Kate Andrews and Coaldale Christian win respective zone basketball titles

Posted on March 15, 2023 by Sunny South News

By Garrett Simmons
Sunny South News

The Kate Andrews High School senior boys basketball team took home the 2A zone championship Saturday in dominating fashion.

Coaldale earned gold Saturday night with a huge 103-80 win over Stirling. The top-ranked Pride never left any doubt in the zone tournament, which included decisive victories in the quarterfinals and the semifinals.

Kate Andrews began its tournament run Thursday night with a 99-38 win over No. 8 F.P. Walshe from Fort Macleod. Carson Bartsch had 21 for Coaldale, while Carson Mellow and Nicholas Klassen added 14 each. Matthew Klassen chipped in with 13 and Karson Willis added 10 points.

In the semi, the Pride continued to click on all cylinders offensively in a 97-69 win over Kainai. Ben Dyck had 22 points in the win, as Nate Shipton added 18 and Bartsch had 14. Willis finished with 12 and Mellow added 11.

In the final against Stirling, Kate Andrews trailed 20-17 after the first quarter, before the top-ranked squad exploded for 34 points in the second quarter. Kate Andrews kept the points coming in the second half, with a 25-point third quarter and a 27-point fourth, as Coaldale cruised to victory.

Dyck’s 31 led Kate Andrews, as Bartsch had 22. Willis poured in 15 points and Karl Petker had 12.

Kate Andrews and Stirling now both advance to the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association 2A provincials this weekend in Peace River, hosted by Glenmary School.

In other 2A boys action, No. 4 Coalhurst saw its zone dreams end in the quarters, as No. 5 Kainai pulled off a slight upset with an 82-79 win. Tyson Roth had 28 for Coalhurst, while Nolen Grindle had 22, Ricardo Goutchoessa finished with 13 and Tyson Janes had 10.

The Kate Andrews senior girls settled for 2A silver after a 71-39 loss in the final to Immanuel Christian Secondary School. Karissa Marshall had 11 points in the loss, as Kate Andrews could not get its offence going, after ICSS raced out to a 29-12 lead after the the first quarter and breezed home for the zone title.

But No. 3 Kate Andrews had an impressive run to the final, which started Wednesday with a 78-49 over Claresholm’s Willow Creek. Macy Ball had 15, Brooklyn Rombough and Emma Canfield added 14 each and Tori Bousfield chipped in with 12.

Coaldale then upset No.2 W.R. Myers from Taber in the semis, by a score of 63-49. Bousfield led the way with 19, Rombough added 17 and Marshall finished with 10.

Kate Andrews has advanced to 2A provincials this weekend, hosted by High Level Public School.

The Coalhurst girls, ranked No. 8, fell in the tournament opener last Monday to No. 9 Kainai by a score of 52-46. Kelsey Miechkota had 17, Grace Shea had 12 and Emily Acheson added 11.

Coaldale Christian’s senior boys team is also heading to provincials, as the team won 1A zones after a 77-54 win over St. Michael’s. Micah Visser’s 25 points led the way, while Blake Bareman and Asher Slomp both added 14.

Coaldale Christian started the tournament with a 105-24 win over Noble Central, and followed that up with an 89-43 win over St. Mary’s. Noah VanderHeide had 23 and Slomp had 20 in the Noble Central win, as Visser (19), Grant Mackay (12) and Rylan Veldman (11) also had big games. Louis VanDijk led Noble Central with nine.

Against St. Mary’s, Visser had 33 and VanderHeide had 26. Veldman added 15.

Coaldale Christian now prepares to host the 1A boys provincial championship tournament. Play begins Thursday at 11 a.m. and continues all the way until Saturday. The gold-medal game is set for 7:30 p.m.

In 1A girls play, Picture Butte lost in the bronze-medal game by a score of 52-48 to St. Michael’s. Butte opened play with a 63-30 win over Erle Rivers, and then fell 73-53 to Stirling in the semis.