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Crusaders claim bronze at senior boys home tourney

Dec 18, 2017 | 1:00 PM

The John Paul II Crusaders senior boys basketball team took bronze at their home tournament this past weekend, following a 72-60 win over Swift Current in the third-place game.

They beat Humboldt handily in their first game, but then lost to Weyburn 67-62 in the semifinal.

The Crusaders rebounded well in the bronze medal game, according to head coach Shalen Fox.

“Overall the weekend was good. A lot of good things, the third game especially,” Fox said. “We [did] things the right way, playing fundemental basketball, so that was good.”

This year the senior team has just three Grade 12s. There are seven Grade 11s and six Grade 10s.

Fox said the team prides itself on a strong transition game, but could use some work on limiting turnovers.

“If we’re playing some intense defence and then get a turnover or rebound, we get to transition and we’re a pretty good transition team,” Fox said. “[But] we kind of panic when we feel the pressure. We made some questionable decisions that lead to turnovers and that makes it tough on us.”

When the team is at their best is when they focus on defence, as strong defensive play is what allows their transition game to flourish, according to Fox.

“Our biggest strength would be just our intensity on defence,” Fox said. “Once we consistently play in-your-face defence, then we get a lot of turnovers.”

Fox has seen improvement since the beginning of the season, as he believes the Crusaders are showing they can compete with the big teams.

Their overall record this year is 7-3.

“We’re starting to figure out we can play with the bigger teams. We’re still behind them but we can compete with them,” he said. “The biggest thing is getting used to the speed and the strength of coming up to senior basketball for our Grade 10s.”

The Crusaders are now off for the Christmas break but will play tournaments in Moose Jaw, Meadow Lake and Melfort in January.

Hoopla, the provincial tournament, is once again set for March.

“In the big tournament, we’re probably in the middle of the pack on the top half,” Fox said. “If we can make some more strides, then I think we can compete and who knows what can happen.”

 

natha.kanter@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @NathanKanter11