Skip to content

Revenge game for St. Albert Skyhawks

St. Albert Skyhawks seek redemption against the only women's basketball team to beat them this season
0102 sky CC 5645
HIGH-RISER – Maya Flindall attacks the basket for the St. Albert Skyhawks against the Archbishop Jordan Scots in the metro Edmonton division one league. The Skyhawks are 5-0 as the two-time defending champions and 13-1 overall prior to the St. Mary's Saints Senior Classic this weekend in Calgary. The 2019 4A provincial gold medallists are 8-1 in three tournaments this season. CHRIS COLBOURNE/St. Albert Gazette

One loss was one too many for the St. Albert Skyhawks in high school women’s basketball.

The defending 4A provincial champions had high hopes of righting that wrong in Friday’s revenge game against the Western Canada Redhawks at the St. Mary’s Saints Senior Classic in Calgary.

The top two teams in the 4A rankings were destined to resume their battle for superiority after the first confrontation ended with the Skyhawks falling 76-68 to Western in the Dec. 13 semifinal at the 38th annual REB Invitational at Jasper Place High School.

“It’s like redemption if we get to play Western again,” said Mimi Sigue, a powerful Grade 12 post at Wednesday’s practice. “Hopefully we beat them and I think we definitely can.”

Both teams were expected to win their tournament openers in the round of eight for the anticipated semifinal showdown as the Skyhawks played the No. 4-ranked 4A Raymond Comets and Western was up against the Bowness Trojans of Calgary and a 4A honourable mention.

Scores were unavailable at press time.

The Skyhawks had won 13 of 14 games in league and tournament action and the only loss dropped last year’s No. 1 team from start to finish behind Western in the first rankings of the season by the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association.

“It’s just a number. We know we are and should be number one so we’ve got to prove to everyone else that we'll be number one the next time the rankings come out (Feb. 14),” Sigue said.

The Redhawks, bronze medallists at the 2019 provincials, were gung-ho for the challenge while the Skyhawks struggled to match the opposition’s intensity and determination. The Skyhawks were constantly chasing the game and a surprising number of miscues with the ball and key players saddled with fouls compounded the problem.

The loss pulled the plug on a 28-game winning streak that started following consecutive losses at the 2018 REB Invitational before the Skyhawks rattled off 22 in a row to close out their championship season with a 30-5 record that included a 13-0 mark in division one.

The Skyhawks were also without arguably their most prolific player against Western as Teå DeMong – a two-time Metro Athletics All-Star and three-time All-Canadian all-star selection playing for Team Alberta at the national age-group championships – was unavailable for the tournament because of her third Canada Basketball age-group assessment camp in three years.

“It was sad that we lost,” said Matlyn Drefs, a scoring threat coming off the bench as a Grade 11 guard. “Our heads just weren't in the game. We always want to try and hype up each other and make each other better players, but during that game we weren't as loud and communicating with each other so going into this next game against Western, if we make it that far, we have to be better at that.”

The last tournament for the Skyhawks was the Coyote Classic in early January at Centennial High School in Calgary and the third game for the 3-0 finishers was against the Semiahmoo Totems of Surrey, the 2019 B.C. AAA champions with former Team Canada head coach Allison McNeill in charge.

“After our Western game we were kind of down. We felt we were better than them, but we didn't show that so we wanted to show how good of a team we are and against that B.C. team we knew there was a lot of Team Canada girls (in the lineup) and they won their provincials so they’re good competition,” Sigue said. “It was high intensity and good basketball. Everything was clean."

The 79-63 triumph brought out the best in the Skyhawks in a game that was too close to call at halftime with Semiahmoo up 33-31 until the Alberta champions out-scored the B.C. champions 26-18 in the fourth quarter.

DeMong drained 10 of her 19 points in the last 10 minutes as player of the game. Sigue finished 17 points and Kamryn DeKlerk tacked up 16.

The trio, along with Morgan Harris and Annacy Palmer of the Skyhawks, played last summer for Team Alberta, the silver medallist at U17 nationals.

“Our offence was flowing. We were really cohesive. You could tell we really wanted it,” said Sigue of the result against Semiahmoo.

“It showed a lot of good stuff about us. We were working together and working hard. We stepped it up,” said Drefs, a gold medallist along with teammate Dakota Wedman with the U16 provincial squad at the 2019 Western Canada Summer Games.

The Skyhawks, 8-1 in three tournaments, are also competing at the 37th annual Father Troy next weekend at St. Joseph High School and the No Frills at Jasper Place Feb. 14-15.

The first league game for the Skyhawks (5-0) after the exam break is 5:30 p.m. Monday against the host Leduc Tigers (2-4).

Also on tap are two biggies as the visiting team against 4A rivals: Feb. 19 versus the No. 2 4A-ranked Jasper Place Rebels (6-0) at 5:30 p.m. and Feb. 24 versus the No. 9 Paul Kane Blues (3-2) at 5 p.m. in the last game before the playoffs start March 2 for the two-time defending division one champions.

The Skyhawks hammered Paul Kane by 77 points in the 111-34 final of the 22nd annual Mike Dea Classic on Nov. 30.

“We have to try and keep the intensity up as a team,” said Sigue, 17, who is committed to the University of Victoria Vikes next season.

The Skyhawks are showing no signs of slowing down with eight returnees from the first 4A provincial championship by a St. Albert high school women’s basketball team.

“The season has been going pretty well. I don’t know if there is anything to really do better other than just playing our game and not playing to other teams' levels,” said Drefs, 16, who cracked the senior roster in Grade 10 after playing junior high hoops with the Millwoods Christian Royals.

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks