All four local high school basketball teams are in action at Lloyd Comp this weekend for the annual Hugh Morrell Classic. The Source's Robb Fenton compiled a break down for each team. The tournament kicks off Friday morning.
Barons ready to defend home court
It’s a date that is circled on the calendar at the start of the year.
The annual Hugh Morrell Basketball Classic goes this weekend, hosted by the Lloyd Comp Barons and is a chance for any of the teams to make a strong statement with a good showing.
“It’s our home tournament so there are always some butterflies going around, the guys look a little nervous. We had a good practice Monday and we’re really looking forward to it,” senior boys coach Brent Golden said.
Eight teams are ready to hit the court in Lloydminster this weekend and while the Barons are confident if they stick to their game they will be just fine, the scouting report is pretty blank when it comes to their opponents.
“Very little,” Golden said with a laugh, referring to what he knows about the competition. “We haven’t played a lot of these teams. We haven’t really seen many of the teams, but we have schools from Edmonton and Saskatoon and there is always good basketball there so it should be good.”
Despite their limited knowledge of the teams in the tournament, Golden is more focussed on his team and what they have to do to be successful rather than worry about who is on the other side of the court.
“We just have to take care of the ball. Unforced turnovers are just killing us in games, so taking care of the ball and worrying about the small details,” Golden said, adding he knows what has worked and what hasn’t so far. “Things like boxing our man out, we’re in good position and the bigger things will take care of themselves.”
One of the biggest things Golden has noticed and likes about his team is the way they never quit and fight until the final buzzer.
“We’re pretty resilient. There is a lot of fight in us, we’ve had some rough games, but stick with it,” Golden said.
“We just have to put 40 minutes together and we should be okay.”
Entering their first game of the tournament, Golden quickly avoided comparing his team to Cold Lake, who they will face in the opening draw.
“We have to worry about what we’re doing on the floor. Just worry about taking care of the ball, making the simple passes, catch and shoot the ball. Then we’ll adjust to what they’re doing,” Golden said of the game plan heading into the opening game. “We haven’t seen them yet so we don’t know what they’re going to throw at us, so we’ll prepare for everything.”
For some players on the team, this tournament will be their last home tournament of their high school career, so while nerves may be an issue, excitement and the chance to go out on top are big motivators for the veterans on the team.
“It’s important for the Grade 12s, it’s their last shot. Some of them have been playing since Grade 10,” he said. “It’s kind of like their swan-song, so they want to make it the best they can.
“If we do what we’re supposed to, we’ll be okay. It should be an exciting weekend,” Golden added.
Friday morning at 9 a.m. the Barons kick off the tournament by facing Cold Lake at the Lloyd Comp Gym.
Raiders ready for big test
Heading into enemy territory and facing some of the best teams in Alberta and Saskatchewan is the task ahead of the Holy Rosary Raiders.
The senior boys basketball team is set to take part in the annual Hugh Morrell Basketball Classic and while there is some stiff competition, the Raiders are ready to answer the call.
“It’s definitely one of the big ones for us. We’re looking forward to it and they (organizers) always bring in some quality teams and there’s always that opportunity that we run into Lloyd Comp, so the boys are pretty excited,” Raiders head coach Scott Lumbard said. “We’re all looking forward to this weekend.”
Lumbard is focussed on the task at hand, playing well and hopefully coming away with a tournament win, but he added that it will be a good scouting mission for him and the team.
“They have it balanced out where there are half 4-A teams and half 3-A teams, so we open up against Fort McMurray and that’s a big one for us. They are a 3-A in our northeast zone and we don’t get a chance to see them too much,” Lumbard said.
“We’ve beaten most of the teams in our zone with the exception of them, so that’s a big one for us. We’re excited for that one.”
The Raiders open up against Fort McMurray Comp and will either face Cold Lake or Lloyd Comp in the second game, which has the Raiders head coach excited about the scheduling.
“There’s a chance we see Cold Lake who is also from our zone and depending how the games go, we could also run into the Comp in our second game, so the first two games are big,” Lumbard said. “If you get into that third game, it’s up in the air. If we’re fortunate enough to get into the finals, we know there are some big teams in the other half of the draw. We’ll have our work cut out for us.”
The skill hasn’t been questioned for the Raiders, but playing a complete game at both ends of the court is something Lumbard would like to see improve.
