Hapnot’s junior varsity Kweens played their provincial tournament last week, playing top teams from across Manitoba.
The A/AA girls’ junior varsity provincials took place at Major Pratt School in Russell and Binscarth School down the road in Binscarth Nov. 24-26, with the JV Kweens representing northern Manitoba’s Zone 11. The Kweens punched their ticket to the tournament with a zone tournament win Nov. 12 in The Pas.
The Kweens began pool play with a game in Binscarth against the Prairie Mountain High School Predators from Somerset Nov. 24. While the Kweens kept the first set close, they would drop that and fall back in the second, taking a 24-26, 14-25 loss. Later in the day, the Kweens would hit the court again to play the Teulon Saints. Like the first game, the Kweens competed hard and kept one set close, forcing the second set to extra points, but the Saints handed Hapnot a 17-25, 27-29 loss.
The next morning, playing in Russell against the MacGregor Mustangs, the Kweens would shake out of their opening funk, beating their opponents 25-17, 25-14 and finishing third in their four-team pool.
That result would get Hapnot into the final bracket, but the Kweens would need to win a play-in game, facing off against the Warren Wildcats. Warren would end the Kweens’ season with a 16-25, 19-25 defeat, dashing the Kweens’ tournament hopes and handing them a 10th place finish.
Hapnot’s senior teams will take part in provincial tournaments this weekend, both taking place in The Pas Dec. 1-3 at the same time in three different venues around The Pas - at Margaret Barbour Collegiate (MBCI), Scott Bateman Middle School and Kelsey Recreation and Wellness Centre, all located around Centennial Park in the town.
The Kweens will play in a 10-team tournament, starting with a five-team pool round where Hapnot will play Les Roys from Ile-des-Chenes’ College Regional Gabrielle-Roy, the Green Valley Pirates from Grunthal, the Rosenort Redhawks and the Virden Collegiate Bears. Hapnot’s Kweens will start with a game against Les Roys at the Kelsey Recreation and Wellness Centre Dec. 1 at 2 p.m.
On the boys’ side, the Kings will play their own five-team pool round against the host MBCI Spartans, Rosenort, the William Morton Collegiate Warriors from Gladstone and the Landmark Collegiate 96ers before a playoff round. Hapnot first will hit the court Dec. 1 at 9 a.m., playing the Warriors at Scott Bateman, then playing a back-to-back immediately after against Rosenort at 10 a.m.
Both Hapnot senior squads qualified by winning the Zone 11 titles Nov. 19, with the Kings doing so on their home court and the Kweens winning in Norway House.
