For the Foothills Falcons Senior boys’ basketball squad, some higher ground was achieved at the 4A provincial tournament as the Okotoks team cracked the top 10.
The Falcons showed they can compete at provincials, but they were also humbled by some of Alberta’s top teams.
After going 1-2 at the tournament at Ross Sheppard High School in Edmonton the Falcons ended up 10th in the province setting a new standard for the Comp.
“In the three years that I’ve been the head coach here, that’s the highest finish we’ve had,” coach Amron Gwilliam said.
The Falcons had a tough draw in their first match March 17 against the eventual silver-medalists.
After being highly ranked for much of the year, Calgary’s Western Canada Redmen came out hard against Foothills and took a 20-point lead into the first-quarter break.
“We started off terrible,” Gwilliam said. “They were quite nervous.”
The Falcons rebounded in the second and third quarters and closed the gap to seven points, however, the Redmen were too much for the Foothills Athletic Council champions and took the game 81-57.
Foothills rebounded the following day for a 86-80 win over Notre Dame (Red Deer).
The Falcons jumped out to a 10-point lead early due to the efforts of Ryan Derochie and Tyler Grigor. Derochie, the team captain, would finish with a game-high 29 points.
Unfortunately, the Falcons could not maintain their run and would make their tournament exit later that evening against the Cardston Cougars.
Due to a tough schedule, the worn-out Foothills boys were unable to mount a full charge and fell 94-61.
Ray Goff led the way with 16 points for Foothills while Skylar Thompson scored 23 for Cardston.
The loss ensured the Falcons would finish in 10th place – not a bad finish amongst the province’s elite schools.
“(It’s) a pretty good year for us,” Gwilliam stated. “We’re building in the right direction.”
Falcons girls fall
The Foothills Falcons Senior girls capped off their best season in a number of years with a quick exit in the 4A provincials.
Despite losing two of three games, the season was a remarkable success for the Falcons girls and a great way to send off their seven graduating players.
“I think we went into provincials as more of a celebration of the year that we had,” coach Travis Wilson said.
The Falcons knew they would be in tough when they drew powerhouse Sir Winston Churchill in their first game on March 17.
Despite 13 points from Amy Wooldridge, the Bulldogs’ shooting and size were too much to overcome as they won 85-36. Churchill would go on to win the silver medal after being defeated by Western Canada in the tournament final.
Wilson attributed the Falcons’ loss to a difficult start.
“We tend to get down on ourselves if we don’t see that ball drop after the first two minutes. It’s a cloud hanging over us,” he said.
The tournament didn’t get any easier for Foothills with a match against Cardston on March 18 and the Cougars made quick work of the Falcons winning 84-48.
Fortunately for the South Central Zone champions, their tournament ended on a high note.
The Falcons won their season finale 69-58 over Grande Prairie.
Nicole Reboul had 18 points for Foothills while Courtney Fox chipped in with 10.
With seven seniors graduating this year, a victory in their last game was a fitting tribute to their accomplishments in Falcons’ colours.
“It was a nice way to celebrate,” Wilson added.
The 2011-2012 season is already starting to take shape for the Foothills girls.
Juniors Noel Reboul and Amy Wooldridge will seek to build on their great season by retaining their starting jobs.
Post player Angie Minue and guard Courtney Fox will also be counted on to shoulder the load going forward.
“It’s a strong corps,” Wilson said.
The Foothills head coach said he knows playing against Alberta’s best teams will light a competitive fire under his players during the offseason.
“It’s going to be a motivating factor over the summer,” he said.
