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 posted their best season to date in senior girls' basketball after returning home ninth in all of Saskatchewan. The senior girls' team placed third in the Regional competition this season after losing to Caronport Ð the team that later went on to win Bronze in the Provincial Hoopla meet. The Kodiaks lost their first game of Regionals but came back and won 52-51 against Riviera Ð the team that beat them by 25 the previous weekend in Conferences. Taking a 10-point lead early in the game, the Kodiaks soon found themselves in a tight game against Riviera. Keeping the score close all game, the Kodiaks came out on top by one as Riviera missed their shot at the buzzer for the win. 'Big turnaround' "It was nice that we could beat the team that had beat us the weekend before," said coach Ryan Trumbley, adding it was "a big turnaround." The Kodiaks ran their offensive plays well and put up a good defense against the teams as they hoped for a place in the top four. The Kodiaks lost their first game of the Regionals against Caronport. Trumbley says the girls competed well, but struggled to match the size of the opposing team, which had a few girls who towered around the 6'3" mark. "We did a lot of good things," said the coach, "we just struggled to compete with their height." Looking at the game against Riviera, Trumbley says it was a "good way to end your season." Skills and drills The Kodiaks were forced to use a lot of the skills and drills they had learned in practice, including their three press breaks. The team faced a challenge when starting point guard Krystal Kawa was fouled out of the game. "A lot of teams could have just folded," said Trumbley, "but our Grade 12 back-up point guard went in and did a great job." With the Kodiaks enjoying a top 10 finish in the province and two tournament wins, Trumbley was very pleased with the season. "It was the most successful season we've ever had for senior girls' basketball," he said. "We couldn't have asked for a better season." Only the top four teams in Saskatchewan make it to Hoopla. And while the Kodiaks would have liked to have been one of those teams, Trumbley says it's "ridiculously hard to get to Provincials in Saskatchewan for basketball." Next season For now, the Kodiaks look to next season. The team only loses the eligibility of two players, but as the coach says, there are plenty of rising athletes in Creighton Community School. Currently, the school sits in the AAA category for girls Ð meaning there were 50-150 girls at the high school level. At Creighton, there are 51 girls. "So, we were playing against a lot of teams that had 100 more girls than we did," said Trumbley. As the school is expected to decline to 49 high school girls, the school will then drop to the AA categoryÊÐ giving the Kodiaks a chance to play against schools with similar numbers. "We're hoping that that will help our chances out," said the coach. The Kodiaks next look to Track and Field.4/13/2011
