Okotoks might have a new transit system, but up in Red Deer some basketball teams are wondering what was the name of the bus that ran over them.
There was no stopping the Holy Trinity Academy Knight Sr. boys basketball team as they romped to the Notre Dame tournament Sr. boys basketball title, downing the defending provincial 4A champions the Jasper Place Rebels in the final 108-53 on Dec. 7.
“We played definitely the best game of our season,” Knights coach Sam Aiello said. “In their (the Rebels) first two games, they scored 100-plus, so they can fill it up too.
“Our boys absolutely came to play. We rebounded well, we played incredible defence. I think we held them to 25 points at half-time and they only scored seven in the third.
“It was one shot and out for them, we rebounded really well.”
The boards were painted black.
HTA forward Mason Black had 29 rebounds, including 16 offensive reebs.
“That’s unheard of – Mason got his hands on absolutely everything last night,” Aiello said.
Aiello said the Rebels are in a rebuilding year after taking the provincial title. Jasper Place graduated 11 players last season.
The Knights’ Ewan Fuhr finished with 25 points – three three-pointers – as well he had three steals.
Black had 18 points to go along with his domination on the glass.
Tobias Krueger had 11 points and Ben Leggett 10 in the Rebel yell.
The Knights opened the tournament against a scrappy St. Joseph’s Falcons out of Red Deer and pulled off an 84-49 victory.
St. Joe’s pressed HTA for the entire 40 minutes.
“We did a really good job of breaking their press and hitting open shots,” Aiello said. “Having Noah (Gutek) and Ben (Leggett) as in-bounders helps us if we need to throw the ball deeper.
“That just really worked out for us, a lot of the times we were able to go over the top.”
Leggett is the strong-armed quarterback for the recently crowned provincial championship Knights football team. Gutek has also taken a snap or two on the gridiron as well.
Elias Ralph was the top Knights’ scorer with 21 points. The Knights’ sparkplug Easton Bishop had 13. Black finished with 11 points.
The Knights then drew the Mt. Baker Wild in the semifinal.
“Mt. Baker was really physical, and they put a lot of pressure on us – we got to work on our press again,” Aiello said. “We threw the ball away sometimes, but I think we were deeper than they were and a little more balanced on the scoring.”
The Knights had five players finish in double digits in the 88-49 victory over the Wild. They were Bishop, Leggett, Fuhr, Ralph and Black.
HTA started the week by downing the Notre Dame Collegiate Timberwolves on Dec. 4 in Foothills Athletic Council play. The Knights are at Sir Winston Churchill High School in Calgary for a tournament Dec. 13-14.
They tip off the week by travelling to Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School to take on the Spartans at 7:15 p.m. Dec. 11 in an FAC clash.
The HTA Knights-Spartans girls squad get things started at 5:30 p.m.
