Lady Wolves take fourth spot in weekend tournament

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Morinville Community High School Lady Wolves guard Kaitlyn Dryden leaps towards the net for another two points in the opening game of a weekend invitational tournament. – Stephen Dafoe Photos

By Stephen Dafoe

Morinville – The Lady Wolves made it to a fourth-place finish Saturday night at the conclusion of their invitational tournament. Eight high school teams competed in the two-day event at Morinville Community High School Jan. 4 and 5.

The Sr. Girls started the tournament against Pembina Hills’ R. F. Staples Thunderbirds Friday morning, defeating the team 56-24 in a game that built steadily on a 13-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Friday’s victory put the Lady Wolves up against the St. Peter the Apostle Spartans in the semi-final contest.

The Lady Wolves were defeated in a tight 59-56 game, throwing them into a matchup against the Camrose Trojans in the hopes of a third-place finish. That contest ended in a 64-49 victory for Camrose, one the visiting team built steadily from a 21-17 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Although disappointed with the outcome of the tournament, Lady Wolves Coach Kent Lessard said he was not at all disappointed with how his girls played. “I’m very happy with how we played,” He said. “Camrose is fourth-ranked in the province and St. Peters is Honourable Mention. We’re Honourable Mention also, but we’re missing some key players, and we had injuries and illness. All said and done, I think it was a very good weekend for us. The girls never gave up. They showed composure in tough situations. I think this is a step forward for us even though we didn’t get the results with the win.”

There will be little rest for the team. The Lady Wolves will hit the midseason mark this weekend with another tournament at Louis St. Laurent High School in Edmonton next weekend.

“We play in front of the home crowd in front of the home team,” Lessard said of the upcoming matchup. “They’re a good team. It’ll be a tough game, and if we win that one we play number seven Wetaskiwin. We’re right back into the fire. It won’t be easy again next weekend.”

Lessard said with more players back in action next weekend, he is expecting strong results from his team.

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Arrin Young gets control of the ball during the second quarter of Friday’s MCHS Lady Wolves invitational tournament opening game. The Lady Wolves defeated R. F. Staples 56-24.

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Katrina Lessard battles for the ball during the second quarter of the third place game Saturday night. The Lady Wolves fell 64-49 in that contest against Camrose.

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