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Notre Dame senior girls’ basketball play opening game of home tournament

Basketball season is officially begun
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Cougars guard Kyler Williams drives the net during a game against Airdrie Thursday evening at Notre Dame High School. (Photo by Ian Gustafson/ Advocate staff)

The Notre Dame High School senior girl’s basketball team hit the court for the first time this season.

Thursday marked the opening day of the annual 2022-23 Cougar Falcon Classic basketball tournament.

The Cougars dropped their first game to the W.H. Croxford Cavaliers out of Airdrie but despite the loss, head coach Ed Major was happy with his team’s effort.

“There were two completely different teams from the first half to the second half. I was pleasantly surprised with how they responded from halftime,” he said. “They could have gone the other way and had been sad, disappointed, and depressed. But no, they came out and actually did what we were talking about at halftime and we had some positive results for sure.”

Major said one of the main objectives they try to instill in the girls is to be resilient.

“We’re not always going to win or play as best as we can. But if you can come back like we did in the second half, that’s a big thing for us, and that’s going to be a big stepping stone for where we want to be at the end of the year,” he added.

This season the Cougars have four returning players from last year’s team and two Grade 10 rookies followed by five Grade 11 and two new senior players. The team roster contains 13 players including Kyler Williams, Madisen Gero, Reese Macleod, Alexandra Nossak, Autumn Gerber, Janae Hrywkiw, Adriana Sanchez, Amy Bui, Addy Rubletz, Ella Black, Olivia McAuley, and Ainslee and Aubrey Labrecque.

“I’m looking at being at the top at the end of the year,” Major said. That’s always what we strive for here at Notre Dame we’re always trying to be at provincials come March. Our potential is there the girls just need to just continue to build on little things and we’ll build to a point where come March we’re going to be a tough out.”

Major is back coaching with the Cougars for the first time in three years since coaching the Kings and Queens programs at Red Deer Polytechnic.

“Being the assistant coach at RDP is tough sometimes because I can’t get up and move around. I get excited, I get up to move around and I don’t sit down. I really wanted to get back and be that positive force for a team,” he said.

The Cougar Falcon Classic continues on Friday and Saturday at Notre Dame High School and St. Joseph High School in Red Deer.

On the girls’ side, the gold medal game will be played at 8:15 p.m. Saturday night at St. Joseph High School and the boys will play at the same time but at Notre Dame.

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The Notre Dame senior girl’s basketball team kicked off their tournament on Thursday against Airdrie at Notre Dame High School. (Photo by Ian Gustafson/ Advocate staff)


Ian Gustafson

About the Author: Ian Gustafson

Ian began his journalism career as a reporter in Prince Albert, Sask. for the last three years, and was born and raised in Saskatchewan.
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