SHSAA 2024 “HOOPLA” Basketball Championships
March 24, 2024 by admin
Filed under Provincial and Territorial News
SHSAA 2024 “HOOPLA” Basketball Championships
As Saturday, March 23 is the final day of the SHSAA basketball season, teams that
qualified for HOOPLA 2024 are invited to participate in a one-day Provincial Basketball
Championship in Moose Jaw. Each team involved in this celebration of high school
basketball will play one game (against an opponent based on their seeding) and are
encouraged to take in the atmosphere by cheering on other teams.
For those who value the philosophy of school sport, the last few days have continued to
provide examples of opportunities for students to develop life skills through a school sport
environment. As students have endured the unrest, they demonstrated many of the qualities
that their coaches have tried to nurture in an educational athletic setting. We have also been
made aware of many situations where teams have come together to cope and support each
other through the disappointment. Our school sport coaches are phenomenal individuals that
continue to help student-athletes develop skills to prepare them for whatever their future may
hold.
We look forward to celebrating high school sport and bringing closure to the high school
basketball season on Saturday.
| GOLD MEDAL GAMES | BRONZE MEDAL GAMES | |
| GIRLS 1A | McLurg High School (Wilkie) (1) 73 – 40 Lord Asquith School (2) | Coronach School (5) 74 – 61 Foam Lake Composite High School (6) |
| GIRLS 2A | St. Brieux School (1) 45 – 64 Preeceville School (2) | Norquay School (3) 77 – 44 LCBI High School (4) |
| GIRLS 3A | Wynyard Composite High School (1) 67 – 69 Lanigan Central High School (2) | Indian Head High School (3) 50 – 58 École Monseigneur de Laval (Regina) (4) |
| GIRLS 4A | Vanier Collegiate (Moose Jaw) (1) 54 – 57 Carpenter High School (Meadow Lake) (2) | Central Collegiate (Moose Jaw) (3) 51 – 63 Albert E Peacock Collegiate (Moose Jaw) (4) |
| GIRLS 5A | Winston Knoll Collegiate (Regina) (1) 69 – 77 Dr Martin LeBoldus High School (Regina) (2) | Walter Murray Collegiate (Saskatoon) (3) 76 – 55 Swift Current Comprehensive High School (4) |
| GIRLS 5A CONSOLATION | Holy Cross High School (Saskatoon) (5) 59 – 65 Campbell Collegiate (Regina) (6) | |
| BOYS 1A | Porcupine Plain Composite High School (1) 85 – 87 Legacy Christian Academy (Saskatoon) (2) | Hafford Central School (3) 92 – 54 Davidson School (5) |
| BOYS 2A | Saskatoon Christian School (1) 69 – 81 St. Brieux School (2) | Preeceville School (3) 67 – 80 Norquay School (4) |
| BOYS 3A | Regina Christian School (1) 82 – 72 Clavet Composite School (2) | Valley Christian Academy (Osler) (3) 103 – 76 Cornerstone Christian School (Moose Jaw) (5) |
| BOYS 4A | Central Collegiate (Moose Jaw) (1) 78 – 69 Albert E Peacock Collegiate (Moose Jaw) (2) | Harvest City Christian Academy (Regina) (3) 50 – 70 Luther College High School (Regina) (5) |
| BOYS 5A | Walter Murray Collegiate (Saskatoon) (1) 79 – 71 Michael A Riffel High School (Regina) (2) | Holy Cross High School (Saskatoon) (3) 97 – 63 Archbishop M C O’Neill Catholic High School (Regina) (4) |
| BOYS 5A CONSOLIATION | Campbell Collegiate (Regina) (5) 105 – 106 North Battleford Comprehensive High School (6) | Carlton Comprehensive High School (Prince Albert) (7) 90 – 71 Lloydminster Comprehensive High School (8) |
Storybook ending for Walter Murray boys hoopers at provincials
“We are a family that happens to play basketball and I’m proud of what me and my brothers have accomplished this season,” Zach Hawley said.
Author of the article: Saskatoon StarPhoenix Published Mar 24, 2024
It was a perfect ending to a perfect season for the Walter Murray senior boys basketball team.
The top-seeded Marauders capped an undefeated campaign on Saturday in Moose Jaw, winning the school’s first 5A provincial high school hoops championship in 34 years with a 90-71 victory over second-seeded Regina Riffel.
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Murray this season won three tournaments (the Bowlt Classic in Saskatoon, the Bedford Road Invitational Tournament and the Totem Hoop Classic in Edmonton), went 12-0 in league play and swept through cities and provincials.
