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Banner season for Bulldogs

Bellerose Bulldogs win metro Edmonton division three women's basketball final after settling for second best in the last two championship games

Ross Sheppard – The third time was definitely the charm for the Bellerose Bulldogs.

The third metro Edmonton division three final in a row for the Bellerose women’s basketball team was Saturday’s celebratory 53-34 victory over the J. Percy Page Panthers.

The Bulldogs join the 2001 city conference team as the only senior women’s metro basketball champions in Bellerose history.

“This is our year to shine and we shined,” declared captain Kiana Krueger, a third-year Bulldog. “I’m so happy and proud of us.”

Last year the Bulldogs lost only one game after 12 wins in a row, 55-45 to the Parkland Immanuel Penguins (8-5) with six players back from the 2017 team that finished 8-4 after falling 52-43 to the M.E. Lazerte Voyageurs (7-5).

“I’ve been in these finals for the past two years and to come back for the third time and to win it means everything,” said Krueger, a Grade 12 post.

Visit www.StAlbertToday.ca for the team’s championship banner picture.

The victory also permanently removed the team’s can’t-win-the-big-game label.

“We kind of had that reputation a bit, well I really didn’t think that we did but everyone else did, so we wanted to prove them wrong and show them that we could win,” said Zoe Zurowski, one of four returning Bulldogs on the roster.

So, why this year for the Bulldogs?

“We had more grit and power this year to be able to want it more and to be able to push through the intensity and the crowd,” Krueger said.

“Our team this year is really strong,” Zurowski added. “We all have different things that we can do really good so when we added them all together that’s why we get the outcome which was this win.”

The Bulldogs were never in any serious danger while outperforming the Panthers for leads of 25-17 at halftime and 39-27 after three quarters.

“At first we let the crowd (in the Ross Sheppard small gymnasium) get to us. We were nervous, but then once they let their heads down we pulled right up on them and fed on their mistakes and we held our heads up high,” said Krueger, 17, who chipped in with five points.

Anelia Ayotte, a Grade 10 standout, rattled off 15 points in the first half for 25 overall.

In the third quarter, Zurowski set up shop in the paint for three key baskets and a great individual effort by Ellie Rezewski resulted in a put-back score with 41 seconds left until quarter time.

The fourth quarter started off with Ayotte draining two baskets off turnovers and then hitting two free throws before the three-minute mark to make it 45-27.

The Panthers (11-3) were outmatched by a Bulldogs’ team with bite.

“We all did what we could do as a team and not individually so we all worked together pretty well,” said Zurowski, who was pleasantly surprised the final was as lopsided as it was.

“Honestly, kind of because the last time we played them (50-46 season-opening win at Bellerose) some of it was close but I’m really happy it wasn’t too close.”

Leading up to the final, the Bulldogs generated playoff wins of 62-44 against the Austin O’Brien Crusaders (5-7) and 59-47 against the Ardrossan Bisons (8-5).

The team’s 12-2 league record included losses of 55-38 against the host Lillian Osborne Legends (9-4) in the third game of the season and 40-38 to the Millwoods Christian Royals (5-7) at Bellerose in the last game before the playoffs that ended a run of seven straight wins.

“It’s been a crazy year. We’ve been working so hard. We’ve had ups and we’ve had our downs and it's super nice just to finally reach the end goal which is to win,” said Zurowski, 16, a Grade 11 post who finished the final with eight points while providing a steady presence at both ends of the floor.

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