The Morinville Lady Wolves let the lead slip away from them in Saturday's final at their home tournament.
Up by eight at halftime against the Wetaskiwin Sabres, ranked sixth provincially in 3A women's basketball, the Wolves eventually lost by six.
"It was a good experience for the team to play in a tough, close game as the season winds down," said Kent Lessard, head coach of the 15-5 Wolves. "The more experience the team has in these type of games will help them as they push towards upsetting a tough Devon girls team [at the March 12 to 13 North Central Zone Championships at Morinville]."
After the halftime break the Sabres scored on consecutive trips down the floor with three-pointers to close the gap to two. Gritty defence kept the Wolves in front by a few points until midway through the fourth quarter when the Sabres hit their fourth three-ball of the half to go up by four en route to the 51-45 victory.
Haley England, a five-foot-nine Grade 10 post, led the Wolves in scoring with 16 points and in rebounds with 16. Vicki Dubord, a six-foot Grade 12 post, added nine points and 14 rebounds.
"They shot better than we did in the second half and effectively limited our inside game as they held Vicky and Haley to just seven points combined," Lessard said.
Provincial hopeful
In the latest 3A rankings, the John Maland Wildcats of Devon are listed 10th and the Wolves are an honourable mention. The last game between the provincial contenders was a three-point win by Devon.
Last year the Wolves qualified for their first provincials in 10 years by beating the Wildcats 58-53 in the zone final. At provincials the Wolves finished 10th. They were seeded ninth in the 12-team draw. Their overall record was 26-12.
This year's line-up features six returning players, including five Grade 12s, plus a strong Grade 10 class of players from the 2009 SAPEC championship-winning junior high Wolves.
This weekend the Wolves are playing in a 3A-calibre tournament at Wetaskiwin.
They are scheduled to hoop it up against the McCoy Colts of Medicine Hat, ranked fourth in 3A. The St. Albert Skyhawks, ranked number one in 3A, is the tournament's top seed. Camrose (ranked second), Magrath (ranked eighth), Beaumont and Holy Trinity Academy of Okotoks round out the 3A teams.
"It will be another tough test for the girls," Lessard said.
