UNITY— With the basketball season winding down, Grade 12 athletes will have one more opportunity to lay it all out on the court. Locally, six senior students will be venturing to Saskatoon to play in the annual All-Star Senior Classic, April 5 and 6.
Ethan Stifter, a Unity Composite High School student, is the only player representing the Warriors. When he found out he was selected to play on the elite team, he told SaskToday he was excited and grateful for the opportunity, especially with so many talented players.
“I love the challenges of the game. It pushes you to play your absolute best and have a drive to win. It’s a great game and makes you not only play for you, but also the people around you and the jersey on your back,” said Stifter.
Stifter plans to pursue an engineering degree after graduating.
Journee Milne and Savannah Braithwaite, who just finished winning the 1A Regionals with the Kerrobert Rebels, will be back in Saskatoon for the annual event. With their coach, Troy Snider, there to support them in the sport, the young ladies are excited to play another round of basketball.
“I think what I like the most about basketball is that I get to work on a team and learn new things from it every day, on and off the court,” said Braithwaite. After graduation, she is planning to attend the College of Agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan and study to become a veterinarian.
Milne said she was excited and surprised to hear she was selected, adding that her favourite part of basketball was spending time with her team, which she will miss the most—even Coach Snider. Milne is enrolled in the College of Education at the U of S and plans to pursue a degree in Speech Language Pathology.
Snider said he was proud to hear both girls were selected for the All-Star game and glad to see these two players receive the recognition to end their high school basketball careers. He said Braithwaite’s positive attitude and work ethic are infectious while Milne has set a high standard for her teammates to follow, always encouraging them and helping them be successful.
In Wilkie, the McLurg Broncs will be represented by three senior girls—Cheyanne Cey, Tyra Myszczyszyn and Reese Fenrich. After an exciting game against St. Brieux at Hoopla, these three seniors are excited for the opportunity to play with Basketball Saskatchewan Inc.
Cey is described as “a champion, through and through” by coach Mark Myszczyszyn, saying he knew she would make the All-Star Classic as she has been the Broncs top scorer for three consecutive seasons.
“She is the player that tells everyone to jump on, I’m going to get this for us. She gets beat up every game, but nothing slows her down. There is nothing left in the tank because this great athlete gives you the most that anyone can,” he added.
Fenrich has been coached by Mark for the past six seasons, who said “her height and strength is huge but her skill and determination is even bigger.” She told SaskToday that she enjoyed the teamwork aspect of the game, while putting in the hardwork of achieving goals set out by the team. Although she will miss the friendships, fun times with other teams and the memories made over the years, she does plan to keep in connection with her teammates after graduation.
Tyra was described as “small but mighty” as well as “unselfish”. Even with her dad as coach, Tyra is excited to see her leadership was noticed by others and will be playing once more under Basketball Saskatchewan Inc. She also said having her dad coaching from the sidelines will be one of the things she misses after graduating.
Cey is going to study education at the U of S, Tyra is pursuing engineering also at the U of S and Fenrich has plans to further her education after high school.
