The Junior Varsity (JV) season finished big for both the Canmore and Banff basketball teams as they earned their respective spots on the podium at the 4A Zones/JV Finals.
In an intense final game, the Brooks Buffaloes beat the Canmore Wolverines with a score of 86-76, taking home the gold medal on March 9.
The Wolverines, who had only lost one game before Zones, were really hoping to win. But the Buffaloes dashed their hopes in the final showdown.
“They went into it feeling like they could really win. We had a lot of confidence coming in, and I think that was rightfully so. While it was a loss, I thought the boys played their hearts out,” Coach Fraser Quelch told the Rocky Mountain Outlook.
Sonny Whittington scored an amazing 22 points for the Wolverines, with Bekkett Roste adding 20 and Tristen Quelch scoring 13.
The game was so close that the score was tied going into the last quarter!
However, the Buffaloes got ahead early with a 6-0 lead in the fourth quarter and managed to stay in the lead.
The Buffaloes changed from zone coverage to man-to-man in the second half, making it difficult for the Wolverines to play offensively.
“Even though we ended up scoring 76 points, we didn’t get very much of that in transition, which we usually do. It ended up being very much a half-court affair,” Coach Quelch explained.
Although the Wolverines lost, Coach Quelch credited the Buffaloes for managing his team’s offensive pressure, something most other teams struggled with.
He’s already excited for what next year’s senior and JV Boys teams will bring to the court. But the boys weren’t the only athletes to shine at Zones.
Banff Girls Make History
The Banff Bears senior girls won a bronze medal after beating the Acme Reds 46-35. It was the team’s first time winning a medal at Zones, and everyone was super excited.
“This team has always been breaking the records,” said Team Captain Breanne Carr.
Maya Daniel led the team with 21 points, Grace Gibson got a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Stella Geestman made an impressive eight steals.
The team was down 17-10 in the second half and were desperately trying to catch up to the Reds.
But just before the half ended, the Bears woke up from hibernation and punched it into overdrive, securing a lead over their opponents.
The Bears went on to win the match by 15 points. After the game, the team was super happy; some even cried joyfully.
“Everyone gave their heart out, and it was amazing how we really came together just to win that final game for us and be the first to get in Zones and actually place in third,” said Carr.
The Bears were ranked No. 4 heading into Zones, but that didn’t stop the team from giving their all.
The Bears had defeated the Trochu Jays in their opening game and faced the No. 1 ranked Three Hills Royals the following day.
Unfortunately, the Royals proved too strong of an opponent, beating the Bears 66-25. The loss sent the girls to the third-place matchup.
Leading up to the bronze medal match, the Bears found inspiration from basketball idol, Caitlin Clark and her team, the Iowa Hawkeyes, winning their third straight Big Ten tournament title.
“She has definitely become an inspiration for girls’ basketball. She’s breaking all the records, and we’re all like, one day we’ll be like that, and we all watched how that team connected,” said Carr.
Meanwhile, the Wolverines JV Girls won a consolation final, but the Senior Wolverines teams were knocked out after two losses.
The athletes’ determination at the 2024 Zones/JV Finals proves that winning isn’t everything. Taking a loss and learning from it is just as important.
