The fact the Central Alberta High School 4A Boys Basketball Championship came down to a final and deciding game seemed predetermined.
After all the Notre Dame Cougars and Lindsay Thurber Raiders were that close all season.
“We played six times and it ended up three wins each,” explained Cougars head coach Dale Henderson. “They were a good team and we pushed each other all season and in the long run it worked out a little better for us.”
The Cougars won the deciding game in the best-of-three 70-57.
“That was different,” said Henderson. “All the games between us all season were high scoring up to the final. But then there was obviously a little more pressure.
“But it was a great atmosphere. The gym was packed. It was so much fun.”
The Cougars finished on top during the regular season, but Henderson wasn’t predicting anything heading into the season.
“We thought we’d be competitive, but we weren’t predicting we’d be the best team,” he said. “We knew Thurber was big and long. We have a couple really big kids, but our guards were smaller.
“We thought we’d be in the mix, but we weren’t sure.”
It was early in the season when the Cougars gained the confidence needed to make a run at the title.
“Early on we faced Thurber in the final of the Hunting Hills tournament and they beat us by 44. Three days later we met them in league play and defeated them by 24.
“It was right then when we said ‘OK we can play with them. It really changed our boys mentality to say we’re ready to challenge guys like this. It made a huge difference to our overall focus as a team and on our season in general.”
The Cougars head out to the provincial Regional Finals this weekend, facing top-ranked St. Mary’s of Calgary at 4 p.m. Friday at St. Mary’s.
This year the provincials have been changed to four regional tournaments with a Final Four, March 20-22 in Calgary.
It’s something not sitting that well with Henderson.
“I’d like to see it as it was in the past,” he said. “This way it’s a one- game and done. You lose and you go home. You don’t get to experience the tournament atmosphere. To me it’s really frustrating.”
The fact is the Central Alberta teams don’t have the number of players to compete with the high-echelon teams.
It would seem reasonable for the provincials to be divided into 4A and 5A championships, such as football and volleyball.
However, the Cougars have several players who can compete at the higher level.
They have two inside players – Grade 11 Bryden Skeels and Grade 12 Archer Jenkens – both listed at six-foot-nine, 280-pounds.
“They’re huge kids and have learned so much this year ... they’ve come a long way in general, they’re fun to work with,” said Henderson. “
Point guard Isiah Capicio leads the team in scoring, averaging over 20 points per game.
“He is someone we can count on to generate offence when we need it,” said Henderson, who has eight Grade 12s, two Grade 11s and three Grade 10s on his roster.
The other graduating players are Presley Bouchard, Owen Lord, Cody Kerfoot, Joel Carritt, Grady Ford and Garrett Flett.
Austin Landry, Chibueze Nwaribe and Habby Thain-Liptak are in Grade 10 while Ben McAuley joins Skeels in Grade 11.
Capicio is one of the players who expects to play college ball next season.
“He’s had more than a couple of schools contact him and Archer might play,” said Henderson, who knows a thing or two about what it takes to play at the post-secondary level.
Henderson played college ball and has coached for close to 30 years. He was with the Notre Dame JV program before joining the senior squad seven years ago.
Flett, who was the kicker on the Cougars football team, will also be heading to RDP, but to play soccer.
McAuley will more than likely be heading to U Sport when he graduates to play football.
“I expect him to be in the CFL one day,” said Henderson. “He’s a great athlete.
“That’s one of the strengths of our team in that we have four or five good athletes who aren't afraid of the game.”
Meanwhile on the 4A girls side, the LTCHS Raiders won’t have any easier time as they’ve drawn No. 1 ranked Centennial of Calgary.
Danny Rode is a retired Advocate reporter and member of the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame who can be reached at danrode@sjhaw.ca
