together, one last time.

“That’s hard. She’s just been one of my No. 1’s since I’ve been here,” Cooper said of her relationship with Muir. “She was in her second year when I came. Me finishing a year early and her in her fifth year, we really gained a great bond from four years of playing together. We were kind of the last originals left, so that really built our relationship and made this special.”

While it’s hard to see them go, Rattlers head coach Clayton Nielsen says Muir and Cooper’s shared impact on the team will be felt for years to come.

“They’re the type of player you want on your team,” said Nielsen. “They work hard, they trust their teammates, they encourage their teammates. That’s what they’re going to leave for the next group.”

Although her career on the court in Medicine Hat reached an end Saturday, Muir says she still plans on staying involved in the sport at the college next season.

“I’ve been at the college for five years and it’s really shaped my young adult life and it’s been a huge part of who I am,” said Muir. “I’m going to try to stick around and work for a year, maybe help out coaching at the college here with the team. I want to still be a part of basketball and then after that I want to go back home and continue to play.”

Cooper – who had eight points in Saturday’s win – will look to continue her education next year, but says the Rattlers and Medicine Hat College will always hold a special place in her heart.

“It might sound cliché but I don’t think I could have found a better team to be on. Just the personalities here have been so amazing, coaches and players,” said Cooper, adding she expects big things from the Rattlers next season. “We didn’t expect to be where we ended up, so if they keep going at this rate and keep improving it’s going to be an amazing team.”

Muir agreed, the sky is the limit for the next group of Rattlers.

“I’m really excited for this next group moving forward,” she said. “Coming into this year we were a really young group, but they’ve been awesome, such a great group of girls to work with. They work hard on and off the court and I just wanted to demonstrate some leadership to them, make sure they knew what it takes to get to the next level going forward.”

The Lakeland Rustlers went on to clinch gold at the ACAC championship Saturday night with a 64-50 win over the Keyano Huskies. In the bronze medal game, it was the St. Mary’s Lightning who came out on top with a 71-57 victory over the Olds Broncos.

Over at Augustana, the SAIT Trojans took home men’s gold with a 91-69 victory over the Ambrose Lions. Keyano earned bronze with a 107-96 win over the NAIT Ooks.

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