The Holy Rosary Raiders are going into the School Sport Alberta provincials with momentum on their side.
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The senior girls’ basketball team from Holy Rosary won the Northeast Alberta zone championship last weekend in St. Paul, posting an 81-47 victory over the host school in Saturday’s final.
“The team’s balanced play and strong defence helped secure the championship and another trip to provincials,” said Holy Rosary coach Ashley Fullarton.
In Coaldale for the 3A provincials this week, the Raiders are making their fifth straight appearance in the Alberta championship tournament.
Holy Rosary is ranked eighth among the 12 girls’ teams that qualified for provincials.
Entering the zone championship, the Raiders were seeded 10th among 3A schools in the province.
In its decisive victory over St. Paul, the Lloydminster school received a standout performance from shooting guard Dawsyn Winterhalt, who was named a tournament all-star for the zone championship.
Holy Rosary has added a familiar face to the coaching staff in former Lakeland College women’s basketball coach Chris King, most recently the coach of the U18 AAA Lloydminster Lancers boys’ hockey team.
“It’s been great to have him, and his expertise, join us,” said Fullarton, who has coached elite teams from King’s Golden Ticket basketball club.
HOLY ROSARY BOYS PUNCH TICKET
Along with the Raiders’ senior girls’ team, Holy Rosary’s senior boys are bound for their 3A provincials, also this week in Coaldale, with Prairie Winds Secondary School as host.
“I’m very proud of the resilience that both teams have shown,” said Fullarton, also a teacher and the athletic director at Holy Rosary. “The girls, specifically, have improved immensely this season. With nine out of 10 players returning next year, the future of this team is looking very bright.”
The boys continue to battle, even with injuries shortening their bench. In the final of the Northeast zone tournament, Holy Rosary lost 85-68 to Holy Trinity of Fort McMurray. Based on solid results during the regular season, the silver-medal-winning Raiders are among three Northeast representatives to qualify for provincials. They’re seeded fifth for the 12-team 3A boys’ tournament.
This is the second straight year that the Raiders’ boys’ and girls’ teams are both in provincials.
At the 1A level, the E.H. Walter boys’ and girls’ teams from Paradise Valley are representing the Northeast region at their respective provincials. The Trojan boys were rated second in the province, while the girls’ team was seeded 11th in Alberta.
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