A trio of graduating Carlton Crusaders have been honoured for their play over the course of the high school basketball season.
Gage Grassick, Josh Guenther and Alex Soyko were all named to 4A/5A North teams for this year’s Basketball Saskatchewan Senior All Star Classic.
The event was to have taken place at Luther High School in Regina last Saturday, but has postponed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Grassick and Soyko were two of the key leaders for the Crusaders’ senior girls’ program on and off the court this year.
In addition to being part of helping to raise over $100,000 for the Victoria Hospital Foundation in the team’s pink game against the Melfort Comets in January, the duo also played a key role in the Crusaders’ run to earning the first overall seed for the rural regional tournament that was to be held in Yorkton on March 13 and 14.
That tournament was cancelled due to job action by the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation, which came shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all high schools in the province.
The duo will be continuing their basketball careers at the post-secondary level next season, as Grassick will be suiting up for the Saskatchewan Huskies and Soyko will head to Halifax, N.S. to play for the University of King’s College Blue Devils.
Josh Guenther works his way by David Dimaano of the Lloydminster Barons during the 2019 St. Mary Marauders Invitational tournament.
Guenther, meanwhile, has yet to decide where his post-secondary travels will take him after being part of a Crusaders side that would have been the second overall seed at 5A rural regional event in Weyburn.
“What’s really unfortunate about everything that’s happening right now is that Josh has missed out on a few opportunities for further scouting,” said Crusaders senior boys’ basketball coach Tim Strom. “He’s got a few phone calls here and there but nothing major yet. He’s been putting together some video clips and sending that out to schools, plus he’s also part of a club team in Saskatoon called Rise that goes to major tournaments, so hopefully he’ll get a chance to go to some events with them.
“Josh really matured a lot during his four-year career here. He learned to control his emotions during a game and figured out what role best fit his game as time went on. He really started to take over and win games for us at both ends of the floor.”
