Dave Leaderhouse
Special to the Herald
Finishing second is never easy, or any fun for that matter, but Carlton Crusaders senior boys’ basketball coach Randy Emmerson says the way his team played in the championship final of HOOPLA in Moose Jaw on the weekend was heartwarming.
“At the end of a game like that there were emotions, but the guys knew they gave it everything they had,” said Emmerson following a gut-wrenching 102-97 overtime loss to the defending Saskatchewan High School Athletics Association champion Saskatoon Holy Cross. “They (Holy Cross) got the W, but really no one loses.”
The Crusaders, who entered the provincial tournament as the No. 2 seed behind Holy Cross, were down by 20 points at half time and were still behind by 16 at the end of three quarters in the gold-medal game when the character of the team rose to the top.
“All year we pressed on and didn’t give up,” says Emmerson. “We kept making shots and going to the line. You could see that they were starting to crack. That late in the game they had never been challenged.”
Carlton tied the game with six seconds left in regulation time and even took the lead early in the overtime session, but in the end they simply ran out of runway.
“They are a team of really good athletes and they did what they had to do,” said Emmerson of the Saskatoon squad. “Holy Cross didn’t lose a game to a Saskatchewan team all year. In the end we were one point short in regulation time and ran out of time in overtime.”
Emerson MacCuaig led all Crusaders in the championship game with 31 points while Zane Litzenberger had 29 and Clarence Ermine chipped in with 27. Mason Wilson was the only other Carlton player to hit the scoresheet as he contributed 10 points.
Carlton opened the three-day event with a 91-76 triumph over Regina Leboldus and followed that up with a thrilling 86-75 decision over Sheldon-Williams from Regina. MacCuaig was once again the offensive star against Sheldon-Williams netting 28 points with Ermine adding 22.
Prince Albert’s other senior boy’s team, the St. Mary Marauders, also competed in HOOPLA with their tournament coming to an end with a 96-92 setback to Regina Leboldus in the consolation final.
“Overall, I’m pretty happy,” noted St. Mary head coach David Seto. “We did a lot of good things this season and placing sixth – I’m pretty happy.”
Isaiah Acero with 26 points and Kyeron Murphy with 25 paced the Marauders against Leboldus. St. Mary had opened the tournament with a 118-62 setback to Regina Miller before rebounding with an 86-68 victory over North Battleford Composite High School in the consolation semi-finals.
Carlton’s silver medal was the first of any kind in a decade for a Prince Albert senior boy’s team at HOOPLA . The last time a local school reached the podium was 2016 when St. Mary also finished second.
On the girl’s side of the event, Regina Leboldus successfully defended their provincial title with an easy 80-39 triumph over Saskatoon’s Walter Murray in the gold-medal game. Carlton senior girls were one of eight teams vying for that championship, but they were eliminated after two straight losses.
The 5A championships weren’t the only ones contested at HOOPLA with smaller schools also seeking provincial glory and several teams from the surrounding area enjoyed some of that.
Preeceville captured the 2A girl’s title with a 71-25 victory over Hepburn, St. Brieux won the 2A boy’s event with an 84-57 decision over Preeceville and Porcupine Plain topped the field in the 1A boy’s field when they outscored Hafford 71-63.
Meadow Lake finished second in the 4A girl’s division after they fell 63-52 to Harvest City and St. Brieux claimed the bronze medal in the 3A girl’s competitions when they outscored Indian Head 92-56. Porcupine Plain also won a bronze when they edged Sturgis 39-33 in the 1A girl’s event.
