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.
Hapnot Collegiate's athletic teams experienced both success and bad luck during zones in The Pas the weekend of March 3. The Kopper Kweens accomplished their goal of playing in the final as they lost to the R.D. Parker Trojans 74-51. "It was an amazing game," said Kopper Kweens coach, Karen Clark. "That's the most points we ever scored on them." What was even impressive about the game was the fact that the Kopper Kweens were only down 35-34 at the half. "It was a big upset to be that close," Clark said, though she's happy her team closed the gap between them and the Trojans. Top scorers for the Kopper Kweens were Kirsten Clark, with 10 points, and Lynie Swain with nine. The Kopper Kweens coach said that her team played well defensively and the communication was good. "They anticipated where the ball was going," she said. "They pulled together for the last game." To Clark, it was an encouraging finish for her team, which will lose two players next year. "I think we did awesome. We improved so much," said post player, Mandy Bilquist, who played her last season. "We played so hard." Mandy believes size played a big part in R.D. Parker defeating them as the Kopper Kweens only had a couple of tall players. Kopper Kings "We're just like the Toronto Raptors," said coach Tony Ticzon, of his team. Playing against Norway House in a semi-final match, they lost 51-50 after losing the entire starting line-up minus one player to injuries, illness and fouls. Because Norway House was playing with only five players, Ticzon felt the officiating was questionable and gave the opposition some breaks. Ticzon said his team was trailing by 29 points within the first 10 minutes. By the end of the first half, they trailed by nine, then by five points at the midway point of the second half. "I'm very proud the way the team came back and played their heart out," Ticzon said. "Every game was so close and we didn't take Norway House lightly." Ticzon is pleased with the season his team had despite the inability to finish off games in late stages. With the team having players moving up from Grades 10 and 11, chances should be good that they improve on their winning percentage of 60. Ticzon is now preparing a team of 17 and under for regionals with the location still to be determined.
