As anyone who follows high school sports in Moose Jaw can tell you, the sport is most definitely once again on the rise in the city.
One just has to look at the medal count -- gold, silver and two bronze -- from the provincial championships this spring to see exactly how things are quickly reaching impressive heights.
That success translated well into the club season for the Moose Jaw Jam during the May 27 weekend, as the Moose Jaw Minor Basketball Association squad reached the semifinals of the Under-17 provincial championship.
“We lost to the team that ended up winning, so it was a great weekend for us and a great experience,” said Jam coach Christa Lapointe. “The girls got lots of playing time and opportunities to develop their skills in the off-season, work with new players and have fun together. So it was a successful season and just a great way to end things for the girls.”
The main focus for any club sport is seeing their players improve, and that’s something the Jam took to heart, with a special development clinic as one of their main events of the season.
Players had a chance to work with University of Saskatchewan Huskies standout Libby Epoch, one of the winningest coaches in Moose Jaw history in Mark Albert and former Vanier Spirits standout Kehlsie Crone to develop their game.
“The clinic was all about read and react, how to do motion, two-player and three-player games and for the girls to realize it’s good to put in extra effort and challenge yourselves in different ways, make mistakes and do something new, that’s where the growth happens,” Lapointe said. “We had a lot of knowledge out there and with Libby, it was so great for the girls to see what a next-level player is like.”
That bit of extra education came in handy at provincials for the Jam, and it showed in the opening game despite a 44-41 loss to the Saskatoon Supernova.
Moose Jaw trailed by 14 points in the first quarter but were able to steadily battle back before running out of time just as they hit striking distance.
Cadey Olson led the Jam with 16 points and was a force under the Saskatoon basket, while Ireland Guillaume had 10 points.
The Jam defence shone in their next game, as they held the Humboldt Phoenix to only 21 points on their way to a 62-21 victory. Olga Ruberwa led Moose Jaw with 17 points, Waverly Demassi had 16,
That sent the Jam into a critical game for their playoff hopes, and they put their long-range shooting to use in their highest-scoring effort of the weekend, taking an 81-51 victory over the Melfort Comets. Kate Waldenberger and Feona Tolentino each scored 28 points, Ava Kindiak added 12.
With their 2-1 record good enough for second in their pool, the Jam advanced to the semifinal against the Lloydminster Rustlers and found themselves in a battle throughout. The Rustlers were able to build a six-point lead and maintain it before pulling away for a 55-43 victory in the last five minutes.
Waldenberger scored 12 points, while Demassi and Tolentino scored eight each.
All in all, a solid showing for the local squad, and one Lapointe hopes will be a sign of things to come.
“We have a lot of young athletes in our city who want to participate and want to get better,” Lapointe said. “This all gives them a chance to compete and instill that desire to challenge themselves as a player and do what they can to improve themselves, and that’s great to see.”
