The St. Walburg Saints girls won gold in their first Hoopla appearance in years.(Submitted photo/St. Walburg School))

By battlefordsNOW and meadowlakeNOW Staff

Gold medal

St. Walburg girls win 3A Hoopla

Mar 28, 2022 | 3:25 PM

St. Walburg’s girls basketball team was golden at Hoopla.

The third ranked Saints defeated the host school Indian Head 65-47 in the final of the 3A girls Championship. This follows the team’s dominant win the previous weekend when they hosted regionals.

Head coach Jen Larre said the team is still pumped up days later, after winning it all in their first Hoopla appearance in years. Having worked with this group since they were in Grade 3, she said it’s gratifying to see the girl’s hard work pay off in accomplishing their goal.

“That was my speech to them, the first day we had practice,” she said. “When you get to high school, the goal will be getting to Hoopla.”

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“To win some hardware and win gold, that’s even better.”

The Saints won a tight contest against Unity Composite, 59-50 in the semifinals, to get to the gold medal game. St. Walburg had split the two games they’d previously played against Unity.

Larre, who won a gold medal in her high school days, said it’s surreal to have that experience on the other side as a coach and a parent, with her daughter competing as a Grade 11 student.

“I was just told by a former teammate that it was 30 years ago that we won gold,” she said. “Now I’m coaching my daughter 30 years later and we made it.”

Larre said she and her daughter enjoyed the experience, even if there were some grumpy moments in practice.

“You ask the girls on the team and [they’d say] we definitely had our bickering moments,” she laughed. “But that’s pretty cool to take it all the way to the end with her. Something she’ll remember for a long time.”

With low turnout for some rural high schools during the pandemic, St. Walburg had to combine with Paradise Hill to have a basketball team this season, which bumped them up to 3A instead of 2A. As a result, they will continue that for the next two years.

Larre noted that since they only lose two seniors, there’s a strong contingent for next year. For now however, she’s fine with reveling in the win.

“They came together from two different communities, and they gelled perfectly,” she said. “They became like family over the season, I’m very proud of them.”

Other local Hoopla appearances

Several other teams from the northwest region were able to compete at Hoopla this weekend with three finishing on the podium.

Following their semifinal loss, the Unity Composite Warriors took home 3A girls bronze, reversing the previous night’s score of 59-50 against fourth ranked Kamsack. Unity’s boys team also medaled in 3A, losing in the final to Valley Christian Academy from Osler.

In 2A girls’ basketball, the McLurg High School Broncs from Wilkie took home silver. The Broncs beat Moose Jaw Cornerstone 63-60 in the semifinals, before losing the next day to host Wynyard.

The Carpenter High School girls out of Meadow Lake and the JP II Collegiate boys from North Battleford each placed fourth in 4A competition.

Full results, scores and stream links are available on the SHSAA website.

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cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW