The Cochrane Kodiaks bantam basketball team has won the gold medal as the top division 2 basketball team in Alberta in a season that started in division 4.

They came away with a 46-45 victory over the St. Albert Slam, Mar. 10, in a game that went back and forth to the very end.

"It came down to one point with six seconds left in the game," says coach Wade Horb. "It was very exciting for all the boys and for me and the other coach. We couldn't be prouder in what Cochrane brought to the table."

Prince Paulo Cuesta was named one of the players of the game for Kodiaks during the provincials. (Courtesy of Michael Bautista)

The Slam had the ball and the Kodiaks were in foul trouble, so a quick timeout was called to reinforce the need to play strictly hands off.

"They did just that," says Horb. "They came out and played solid defence. A shot was thrown up but missed and we got the rebound. I'll tell you I've never seen happier kids. Most kids cry when they lose, these kids cried when they won, so they were super happy."

Prior to that game they won the Calgary City Championship and defeated Edmonton's top two teams in the provincial tournament to earn a berth into the final. They remained undefeated in the season that started in September and saw them climb from division 4 to 3 and finally to 2.

"It was such a positive experience. I've been coaching now for 12-13 years and I've not yet come across a better group of kids."

"We had two equally balanced lines. We never had to worry any time. The boys just worked very well together and they wanted to win so badly."

Oddly enough, Horb coached with the St. Albert finalist the year previous before moving to Cochrane with his family and becoming part of Cochrane Minor Basketball Association.

About three-quarters of the team now move up to midget ball next season and hope to keep that chemistry alive. Some are also excited to be on the same team in the upcoming spring league.

Also coaching the bantams this season were Jeff Bosch and Brian Alford.

Cochrane Minor Basketball offers teams in bantam (11-12), midget (13-14), and juvenile (15-16).

For more information on Cochrane minor basketball go here.