STOUGHTON - There was a lot of excitement at the Stoughton Central School as they hosted Hoopla on March 25 and 26.
This basketball event is usually held in larger centres like Regina or Saskatoon, but the format was changed for this year only. It’s not often a smaller community gets a chance to host such a wonderful event, but Stoughton received this one-time opportunity.
This was the first Hoopla tournament since 2019, and for this year it was decided to hold several championships in different communities. Stoughton jumped at the chance for 1A boys, as this would be such a wonderful experience for the school and the community.
In 2023, the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association said they would return to the regular format with the 48 teams going to Prince Albert.
According to Shelly Campbell, principal of the Stoughton school and also coach of the 1A senior boys’ basketball team, they really didn’t have any conference games due to lack of teams, so they went directly to regionals where they played Maryfield, winning 74-38. Then they went on to play Ogema, taking the win 90-51, moving them on to the provincial games in Stoughton.
The Bulldogs have a season from November to March, often attending tournaments on the weekends. Campbell has coached several of these young players since Grade 5 and now they are in their final years of high school. The 11 Bulldogs were one of the four teams to play in the provincial championship games.
The first game was played March 25, against Coronach. The stands were packed with parents, grandparents and friends to cheer on their teams, leaving little standing room. Although the Bulldogs played hard, Coronach won 78-57, so they would move on to the championship game and the Bulldogs would play for the bronze. The Lake Lenore Lancers played against the Legacy Christian Academy Eagles. The Eagles moved onto the championship game and the Lancers went for the bronze against the Bulldogs.
Stoughton took to the court the following day to battle the Lancers for the bronze medal. This game proved to be intense as the score seesawed throughout the game. The anticipation from the fans became louder with the chants being heard throughout the whole school, with the other teams joining in as well. The first quarter had the Bulldogs down 19–16, but in the second quarter they pulled ahead 37–25 score.
As the game continued into the third quarter, it was a tight 55–51 lead for the Bulldogs. The fourth quarter was crazy and the noise got louder as the game was tied until two minutes remained. The Bulldogs fell behind and lost 71-66, with the Lancers taking the bronze medal.
The Eagles won the provincial championship 79-69 over Coronach.
These games were excellent to watch, and all involved did an excellent job. Parents from other teams involved said the amenities in Stoughton were excellent and they enjoyed their stay. Throughout the tournament the school provided a luncheon.
