Stettler’s junior varsity boys basketball team returned from its semester break to enjoy a 66-52 win over Ponoka last week.
The JV boys from William E. Hay Composite High School hosted Ponoka Secondary Campus on Wednesday, Feb. 4, taking the lead early on and not letting go.
While Ponoka rallied in the fourth quarter and reduced the gap somewhat, Stettler remained well ahead at the game’s close.
Given their performance relative to Ponoka over the season so far, coach Michael Kocher said prior to the game that his expectations weren’t high.
Assistant coach Rachelle Campeau was also surprised by the win but happy to see the JV boys stepping up their game.
“We had an excessively long break, (so) coming back in, I was a little worried,” she said. “It was nice to see them making passes and actually doing the plays that we’ve been talking about.”
Paul Du Toit was the top scorer with 13 points, followed by Mitchell Gudgeon with 12 and Tyler Matchett with 11.
Ponoka coach Ryan Newman attributed his team’s loss to the absence of four key players and inconsistent play.
The JV boys also visited Rocky Mountain House on Monday, Feb. 9, defeating the Rebels 69-45. Coaches noted the performance of Alex LeBlanc on defense, and of Keegan St. Denis, who scored seven three-point baskets.
JV girls
The junior varsity girls also played at home Wednesday night, but as Ponoka has no JV girls team, they instead welcomed the girls team from Castor’s Gus Wetter School for an exhibition game.
Castor handily won the match with a score of 72-33, but coach Kim Poapst said it was good for the girls to be back in the game after the semester break, despite being “crushed” by Gus Wetter.
“They moved the ball really well,” she said of their competitors. “We were intimidated.”
“They made us run and we haven’t run for a while,” Poapst continued. “It was good to play a strong team.”
She was pleased with several aspects of her team’s performance, including scoring by most of her players and three-point baskets by Sydney Poapst and Jessica Lane.
Poapst and Kayla Myshaniuk were the top scorers with eight points each.
The JV girls also visited Rocky Mountain House on Monday, Feb. 9, achieving a 53-47 win in overtime.
Coaches credited the girls with showing grace under fire, with special recognition for Sydney Poapst, scoring four three-pointers in the final minutes of the game, and Shayna Brower, who also scored a three-pointer of her own.
Up next
Both JV teams are scheduled to host Red Deer’s Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School on Wednesday, Feb. 11, and compete in a tournament in Wetaskiwin over the long weekend.