The Cochrane High Cobras varsity boys basketball team is heading to Brooks today to prepare for their second consecutive appearance in the 3A ASAA basketball championship.

The senior boys won silver in the south-central zone finals, Mar. 8. With Brooks hosting the provincials, the Cobras earned a berth into the provincial finals. The W. H. Croxford Cavaliers, who won bronze at the zones, also grabbed a wild card slot, giving the south-central zone three teams in the 12-team tournament.

The Cobras opened the zones with a 101-46 win over Olds here in Cochrane, Mar. 5. An 83-66 win over the Bert Church Chargers the following night paved their way to Friday's gold medal game against the Brooks Buffalo, a team they hadn't yet seen this season. The Buffalos came out ahead 80-72 in a game that saw the lead go back-and-forth.

"We knew they were going to be a tough matchup for us," says Court. "We'd seen them last year in the zone and a lot of their players returned so we knew what to expect with them."

The Cobras were striving for gold but in the end, they met their goal.

"It's not quite the results we wanted, but going forward we made it to the provincial tournament which was the goal from day one."

The ninth-ranked Cobras play their opening game against the eighth-ranked Grande Prairie Composite Thursday at 1 p.m. A win would see them matchup against Calgary's All Saints, the top-ranked 3A team in the province, on Thursday night.

The Cobras won bronze at the zones last year and being the host team for the 3A provincials last year gave them valuable exposure to the high level of competition.

"I think it's huge for us because of that experience. We came in last year not knowing what to expect and now we know."

"The level of competition is going to be really high, so it's going to be a lot of fun for our kids."