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Blues tuning it up

Going forward instead of backwards has the Paul Kane Blues headed in the right direction in high school women’s basketball. The winners of five games in seven days are 17-7 overall with the metro Edmonton playoffs and 4A provincials fast approaching.
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DRIVING – Kaitlyn Kluttig motors with the ball against the Bev Facey Falcons on Senior Night for the Paul Kane Blues in Thursday’s metro Edmonton division one match. Paul Kane won 87-31 for an 8-1 mark in league play and 17-7 overall after the fifth victory in seven days.

Going forward instead of backwards has the Paul Kane Blues headed in the right direction in high school women’s basketball.

The winners of five games in seven days are 17-7 overall with the metro Edmonton playoffs and 4A provincials fast approaching.

“We’re not thinking about the past, we’re thinking about the future knowing who we’re going to play,” said co-captain Ella Stanley. ”We’re working together as a team. We’re working hard and we’re having fun while doing it.”

Paul Kane is 8-1 in division one with one game left before the Feb. 25 quarter-finals tip off and the result of Wednesday’s showdown with the St. Albert Skyhawks will determine the top three playoff seeds.

The rivalry game starts at 6:30 p.m. at the SkyDome.

The Skyhawks, 9-0 in division one and 20-5 overall before hosting this weekend’s No Frills tournament, are the No. 1-ranked 4A team in the province.

“We’re approaching it as any other team would and that’s head-on,” Stanley said of the third Battle of St. Albert of the season after the Skyhawks stunned the host team 84-40 in the final of the Paul Kane Invitational on Jan. 12 after the Blues grinded out a 79-75 double overtime decision in the REB Invitational semifinal Dec. 14 at Jasper Place.

“We’re going in there mentally focused and physically focused,” Stanley added. “We’ve been having some really good games lately so we’re going to hope for the best and play hard.”

Paul Kane strung together three division one victories this week by scores of 89-46 against the host Spruce Grove Panthers (3-6) and 65-50 against the Salisbury Sabres (6-3) and 87-31 against the Bev Facey Falcons (2-8) in consecutive home games.

Last weekend Paul Kane was the consolation bracket winner for the second tournament in a row after losing to the Cardston Cougars 47-45 at Tri-Prov, hosted by the Harry Ainlay Titans, and 53-41 on Jan. 31 at the St. Mary’s Saints Senior Classic in Calgary.

The setbacks played a role in Paul Kane dropping from No. 8 in the first Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association ranking period to an honourable mention in the second rankings released Friday. Cardston went from an honourable mention to take Paul Kane’s place No. 8.

The Jasper Place Rebels, 7-1 in division one and 15-6 overall, remained at No. 6 in the 4A rankings as the second and last metro Edmonton team in the top 10.

Paul Kane shook off the loss to Cardston at Tri-Prov with wins of 84-61 against the Duchess Park Condors of Prince George and 63-40 against the Foothills Falcons of Okotoks.

“It was a really good tournament. We played a really good game against Cardston. We were unlucky though. We just couldn’t beat them, but it doesn’t matter. Win or lose, it was really important that we had a really good game against them so I’m really happy with the girls and how we played that game,” Stanley said.

Paul Kane rallied from 19-7 deficit in the first quarter to lead 28-26 at halftime and the rest of the game the lead changed hands several times before foul shots determined the outcome after the score was even-steven with 30 seconds to go.

As for the first loss to Cardston in Calgary, “Our heads weren’t in it,” Stanley said. “We were like, we can’t play like this again, it can’t happen, so we came in more determined.”

Paul Kane also displayed a lot of intestinal fortitude against a scrappy Salisbury squad that was ranked 10th in 4A before joining the Blues in the honourable mention category.

“We knew coming into this game it was definitely going to be a tough one. We were not thinking we were just going to breeze by for the rest of the game,” Stanley said.

Period scores were 22-11, 37-27 and 42-37.

Salisbury played from behind the entire contest and early in the fourth quarter closed the gap to five points.

Paul Kane then clutched up as Jules Froment drained a shot and less than a minute later Bella Gaulden’s third three-pointer of the night extended the lead to 49-39.

“The first half definitely was not what we wanted it to be but the second half was obviously a lot better,” Stanley said. “The first half we definitely needed to come out more strong. In the warm-up we could’ve been a bit louder, more energetic so (the first half) came from little things like that.”

The dangerous Gaulden led all scorers with 19 points and Stanley’s 13 points included three three-balls.

Kayleena Garda turned in a strong performance with 14 points, including eight in the first half, and Froment was solid as usual with 10 points.

The last home game before the division one playoffs was also Senior Night on Thursday against Facey as the graduating Grade 12 class of Blues – Stanley, Kaitlyn Kluttig and Paisley and Gracie Reschke – were honoured.

Also recognized for their post-secondary commitments were Kluttig, a reliable guard, with the Concordia Thunder of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Association, and Stanley, who will join her sister, Alesha, with the Mount Royal Cougars in Canada West.

“I’m so excited. It should be a really good experience,” said Stanley, 17, a six-foot-two standout who consistently fills the hoop from inside and outside the paint. “It definitely was a tough decision just because it’s in Calgary. It’s three hours away and I have to move there.

“But it’s also a lot nicer knowing that I’m going to have my sister there with me.”

FREE THROWS: Paul Kane alumna Sydney Hurlburt broke the record for the most career three-pointers by a NAIT women’s basketball player with her 162nd three-ball in the 69-50 win over the GPRC Wolves last Saturday at NAIT.

Hurlburt, a third-year NAIT guard, is 43-for-94 shooting three-pointers while averaging 13.7 points per game in her third season with the Ooks (14-7).

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