It’s been a couple of years since the St. Mary Marauders Sr. Boys basketball team qualified for provincials, but this year’s squad plans on changing that trend.
The Marauder Boys started the season red hot, opening with eight wins in their first three tournaments, including an 84-62 victory over the O’Neill Titans of Regina in the Centennial Chargers Charity Classic championship match on Saturday.
“It’s a fun, energetic team,” said power forward John Halcro, who had 12 points in St. Mary’s win over O’Neill.
“We have a bunch of guys who just want to play basketball. Everyone’s buying into the program. Everyone’s bringing energy and it’s really helping our team.”
The Marauders entered this season with a smaller squad, but have racked up the wins with their team speed and up-tempo offence.
In Saskatoon, they defeated the Bedford Road Redhawks 86-74 in the A-side quarterfinals, then downed the North Battleford Vikings 75-64 in the semis, setting up a A-side final match-up with O’Neill.
“I think, (it’s) a good combination of leaders and Grade 12s, and then mix in some very energetic younger players, and I think we have a pretty good balance,” St. Mary head coach David Seto said. “Couldn’t ask for a better start, but it’s a long season so we’ll see what happens.
“I was very happy with the final (against O’Neill). I thought in every facet of the game we were playing pretty well.”
“The coaching’s been very good, and also the practices and intensity,” point guard Merddy Nkayilu added. “All the guys just want to win, and just prove to everyone that we’re a very good team and can compete against very good teams.”
The Marauders will hope to extend their winning streak on Wednesday when they meet their cross-town rivals, the Carlton Crusaders, in the annual Food Bank game. Last season, the Crusaders struck early and often on route to a 93-56 win on home court.
“We’ve got to outshoot them and … just play real big down low,” Halcro said. “They’re quite a big team, so I feel like we can outrun them. We just need to hit some shots and make sure they don’t get too dominant in the paint.”
This year, the Marauders will have home court advantage. Seto said the Crusaders are a big, physical team, but he’s confident it’s going to be a competitive game.
“It’s different styles. We are a little bit more, maybe, fast and like to run and gun a bit, and they obviously have size. It’s going to be different styles, but I think we’re both good teams and hopefully it will be a good game.”
Regardless of how Wednesday’s game plays out, the Marauders are laser-focused on getting back to Hoopla.
For Grade 12 starters like centre Tymoor McKay, this will be the last chance to qualify for high school basketball’s most prestigious tournament. He’s confident this year’s team will be the one to do it, but said the route won’t be easy.
“Hoopla is always the goal, for sure,” he said. “Of course, winning this game (the Food Bank Game) would be really crucial. It would help us in our rankings, but I think just keep continuing to win games (will help).
“Our team is a lot better than it has been in the past few years and I’m really proud,” he added. “I’ve been on the team for three years and it’s a great program…. I think we just need to trust in our shooting and our running because we’re a transition team. We need to just trust in our abilities and believe in each other.”
Wednesday’s annual Food Bank Game gets underway at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at St. Mary High School. The cost of admission is a non-perishable food item. All items collected will be donated to the Prince Albert Food Bank.
For a full preview of the Carlton Crusaders Sr. Boys basketball team, see the Saturday, Nov. 29 edition of the Daily Herald.
