Basketball zones set to take over the courts in southern Alberta

Posted on March 13, 2025 by Sunny South News

By Garrett Simmons
Sunny South News

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for southern Alberta sports fans.

Every March, gyms throughout the south, and most notably, Lethbridge Polytechnic, are filled with high school basketball squads competing in various March Madness tournaments.

From March 12-15, the Polytechnic will host 1A and 2A zone tournaments, and local teams will be in the thick of it all.

On the 1A girls scene, No. 3 Coalhurst will hit Court B on Thursday for a 6:40 p.m. game against No. 6 St. Mike’s. The winner of that game will take on No. 2 Coaldale Christian in a Friday showdown, also on Court B, set for 3 p.m.

The gold medal game is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. on Court A.

On Wednesday, No. 8 Coalhurst will face No. 9 Noble Central in 1A boys play. That game is set for 8:20 p.m. on Court B. The winner of that game gets No. 1 Coaldale Christian in Thursday’s quarterfinal, which will be played at 6:40 p.m. on Court A. The 1A final will be played Saturday at 5 p.m. on Court A.

Zones come after local teams wrapped up competition in the Deep South Basketball League.

Last week in senior varsity girls play, Prairie Winds won the consolation final by a score of 94-59 over Winston Churchill.

The Prairie Winds senior varsity boys team earned a win in the consolation semi-final, with an 83-78 victory over Willow Creek.

The team then dropped a 90-75 decision in the final against Taber Christian.

Coaldale Christian won the senior varsity league semi-final game with an 88-86 win over Winston Churchill. Owen Senneker led the way with 29 points, while Dimitri Veenendaal had 28 and Darren Mackay added 20.

Coaldale Christian then went on to defeat Stirling to win the league title.

In the final Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association rankings, Coaldale Christian earned the No. 1 ranking in 1A. The school’s girls team ended up No. 5 in the ASAA rankings.