It was an opening weekend filled with silver for St. Mary School’s senior high basketball teams.
The Sharks were part of four boys and three girls teams in Hay Lakes Dec. 15-16 for the “Icebreaker Tournament.”
“They worked their butts off all weekend,” said girls head coach Glenn Schwarz. “It was awesome.”
He said he was impressed with his team’s defensive play, but they need to work on their press play and passing. Beyond that, he said it was a good warm up for the squad, considering the season has only just begun.
“They played good,” he said. “We have some things to work on for sure, but considering it was the first tournament I was very proud of them.”
Boys head coach Darcy Romanuik said he was happy with how his team played, noting that the level of competition was intense.
“We beat the teams we were supposed to and held our own against the defending provincial champions,” he said. “We played five games of basketball in 48 hours. I have a tired group of kids.”
Romanuik pointed out that the Sharks were working with a smaller group of players than most high schools, so they need to work on their endurance to be able to keep up. He noted that he was also planning to work on press plays and consistency for the Sharks next big battle in January.
That will be the big test for the young teams —St. Mary hosts the Alberta School Athletic Association 1A North Central Zone seeding tournament Jan. 12-13 at the Rotary Spirit Centre. How the teams do in that tournament will determine the rest of the season.
“It’s a big 16-team tournament,” said Romanuik. “That tournament will show us the where we are in the zone. We want to show up for that one for sure.”
Aside from a few practices, the team is kicking back for the holidays. Romanuik said the Sharks want to take the chance to recover from a few injuries so they can start the New Year with a bite.
