This past weekend Stettler Wildcats hosted a basketball invitational tournament for senior boys and girls with eight teams participating.
For the girls, there were Stettler, Prairie Christian Academy (PCA) and Castor in Pool A, while Vermilion, Beaverlodge and Grand Trunk were in Pool B.
For the boys, there were Stettler, PCA and Coronation in Pool A, while Hanna, Beaverlodge and Grand Trunk featured in Pool B.
On Friday, Feb. 24 the Stettler girls played PCA. They were down at half, but came back from 14 points to tie with two minutes to go.
However, Stettler girls lost by five.
“We were fast and broke really well in the first half, but in the second half we rushed our offence and didn’t execute as well as we could,” said Coach Kim Poapst.
Then Stettler faced Castor on Saturday morning, Feb. 25 defeating them by a huge margin of 21.
Tori Brower was the top scorer with 18 points.
“We had fewer injuries on our team and our players pulled together in third quarter to execute some great offence,” Poapst added. “Everyone scored and contributed offensively and defensively.”
Brooklyn Perry had nine points.
Stettler played Beaverlodge for third place, defeating them by five points in the end and placing third in the tournament.
Stettler Wildcats boys’ team placed fourth
The Stettler Wildcats boys started their tournament on Friday, Feb. 24 losing to PCA 70-56.
“We had a lot of fun this weekend, placing fourth out of the six teams,” said Coach Josh Elliot. “We lost the first game in front of a packed crowd full of students, family, and friends, but it was a great experience for the boys to play in a competitive high pressure situation in front of their peers and they showed a lot of promise.”
According to Elliot, the boys played aggressive.
“Controlling your emotions on the basketball court are difficult skills for young athletes and their performance this weekend is why we are so excited for the growth of the program,” Elliot added.
In their second game against Coronation on Saturday morning, Feb. 25 the boys won 73-48, putting them in a third-place game against Hanna later in the afternoon.
Even though the boys played a good game, they lost 60-48, placing fourth.
“The tournament was a great way to wind down our season on a positive note before we take on Sylvan Lake this Wednesday for 3A provincial qualifiers,” Elliot added.