Comets 96 Raiders 59
The perimeter shooting of the third ranked Raymond Comets proved to be too much for the 14th ranked Lindsay Thurber Raiders boys as they lost 96-59.
It was never really in doubt for the Comets, who led 31-14 after the first quarter and 56-32 at the half.
Raiders coach Carl Light said they knew the team from Raymond could shoot from beyond the arc. He thought his boys picked up their defensive assignments well.
“The score obviously doesn’t reflect that with, but we played our systems very well,” said Light. “We put a solid team effort out and we’re going to take that momentum out into the next game here at provincials.”
As a team the Panthers hit seven three-pointers in the first quarter and 17 throughout the game.
The Raiders offence was srpead out, but lead by TK Kunaka, who had 11 points and Reece Lehman with 10 points. Team captain Ben Pasiuk had nine points.
The Panthers relied on shooters like Chase Bhone with 24 points and Boomer Heggie who had 15 in the win.
The Raiders will face the 11th ranked M.E. LaZerte this afternoon at 2 p.m. at Camille J. LeRouge School.
Light said the team watched their next opponent play to do some homework in preparation.
Panthers 56 Raiders 43
It was a closer finish for the Raiders girls basketball team, but like their male counterparts they fell short in the opening match of the tournament.
The 12th ranked Lindsay Thurber Raiders fell 56-43 to the fifth ranked Spruce Grove Panthers.
Kesley Lalor did the heavy lifting for the Raiders, scoring more than half of her teams points, with 25.
Chrstine Kootenay led the Panthers with 20 points, while Jenna Harpe had 19. The Panthers led 33-19 at half time.
“We knew we were going to be in tough against them,” said Raiders coach Kathy Lalor. “We didn’t a good enough job inside. I felt like their inside players contributed quite a bit and we had to rely too much on our outside shooting.
“When you rely too much on one part of your game, you suffer a little bit.”
Late in the fourth quarter the Raiders attempted to mount a comeback, going on a 10-2 run with three minutes to go. It put them to within 12 points, the closest they had been all half.
“We were panicking a little bit,” said Lalor. “In the first half it wasn’t too bad, but when you get behind you start to try and force the ball. We got away from our game plan and it hurt us.”
The Raiders now face the 13th ranked Foothills at 10 a.m. at Hunting Hills.
Rams 106 Cougars 85
A couple of late charges by the 13th ranked Notre Dame Cougars just weren’t enough as they fell to the fourth ranked Lethbridge Collegiate Institute Rams 106-85.
Cody White led the Cougars with 28 points, Ruby Soffo had 23 and Jeb Maribojoc had 21.
The two teams traded leads in the second quarter and at the half, the Cougars were down by two. However, the Rams put up a 31-point third quarter to pull ahead and never look back.
Teven Hall led the Cougars with 27 points, while Mitch Boychuk had 20.
The Cougars return to the hardwood today at 2 p.m. at Hunting Hills to face the 12th ranked Foothills.
Redhawks 85 Lightning 49
A tough outing for the Hunting Hills Lightning as they fell behind early and couldn’t keep up with the Western Canada Redhawks in their tournament opener.
The 14th ranked Lightning lost to the third ranked Redhawks 85-49 on their home court.
Paige Hagel had 11 points to lead the Lightning, while Kristen Laney had seven.
The Lightning move into the consolation bracket and will play today at 10 a.m. against 11th ranked Paul Kane at Camille J. Lerouge School.
Other boys results include:
#1 Archbishop O’Leary over #16 95-56, #2 Harry Ainlay over #15 Lloydminster 74-53, #5 Bishop McNally over #12 Foothills 74-58, #6 Lester B. Pearson over #11 M.E. LaZerte 63-59, #7 Cardston over #10 St. Francis 101-75 and #8 Notre Dame (Calgary) over #9 Holy Trinity 90-79 .
Other girls results include:
#1 St. Francis over Lloydminster 89-19, #2 Jasper Place over #15 Charles Spencer 101-11, #4 Catholic Central over #13 Foothills 77-35, #6 Lethbridge Comprehensive Institute over #11 Paul Kane 68-52, #7 St. Albert Catholic over #10 St. Mary’s 69-42 and #8 Bishop Grandin over #9 Cardston 71-54.