The U11 Cochrane Kodiaks girl team won the Div. 2  silver medal in the Youth Basketball Provincials hosted by Edmonton, Mar. 11-12.

Head coach Alex Paradis says he's proud of what the team accomplished.

"It was just a great experience for our kids," says Paradis. "More than half of our girls never played basketball before. To end up in the provincials and finish with a medal was just amazing and to see the girls compete, get out of their comfort zone, and show everybody how strong and capable they are. For girls nine and 10 years old, it was amazing."

The only Cochrane team in the provincials, the Kodiaks went 2-1 in their pool and advanced to the gold medal game against a Calgary Northwest team.

"They had just a bit more juice and energy than us, but everybody was happy to win silver," says Paradis.

Besides playing five games, the team took time to enjoy leisurely activities in the province's capital.  

"The girls had fun and It was just a tremendous experience. I know most of them will be back next season."

It was his second and final season of coaching the U11 girls' team, and he was pleased to see it finish on a high note.

The podium win comes on the steps of another silver medal in the Calgary league championship.

"We had a terrific season. We started in Division Four and we won against everyone so they moved us up to Division Three, then Division Two and we finish second in Division Two. We continued to improve throughout the season."

The Kodiak team plays all of their games in Calgary, and practiced in Cochrane

He believes interest has grown in the sport at both the club and school levels since the Raptors won the NBA championship. 

"The Cochrane Kodiaks is a very good organization and this year we had more teams than usual."