Pictured above: Front Row: Jada Kujanpaa, Sydney Gilroy, Ireland Staples, Brenna Schure, Ali Kujanpaa, Brynlee Spencer Back Row: Coach: Lise Fraser, Sydney Fedorchuk, Lauren Klatt, Adria Bateman, Caitlyn Stewart, Erica Sembaluk-Hart, Jasmine Rose, Josie Black. Asst. Coach: Erica Forsyth, Manager: Jennifer Zamzow

Submitted by: Lise Fraser | What a season it has been for the Swan Valley JV Girls basketball team. At the beginning of the season, the team had one goal in mind and that was to return to the Provincial Basketball Tournament and play in one of the Finals on Saturday. Last year, the JV Girls played in the Consolation Finals.

The team left on Wednesday night for Winnipeg and after a long bus ride were greeted by friendly staff and a welcoming sign in the front lobby of their hotel, Super 8 West. A staff member from the hotel had emailed Lise Fraser asking for a team logo and the result was this beautiful hand-drawn sign welcoming the Tigers. The hotel also provided goodie bags for the players in their rooms.

Thursday, March 8, 2018 at noon was the first game for the Tigers against Beausejour Barons. This was an important game for the Tigers because a win would place them on the Championship side of the draw. The Tigers used an all-out attack defensively and offensively. Beausejour had difficulty managing the press of the Tigers and by the end of the game the score was 46-25 for Swan Valley. The game certainly seemed closer than the final score would indicate as Beausejour certainly didn’t quit, at times cutting into the lead of the Tigers, whittling it down to only 11 points. But the Tigers stayed with the game plan and extended the lead in the 4th quarter. Brenna Schure was named Player of the Game for Swan Valley with 18 points, 4 rebounds. Adria Bateman had a strong offensive game with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Lauren Klatt and Caitlyn Stewart contributed 6 points apiece. Sydney Fedorchuk was the defensive player of the game for the Tigers with 4 rebounds and 4 jumpballs.

Thursday night was the Skills Competition for the teams.
Jasmine Rose, Sydney Gilroy, Ali Kujanpaa, Ireland Staples, Josie Black, Jada Kujanpaa, Brynlee Spencer and Brenna Klatt came in 2nd for the dribbling contest against Pierre Elliot Trudeau

Pictured above: Jasmine Rose dribbling the ball.

And the following sharp-shooters won the Skills Shooting competition.
Erica Sembaluk-Hart, Lauren Klatt, Sydney Fedorchuk,
Adria Bateman, Caitlyn Stewart, Brynlee Spencer,
Ireland Staples, Sydney Gilroy, Josie Black,
Each group of 3 competed head to head against another school. If they won that round, the next group of 3 would be able to shoot.

Pictured above: Erica Sembaluk-Hart shooting: Sydney Fedorchuk waiting for the pass.

With the win against Beausejour, the Tigers played College Pierre Elliot Trudeau, ranked #1, in the semi-final game on Friday at 2:00. The semi-final game was the most intense game the Tigers had played in the season. Both teams utilized a press and played a physical game. The lead traded back and forth throughout the game with neither team giving an edge. At the beginning of the 4th quarter the score was tied 35-35. With a minute left in the game Lauren Klatt scored a basket which tied the score at 47-47. CPET pushed the ball down the floor, trying to score the winning basket but Ireland Staples then stole the ball and put the Tigers ahead 49-47. With .07 seconds left in the game, CPET attempted to inbound the ball and sink a three pointer for the win but were not able to get the shot away. Josie Black was named the Player of the Game for the Tigers.

Lauren Klatt led the Tigers with scoring and rebounding with 13 points and 5 rebounds. Followed by Ireland Staples and Erica Sembaluk-Hart with 10 points apiece. Brynlee Spencer was the defensive player of the game for the Tigers with creating turnovers and steals.

With the semifinal win, the Tigers faced the Lorette Scorpions in the Gold Medal Game. The Lorette Scorpions were a formidable opponent, with size and speed and the Tigers found themselves down by more than 20 at half time. But the team re-focused, made some adjustments and scored point by point with Lorette for the second half. Sydney Gilroy, Ali and Jade Kujanpaa utilized their speed by dribbling through the Lorette press. The Tigers did not give up and continued to press, steal the ball. Turnovers created by Fedorchuk and Black resulted in a final basket made by Klatt with only 30 seconds to play. Klatt was fouled on the play and made the free throw. By the end of the game, the score was 50-32 for Lorette. Lauren Klatt was named the Player of the Game for Swan Valley with 8 points and 5 rebounds. Sydney Fedorchuk and Caitlyn Stewart were the defensive players of the game for the Tigers. Fedorchuk stole the ball 4 times and Stewart had 5 rebounds and one jump ball.

The Swan Valley JV Girls basketball team had an outstanding performance at MHSAA Basketball Provincials, winning silver medals and a Provincial Finalist banner. The coaches received compliments from officials and other coaches regarding the level of play and sportsmanship exhibited by the Swan Valley players.