Hapnot Collegiate’s senior Kweens basketball team was one basket away from the school’s first-ever provincial title.
The Kweens entered the tournament as the third seed, coming behind only the host Roseau Valley Raiders and the Goose Lake High Angels. Three consecutive wins would give the team Hapnot’s first provincial title in the school’s history.
Hapnot started strong, beating Killarney School 52-46 to advance to the provincial semi-finals. Facing off against the Gimli High School Lakers, a school with a larger enrollment than Hapnot, the Kweens fought hard to earn a 54-42 win.
The victory punched Hapnot’s ticket on to the provincial finals, facing the upstart Warren Collegiate Wildcats. Entering the tournament as the fourth seed, Warren entered the final after a tight 46-45 win over top-ranked Goose Lake High.
Another close game was on the horizon. After a classic final match, the Kweens came up just short, losing to the Wildcats 45-43.
It’s the closest Hapnot has come to a provincial basketball banner since 1960, when the Kweens finished second.
The tournament marks the end of the line for Hapnot’s basketball season and the finale for the team’s senior players.
Hapnot’s sports program will be shifting toward badminton in the coming weeks, then to soccer and track and field as the end of the school year approaches.
