It was a perfect weekend for the Carlton basketball program as both the boys and girls teams punched their tickets to HOOPLA 2025 in Saskatoon with successful weekends in the 5A rural regional tournament.
Boys capture regional title
The Crusader boys entered the regional tournament in North Battleford as the number one seed and they played like it, securing the regional crown and a ticket to HOOPLA with wins over Lloydminster (80-41), Yorkton (98-83) and Swift Current (100-51).
Carlton head coach Randy Emmerson says it was a promising sign to see the Crusaders rise to the occasion.
“It was a good weekend and I think that as every team and every coach would like, you want to be playing your best basketball at the end of the year. When I look back at our season and I see the progress that we’ve made, having a weekend like we did and performing as we did was really sweet for the team.”
In other results in the 5A boys, Swift Current who entered the tournament ranked seventh defeated Moose Jaw Peacock who was ranked second and North Battleford who was ranked third on their way to the final.
St. Mary was ranked fourth entering the weekend and lost their opening game by two points to Yorkton before defeating Estevan in the consolation bracket.
Emmerson says the competition was strong in the entire tournament.
“I think whether it was by double digits or whatever the score was, I think that just as a group, we were there for each other. We were there to cheer and support backfill where needed. We had an opportunity to play our game and not need to basically do anything more than stray from what the game plan has been all year. For us, competition was strong, the scores might not indicate, but there’s tough competition in 5A rural.”
When asked about what led to success for his team, Emmerson says Carlton was able to flip the switch and play a strong, competitive game.
“We came out forcefully. We came out wanting to be the ones to display the power. Some people talk about, ‘are you going to be the hammer or are you going to be the nail?’ We’ve got a great group of kids and these kids come from families that are really respectful. Sometimes it’s hard to realize that playing hard, playing aggressive and playing assertive is what you need to do. We finally showed up as a group with that drive, that willingness to press on. We came through and played power basketball and that’s not necessarily even just a physical thing. That’s keeping the power and the composure, keeping positive, keeping together is how you have that power.”
The Carlton boys did qualify for HOOPLA last year and attended the modified one-day tournament after STF sanctions in place at the tournament caused the format to be shifted.
Emmerson says he is looking forward to getting a full run at HOOPLA in Saskatoon with his team this coming weekend.
“Every year is a new team. I think that we have a number of folks that had the opportunity to qualify last year. We went and it was a one day affair and we totally appreciated the effort that was put in by the folks hosting in Moose Jaw. We’ve got the opportunity to practice, play together as a team and to go and show that, you know, we will play our best basketball in our last game. Our season lasts one more week and we’ve got one more chance to further refine and play that much more powerfully once again.”
Carlton enters the 5A boy HOOPLA bracket ranked sixth and will open the tournament on Thursday night when they take on Regina Martin at Bethlehem Catholic High School. Tip off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
Youth carries girls to HOOPLA berth
The 2024-25 Carlton girls were young, but that didn’t stop them from booking their trip to HOOPLA with a second place finish at regionals in Estevan.
The Crusaders defeated Moose Jaw Peacock 68-32 in their opening game before knocking off North Battleford Comprehensive 77-63 in the semi-final to secure their spot in HOOPLA. Carlton would lose in the final to Swift Current by an 84-38 score.
“We had a successful weekend (and) the girls played amazing.” Crusader head coach Kelsey Pearson explained in an interview with the Daily Herald on Monday. “We had a really tough game against North Battleford and they beat us out last year and we didn’t get to go (to HOOPLA) which was pretty disappointing. Some of those girls did not want that feeling again and battled through and we ended up winning that game and played Swift Current in the final. We had a great weekend over, it was pretty successful and met our goal of making it to HOOPLA as a team.”
On paper, the Crusaders featured a very young roster with only four players in Grade 11 and 12 in Kiera Howden, Alyssa Sharp, Ava Larson and Lily Slack.
After a strong regular season, Carlton held the second seed going into the regional tournament. Pearson says it was an incredible achievement considering where Carlton ranked at the outset of the campaign.
“At the beginning of the season, we weren’t even in the top rankings at all. We weren’t even an honourable mention. We know in our hearts that we were going to be good by the end of the season. We just knew that we had some work to do and if the girls worked hard, we saw the potential and we couldn’t be more proud of them. It was all them.”
“They worked really really hard. They knew what they wanted. They had a goal and they wanted to be there. They wanted to be in Saskatoon at provincials together as a team and it’s a pretty good feeling to know you’re ranked number two and you go in number two heading into provincials. I think the girls not only wanted to prove it but they knew it, we could feel it pretty early in the season that this was a pretty special team. I’m just super happy for them and I’m just going to try to take it one day at a time and enjoy the experience and have fun with the girls.”
With a majority of their roster getting their first taste of playing at HOOPLA, Pearson says she is excited to see them gain valuable experience on the province’s biggest stage.
“I think any time you get to take your team to HOOPLA and experience provincial play at that level is just one of the best experiences you can give your team. I think these young girls then will get to see what it’s like and they’ll want it more every year and hopefully we can pass that down from year to year. Just the experience for those young girls to get that feeling and know what it’s like to step into the gym, play for your school and get to play as a team one last time together on the court, there’s nothing quite like it. I’m just so excited for them that they get to experience that this weekend, win or lose, they get to be together as a team one last time and I’m looking forward to it.”
The Crusader girls are ranked eighth going into HOOPLA and will open the tournament on Thursday at 6 p.m. when they take on top-ranked Regina LeBoldus at Bethlehem Catholic High School.
sports@paherald.sk.ca
