For Cochrane High senior basketball teams, it was a chance to matchup against the best 3A high school teams in the province and they showed they belonged.
Both Cobra teams exceeded their pre-tournament rankings in their play throughout their respective tournaments and it was a solid finish to the season.
The seniors' girls team were ranked 10th coming into the tournament and a single loss to the eventual silver medalists, Peter The Apostle, of Spruce Grove, lead to a fifth-place finish.
Head Coach Randy Peron says it's the highest finish by the basketball team since their third-place finish in 2004 and he's ecstatic with their season.
"We had three goals: try to represent our league; try to win the league and try to win the zone; and prove we deserve to be in the provincials. We got checkmarks on all three. To finish as the fifth best team in the province, the best since 04, you couldn't ask for any more. There's only one team in this tournament that's going to have fewer losses than us and that's the provincial champs."
"For us to win three and lose one shows the incredible work ethic that our team has had all year and I couldn't be prouder of the girls."
Peron says for now the team will be enjoying the moment and he knows there's a solid base to build upon next season.
"We were one of the youngest teams in this tournament so we're going to have a lot of veterans back next year. We're looking forward to next year big time but there's plenty of time to think about that now. We're going to enjoy this as long as we can."
The senior boys' have struggled with injuries and sickness this season, but through it all they finished first in Rocky View Sports regular season and placed ninth in the provincial tournament after coming into it ranked eleventh.
"Once our guys got healthy and started working together again the team really started to gel and get better and just enjoy playing basketball. I think that translated on the floor for us," says Head Coach Patrick Court.
It's been a number of years since the Cobras have been in the provincials and having a chance to compete was good for the team, says Court.
"It was exciting for the guys. They got to see the high level of competition and they got to experience the comradery and sportsmanship that goes along with those game. They had a lot of fun. It was a great learning experience for us."
They lost their opening game against a tough Grande Prairie team but bounced back to win the balance of their games.
"From start to finish, my guys wanted to go out with a big win for the grade 12 students."
"We got better and better and better as the season went on. It all clicked in at the provincials. Guys trusted each other and just start to play. It was a beautiful thing to watch those guys come together like that."
He says the team is losing a lot of their height for next season but they still are aiming to finish in the top 10 and just continue to improve. Players coming up from grade 10 are bringing lots of speed and there are several good shooters so they hope to build around those qualities and drive the net.
Great Basketball, Incredible Community Spirit Shines Through
Thu, Apr 25, 10:15 AM
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