With clutch shooting and stingy defence down the stretch, the Holy Rosary Raiders overtook the North Battleford Vikings when it counted most to win Saturday’s gold-medal game in the LCHS Barons junior A basketball tournament.
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Ryder Parkinson sank a pair of three-point shots and Raphael Carreon meshed back-to-back free throws as the Raiders broke open a tight game and won 51-42.
“We had some plays lined up for me to shoot it,” replayed Parkinson, a 14-year-old guard. “The nerves were gone, but I ended up making it to win the tournament. But also, with help from my teammates. It wasn’t just me.
“This is one of the top basketball games I’ve been in — in my career — and we won it, so that’s nice.”
SUCCESS ON FOOTBALL FIELD, TOO
Just a few weeks earlier, Parkinson was part of the Junior Raiders football team that won its provincial championship.
With the basketball club, he’s one of nine Grade 9 students with the Raiders, whose 12-man roster includes three players in Grade 8.
“I’ve played club with most of them pretty much my whole life, and school basketball,” Parkinson said. “We’re hoping that we can do good.
“I’ve been playing for four or five years. I like the intensity that comes with it, and the friendships that you make along the way.”
En route to their golden finish in the six-team tournament, the Raiders won and lost round-robin games before posting a 20-point victory over the host Lloydminster Comprehensive Barons in their semifinal.
LCHS went on to earn the bronze medal, defeating John Paul II of North Battleford in the third-place game.
In preliminary play, the Barons had won their pool, while the Raiders were second in the other division.
“The boys really came together,” said Holy Rosary coach Mitch Cherry. “The main thing we’re focusing on this year is just defensive toughness and working together on offence as well.
“The boys played really good, which turned out to be a victory.”
Earlier on Saturday, the Raiders lost to John Paul II and finished round-robin play with a 1-1 record.
It’s already shaping up to be an entertaining season of junior high school basketball.
“Over the course of history, we’re always quite even with North Battleford Comp and Lloydminster Comp,” Cherry said after Saturday’s final. “On any given day, anyone can beat anybody.
“This is our first tournament of the year. To have a lot of close games, and our boys come out on top, it was great to see.”
This weekend, Holy Rosary’s junior boys and junior girls host their respective tournaments on Friday and Saturday.
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