At some point basketball has to return to being something fun and it’s players do just because they enjoy it, not because they’re chasing scholarships or division and provincial titles.
Wednesday night was just that for the outgoing 3A and 4A Central Alberta high school senior girls classes at Red Deer College, as Team Light beat Team Dark 61-41 to win CASAA Senior Bowl.
“It was really exciting, it just brings the Grade 12s together and it wraps up a whole career for some of us for basketball,” said Hunting Hills Lightning six-foot post Nicole Fischer, 17. “It’s sad, I’ll miss my team, I’ll miss my coaches and I’ll miss the competition.”
Team Light was made up of 15 players from HJ Cody, Hunting Hills, Notre Dame, Ponoka and West Central, while Team Light collected 15 players from Camrose, Lacombe, Lindsay Thurber, Wetaskiwin and Wm. E. Hay Composite High School.
Team Dark won the boys’ game 72-64 on Wednesday. For that game, Dark was made up of players from Camrose, Lacombe, Lindsay Thurber, West Central and Wetaskiwin, while Light was composed of players from HJ Cody, Hunting Hills, Notre Dame, Ponoka and Wm. E. Hay Composite High School.
The players in tthe Senior Bowl are known quantities, they have been scouted for a few years during regular season, playoff and provincial games. This game was an opportunity for a final send off rather than a last second night of scouting.
“It’s more an opportunity to talk to them and talk to their coaches and parents,” said RDC women’s head coach Ken King. “By this point we know what type of player they are or are not and it’s more about just having fun on the court.”
While most of the players finished up their season two weeks ago, some like Lindsay Thurber’s trio of Bretton Bowd, Molly Rumohr and Sarah Thomas are coming off of last week’s provincial tournament. But this game gave them some finality to their high school careers.
“It was great, we had a real tight team and we worked hard as a team and never got down on each other. It didn’t matter if we were winning or losing we’d always pump each other up and get back in to the game,” said Bowd, 17. “It’s definitely sunk in (that it’s over) and we’ve had a few tears here and there. It’s tough but it’s been fun.”