With the way things worked out in the Saskatchewan High School Athletic Association 4A girls provincial basketball championship, the event could have essentially been played right here in Moose Jaw.
Of the four teams in the tournament, three were from the Moose Jaw league -- and one rose above the rest to emerge as the 2023 provincial champion.
The Vanier Spirits posted back-to-back wins on Friday and Saturday night to claim their first SHSAA championship since the 2010 season.
Vanier opened the tournament with an 81-49 victory over the Central Cyclones and then took a 74-50 victory over the Lumsden Angels in the gold medal game.
The Spirits had a 6-2 regular season record and won the city championship, while Lumsden was 4-4 in Moose Jaw league play and the Cyclones 3-6.
“You get to Hoopla and it’s in P.A., and here we are, playing the same teams again,” Vanier coach Christa Lapointe said with a laugh. “Usually when you go on the road you expect to see a variety, but you have to be ready to play anyone, even if you know who they are. And it just goes to show how strong our Moose Jaw league is and how competitive it is, with so many committed players and coaches.”
It certainly didn’t hurt the Spirits to know what it would take to win against both their Hoopla opponents, as with multiple games against one another through the season, the tendencies and abilities of each team became clear.
“You never take anything for granted, it doesn’t matter who you see, you have to treat them with respect because they’re at this level,” Lapointe said. “But it was kind of neat, usually you do scouting reports with what you can find on teams at Hoopla, but this time it was ‘oh, we know these teams, we know how to prepare for them, what the gameplan is we have to create’. So that was a big thing for us.”
There was one non-Moose Jaw-involved team in the 4A draw, and it was a crew that has given local teams fits over the years: the top-seeded Meadow Lake Spartans. Lumsden took care of that problem in the first round, though, recording the upset of the tournament with a 60-57 win in the semifinal. Jordyn Exner led the way with 18 points, while Keira Winquist scored 17 and Kaitlin Kidd added 13.
Kate Waldenberger led all scorers in Vanier’s semifinal win over Central with 23 points, while Waverley Demassi and Ava Kindiak had 12 points each. Ava Nichols and Molly McLean picked up 11 points each for Central.
It was Demassi’s turn to lead the way in the gold medal game with a 23-point outing of her own, while Waldenberger and Ireland Guillaume put down 12 apiece. Kidd scored 17 points for the Angels, Exner added 14.
“The girls were so coachable, they committed to each other and committed to getting better, and when it came time to challenge them and implement new things to get to the next level, they were eager to put in the time as a unit,” Lapointe said of the team’s progression into becoming provincial champions. “That teamwork was huge for us.”
Odds are the Spirits aren’t done with finding success at the provincial level any time soon. Their junior team just won a city title in convincing fashion, meaning a host of solid players will be funnelling into a team that loses only two seniors -- guard Feona Tolentino and forward Olga Ruberwa.
“We hope so, you always want to build a program like our junior program as a feeder system to work towards that culture and that kind of a winning program,” Lapointe said. “We have a strong returning base and some good players coming in, so hopefully things can move in that direction.”
Central went on to face Meadow Lake in the bronze medal game and dropped a 74-42 decision. Molly McLean scored 18 points, Ellah Flanagan added 10.