“Sustaining solid work ethic for the 40 minutes of the game. I told the team we’re getting a little better, but we’re still not there. We have some peaks and valleys throughout the game and we’re just trying to shorten up those valleys,” Lumbard explained. “We’re just trying to be more consistent and put together a full 40 minutes.”
The problems have been more in their own end of the court, rather than putting up points for the Raiders.
“Our offence is coming around. The work ethic on defence is still not quite there, but offensively we’re starting to shoot the ball better and attacking the inside. The boys are a little more aggressive on the dribble-drive moves,” Lumbard said. “On defence, that’s where we’re looking to improve.”
Heading into their opening game, Lumbard has a little bit of an idea of what to expect.
“They always have a little bit of size and are well coached, it will be a good test. That’s a team we will probably have to go through to get out of our zones, so we’re hoping we’ll be up for it,” he said.
Tip-off for the Raiders is set for 9 a.m. at E.S. Laird School, Friday morning.
Lady Barons face toughest test
It’s been an exciting year already for the Lloyd Comp Barons senior girls basketball team and it is about to heat up. The Barons are set to host the Hugh Morrell Basketball Classic this weekend which will kick off a busy 2010.
“We’re looking forward to it, it should be the toughest tournament we’ve been to so far this season and the ones we are attending afterwards will be just as tough,” Barons head coach Melissa Bielesch said. “This is going to get us prepared.”
The team has been fairly successful to date, playing strong basketball, but not being able to get over the hump of being a true contender just yet, something coach Bielesch is hoping changes this weekend.
“We’ve finished on the A side of every tournament we’ve been in and we’ve finished third every weekend, so we are looking to crack that one or two spot at our home tournament,” she said.
Scoring has been a bit of an issue for the Barons so far this season and while their own end of the court isn’t a concern, the team must pick up their game with the ball if they want a shot at a title in the future.
“The key would be offence. The games we are losing we’re lacking in offence and finishing our shots. Once those things start to come together for us, they’re starting to, we should be fine,” Bielesch said, adding the defence has been great this season.
Opening up against Fort McMurray Comp has the Barons sailing into the unknown, but Bielesch said if her team worries about their play, they should be fine.
“We have no idea,” Bielesch said of what she expects the opening game of the tournament. “In the past they haven’t been really strong, but they’ve been building the last couple years so I expect them to be quite a tough game. It won’t be an easy one.”
While there may be some added pressure playing at home, there is also added excitement for the team who will have the fans behind them all weekend.
“I think there is a little bit of both (excitement and pressure), especially for their first game playing in front of the school. For the rookies who haven’t done that before, it adds some pressure,” she said. “At the same time, they will have lots of fans that they don’t always have.”
The Barons hit the court Friday morning at 9 a.m. against Fort McMurray in Lloyd Comp Gym.
Lady Raiders hope to keep rolling
After a successful home tournament, the Holy Rosary Raiders senior girls basketball team is looking to take the next step.
Entering the Hugh Morrell Basketball Classic this weekend, the Raiders are up against some tough competition, but have been working hard towards one of the more well-known tournaments of the year.
“It will be the most competition we’ve had up to this point. We play a Saskatoon team, they are a 3-A school, but they’re giving all the 4-A schools a good run for their money,” Raiders head coach Eric Hilstrom said.
Regardless of who they are playing and how much they know about the opponent – which is not much – the Raiders are focussed on a few main aspects of their game which has made them successful in the past.
“Scouting wise we know very little about the two teams we’re going to face. We’re going to have to come in with a hard work attitude and be mentally tough to be successful this weekend,” Hilstrom said.
“Our main keys are going to be hard work, play defensively sound game and stick to our offence. We have to push our fast-break.”
Offence has not been an issue for the Raiders at all this season as they have piled up some big scores and have had some big games.
If there are any issues with the team, the defensive side of the ball would be one of them.
To say they have struggled defensively wouldn’t be accurate, but Hilstrom would like his team to improve when they don’t have the ball.
“We’ve been putting up a lot of points this year. We’ve broken 70 a few games, so offensively we’ve been strong, so hopefully the defence can come around and help us out a little more,” he explained.
Entering their first game, where they take on a school out of Saskatchewan, the Raiders are confident in their abilities and the game plan they are going to enter the tournament with.
“Our game plan is to play to our strengths and defensively try to make their offence do what we want them to,” Hilstrom said.
The Raiders tip-off Friday at 1 p.m. at E.S. Laird School.