With the top two teams in the division hailing from Moose Jaw, it seemed like there was a very good chance the 4A boys high school basketball provincial basketball championships would be held right here in the Friendly City.
Earlier this week, the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletics Association confirmed it.
Hoopla is coming to Moose Jaw -- although it won’t be quite the same as it has been in the past.
With the COVID-19 pandemic still a concern, SHSAA organizers opted to spread the traditional provincial championship extravaganza throughout the province. In a normal year, boys and girls teams from all divisions would gather in one of the four largest cities for a weekend filled with tons of entertaining basketball.
With the Central Cyclones holding down the top ranking in the province heading into regionals and Peacock sitting at number two, it made the most sense for Moose Jaw to host the 4A boys tournament, and that’s how things turned out..
All four games from the weekend will take place at Peacock, beginning Friday with the Cyclones taking on North Battleford John Paull II at 6 p.m., followed by the Toilers battling third-seed Saskatoon Marion Graham at 8 p.m.
The winners of those games advance to the championship final at 1 p.m. on Saturday, with the bronze medal game taking place at 11 a.m.
Central advanced through regionals during the Mar. 18 weekend with a 120-60 win over Regina Scott and 84-76 win over Saskatoon Bedford Road, while Peacock defeated the Melville Cobras 87-44 before booking their provincial spot with a 79-68 win over Regina Johnson.
Four-seed John Paul II took a pair of commanding wins out of their regional, downing Nipawin 104-36 and the Vanier Vikings 90-58 in the final.
Marion Graham defeated Tisdale 87-38 in their semifinal before battling to an 88-82 victory over Melfort to book their Hoopla spot. The Falcons followed up by winning the Saskatoon small schools city championship this past Tuesday with a 78-66 win over Bedford Road.
Central will also be represented in the 4A girls provincial championship being played at Saskatoon Harvest City.
The fourth-seeded Cyclones open against the top-seeded hosts Friday, with second-seed Melfort battling Meadow Lake in the other semifinal.
The 2A girls Hoopla tournament will feature the first-ever appearance by the Cornerstone Christian School Falcons, as they make the trip to Wynyard. The third-seeded Falcons will face second-seed Wilkie in their opener; the top-seeded hosts duel Norquay in the other semi.
If you can’t make it to the gym, be sure to follow along on www.shsaa.ca for scores and streams throughout the weekend.