Zach Hawley, whose 22 points versus Riffel was equalled by senior star Dillyn Morin, said the emotions they felt “can’t truly be explained.”
He said that above all else, he takes great pride in winning together.
“We are a family that happens to play basketball and I’m proud of what me and my brothers have accomplished this season,” Hawley said.
The Marauders, rarely threatened by Riffel on Saturday, were led by their backcourt. In addition to Hawley and Morin’s combined 44 points, Isak Larsen added 16 and Faisal Mahadhi contributed 15 points.
It was the complete opposite campaign from last season for the Marauders, who finished in second place almost every step of the way, including BRIT, cities and provincials.
Hawley admitted he was “greatly relieved” to finish the season without a loss. He said it was “mentally and physically draining” to come up short so often last year, getting to final after after “yet still falling short.
“I can speak for the whole team when I say we’d do anything in our power to never feel that again, and that’s exactly what we did,” he said.
A mantra — want it more — captured the Marauders’ mindset this entire season, Hawley added. He feels like after so many disappointments one year ago, he and his teammates “truly wanted it more.” The off-season workouts, the weight room lifts, film sessions and open gyms never felt draining “because we knew the (wins) ahead.”
City runner-up and 2023 provincial champion Holy Cross cruised to a 5A boys bronze medal, throttling Regina O’Neill 97-63. Kian Tyson scored 26 points for Cross, followed by Moe Osman and Jack Gray with 11 points each.
In the consolation bracket, No. 6 North Battleford Comp won an overtime thriller 106-105 against No. 5 Regina Campbell, while seventh-seeded Prince Albert Carlton beat No. 8 Lloydminster 90-71.
Due to job sanctions implemented by the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation amidst a contract dispute with the provincial government, the traditional three-day Hoopla format was cancelled. Instead, the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association held a one-day provincial tournament and used seedings to slot teams into gold-medal, bronze-medal and consolation games.
UNDEFEATED MURRAY GIRLS WIN BRONZE
The Walter Murray girls also finished a perfect league and playoff season with a win — but it garnered them a 5A bronze medal, not gold.
The Marauders — despite an undefeated 12-0 league season and city championship — were left out of the SHSAA’s top-two seedings and instead placed in the third-place game, where they breezed by fourth-ranked Swift Current 76-55. Ryan Deutscher scored 36 points for Murray, Megan Jetzke added 14 points and Sophie Larsen scored 12.
In the 5A girls final, second-seeded Regina LeBoldus beat top-seed Regina Winston Knoll 77-69. It was the third time this season LeBoldus beat Knoll.
In the consolation bracket, sixth-seeded Regina Campbell beat fifth-ranked Holy Cross 65-59. Anika Nechvatal and Jada Duchene each scored 11 points for Cross.
4A DIVISION
In the 4A girls final, second-ranked Meadow Lake beat defending champ and No. 1 seed Moose Jaw Vanier 57-54.
In the bronze-medal game, fourth-seeded Moose Jaw Peacock beat third-ranked Moose Jaw Central 63-51.
In the boys division, No. 1 seed and defending champion Moose Jaw Central repeated as champion with a 78-69 victory against No. 2 Moose Jaw Peacock.
Fifth-ranked Regina Luther beat third-seeded Regina Harvest City 70-50 for the bronze.
3A DIVISION
In the 3A girls final, second-seeded Lanigan won a 69-67 thriller over top-ranked and reigning champ Wynyard.
In the bronze medal game, No. 4 Regina Laval beat No. 3 Indian Head 58-50.
The 3A boys final saw top seed Regina Christian defend its title with an 82-72 win over second-seeded Clavet.
Third-ranked Osler VCA beat fifth-ranked Moose Jaw Cornerstone 103-76 in the bronze medal game.
2A DIVISION
In the 2A boys final, second-seeded St. Brieux beat top-ranked Saskatoon Christian School 81-69.
Fourth-ranked Norquay defeated No. 3 Preeceville 80-67 in the third-place final.
On the girls side, No. 2 Preeceville — making their first appearance at provincials since 1997 — beat No. 1 St. Brieux 64-45 to win gold.
In the third-place game, No. 3 Norquay beat fourth-ranked Lutheran Collegiate Bible Institute 77-44.
1A DIVISION
In the 1A boys division, second-seeded Saskatoon Legacy Christian School knocked off top-ranked Porcupine Plain 87-85 in the gold medal final.
Third-seeded Hafford beat fifth-ranked Davidson 92-54 for bronze.
In the girls draw, No. 1 Wilkie beat No. 2 Asquith 73-40 in the gold medal medal game.
In the bronze medal game, sixth-ranked Foam Lake defeated fifth-ranked Coronach 74-61.
