The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Kelly Carrington Staff Writer The Creighton Kodiaks senior boys basketball team earned their way to Regionals as they won their Conference two weekends ago. The Kodiaks were in Rosthern this past weekend as they fought for a spot in Hoopla _ the equivalent of basketball Provincials in Saskatchewan. Coach Ian Clark said the boys felt good going into the weekend action. 'We're pretty happy that we won Conferences,'he said, as the team defeated Sandy Bay in the finals the prior weekend. 'I asked the boys if they thought they were finished yet and I got a resounding 'no' out of them,' said the coach. 'They are feeling pretty good going into the weekend.' The Kodiaks took on Canora in their first game of the weekend. 'We've kind of got a little intel from other coaches so we know what we're going into,' Clark said last Thursday afternoon. 'We know what we've got to do.' This season, the boys have played up their age, size and dependability as a team. '...we definitely had some guys come out and helped,' Clark said. 'We had a lot of size so when the game got tough we could always throw (the ball to) the big guys.' Clark gives his team credit for getting baskets as 'well as passing out of trouble.' The coach said the offense was a big part of the Kodiaks' game this season. 'But we also had a lot of Grade 9s step up into major roles this year _ them being as smart as they are really helped our team,' he said. Heading into the weekend, Clark said the biggest challenge was going to be consistency. '...in Conferences in our first game we were definitely the more skilled team,' he said. 'But there were moments in the game where we let off the gas and other teams started to control the pace of the game. 'What we need to do is pace with that consistency so we can play and dominate an entire game.' On their way to Regionals, Clark knows the participating teams are getting better and better. End of A Season Meanwhile, t Creighton senior girls basketball team was sad to see their season end. The Kodiaks hosted their Conferences two weekends ago and faced the toughest team in the province. The Kodiaks went into the weekend seeded fourth _ forcing them to play Wynyard for the chance to advance to the final. The girls picked up a win Friday night before facing Wynyard Saturday morning. Wynyard is the top-ranked team in Saskatchewan. The Kodiaks held their own but were defeated by roughly 20 points. 'We competed,' said a proud coach Ryan Trumbley. 'I think that's the important thing.' Wynyard didn't hold anything back as they played their starters the whole game. Though the Kodiaks didn't advance to the Regional competition, Trumbley says he was 'extremely happy' with the team. Wynyard was up 17 points in the first quarter. 'I think we played a little timid,' said Trumbley. 'And that's perfectly normal. 'The girls knew what they were up against.' Following the first quarter, the girls were able to keep pace with the Bears, but weren't able to catch up for the lead. 'We thought that if we kept chipping away we still had a shot,' said the coach. 'We realized that as good as they are, we felt that we could play with them.' The Kodiaks never said quit. The final buzzer was painful for the senior girls who played their final game of their high school career. 'It was a tough one,' Trumbley said. 'We had some pretty disappointed girls at the end of it. 'But like I said to them, the reason why everyone is so upset is because we had a great season. 'They wanted to keep it going and didn't want it to be over. That's a good thing.'
