Junior final
The second loss in as many years for the St. Albert Skyhawks in the metro Edmonton division two junior women’s basketball final was decided late in Saturday’s playoff.
It was 54-48 Skyhawks before the Leduc Tigers rallied with seven consecutive points in the last 2:02 minutes for the 55-54 victory at Ross Sheppard High School.
The result left the Skyhawks with a 10-1 league record and one of the wins was 65-37 against Leduc (8-3) Jan. 7.
The rematch was deadlocked at 36 points apiece at halftime after the Skyhawks led 22-16 after the first quarter and 31-26 with under six minutes left until the break.
Leduc entered the fourth quarter on top 45-41 after the Skyhawks missed eight free throws in a row before Megan Tchir’s basket marked the team’s first points of the second half with 2:19 left until quarter time to close the gap to 43-38.
The Skyhawks went 1-for-12 from the free-throw line in the quarter.
The Skyhawks rebounded with more offensive punch in the fourth quarter as Taylor Pukanich scored the go-ahead 47-46 basket with 5:17 to play and 1:35 minutes later Anna Brodeur’s three-pointer made it 50-46.
With 2:17 to go, Pukanich sank the team’s last basket to make it 54-48 and Leduc replied with a pair of field goals nine seconds apart to cue the comeback.
An offensive rebound knotted the count at 54 with 1:32 remaining and a free throw with one minute left put Leduc ahead to stay.
As time ticked down, the Skyhawks were unable to convert two possessions into points while Leduc missed a pair of free throws with 24.7 seconds on the clock.
Brodeur led the Skyhawks with 16 points, Tchir drained 13 and Kylan Finseth added 10.
The Skyhawks also struggled with the officiating as the coaches, players and fans often voiced their displeasure over the number of fouls against their team and non calls against Leduc.
The Skyhawks’ roster of 12 players included six returnees, with five dressed for the final, from last year's 51-43 setback to the Archbishop MacDonald Marauders as both teams finished 12-2.
3A provincials
The Sturgeon Spirits are competing in the 3A metro Edmonton provincial qualifier as the host team for the March 19 to 21 tournament.
The eight-team draw tipped Monday with the division two Spirits defeating the division four St. Andrew Bessette Cardinals of Fort Saskatchewan 72-67 for a berth in tonight’s 6:30 p.m. semifinal against the division two Strathcona Christian Academy Eagles in Sherwood Park.
The division one St. Peter the Apostle Spartans of Spruce Grove and the division three Mother Margaret Mary Storm are also in the playoff mix.
In the last 3A rankings before provincials, the Spartans are No. 5, the Eagles are No. 9 and the Spirits are an honourable mention.
The Spirits finished league play at 5-7 as quarter-finalists.
Provincials consist of 12 teams.
Wolves at zones
Provincial berths are on the line this weekend for the Morinville Wolves in the North Central zone 3A basketball qualifiers.
The winner of the women’s tournament in Westlock advances to provincials at Sturgeon Composite High School and the top men’s team in Athabasca goes to provincials in Strathmore.
Provincials start March 19.
The Wolves are the No. 1 seeds in their respective North Central draws.
In the 3A rankings, the Wolves are listed sixth for women and ninth for men as the only North Central teams to crack the top 10.
The lady Wolves are 18-8 overall in the quest for their first North Central three-peat since 2014-16.
The women’s team has been the North Central rep at 3A provincials nine of the last 11 years as a zone champion or wild card team.
At last year’s provincials, the Wolves defeated the Sturgeon Spirits 59-52 in the consolation final.
The Morinville men are 17-4 as winners of four tournaments while competing in five finals in seven weekend competitions.
ON THE BALL – Megan Tchir of the St. Albert Skyhawks has the upper hand defensively against Liv Sveinsson of the Leduc Tigers in Saturday's metro Edmonton division two junior final at Ross Sheppard High School. The Skyhawks lost 55-54 after leading 54-48 with under three minutes to play. The Skyhawks finished 10-1 and one of the wins was 65-37 against Leduc (8-3) Jan. 7 in league play.JOHN LUCAS/St. Albert Gazette
