Junior basketball teams begin seasons

A mix of youth and experience is the main story for the junior basketball programs at John Paul II Collegiate and North Battleford Comprehensive High School this season.

That’s especially true for the Crusaders junior boys’ program, who have won two out of the last three Battle West District championships.

“We had a number of players move up to the senior team, but the success that we’ve had in recent years is really starting to show with the new players that are coming through,” Crusaders head coach Nate Jurgens said. “When you come into the gym at lunch time, there’s always kids playing basketball.

“There’s a couple of familiar faces here this year on the team, but we have a number of new players, including a couple of players from the Phillippines who moved to the area with their families.”

The Crusaders started the season on a strong note this weekend, as they went a perfect 3-0 in their home tournament.

“This is a talented group and our biggest asset is that the guys understand how to push the pace,” Jurgens said.

“They’ve been playing basketball for a number of years now, so they have a lot of experience already. Their ability to move the ball is very impressive already, but there’s a number of aspects in the game that we can get better at.”

The Junior Vikings also competed in the tournament, where they finished in third place with a 1-2 mark, and showcased a talented defence during their three games.

“That part of the game is something that I stress with the guys every year, and they are already doing a great job of stopping the opposing team from penetrating into the key,” Vikings head coach Jeff Gibson said.

“We’ve got a good core group with five players coming back, but we’re still a fairly young team. We’ll be working a lot on our offence in the next week, as we missed a lot of shots this weekend.”

Meanwhile, the Vikings junior girls’ team had an impressive start to their season, as they went 3-0 at the tournament.

“We have nine players back from last year’s team so we have a good veteran group this year,” Vikings head coach Kara Wilkinson said. “We only had one returning player a year ago, so it’s good to have a lot of players who are familiar with the systems that I like to run as a coach.

“Plus, many of the girls play club basketball and were involved with the team that played at the Saskatchewan Summer Games in Estevan a few months ago. It’s almost like they haven’t been off of the court since last year’s high school season ended.”

The Crusaders junior girls’ team also turned in a solid performance in their home tournament, as they finished in second place with a 2-1 record.

“I think it was a pretty solid weekend for the girls,” Donna Hansen, who splits coaching duties for the Crusaders with Kristina Binette, said. “We have a young team, but they were able to adapt to the challenges quite well.

“We have four returning players and we’ll be relying on them early for some veteran leadership, but we also have a number of talented Grade 8 players that have a lot of speed. They will be able to fit right in with our veteran group.”

The Meadow Lake Carpenter Spartans and Unity Warriors also sent teams to the tournament.

The Vikings will be back in action this weekend as they’ll travel to Melfort for a tournament.

Both local schools will be competing at the North Battleford Comprehensive High School junior boys’ and girls’ basketball tournament on Dec. 16 and 17.