It was a full night of high school girls basketball yesterday (January 9), with four Airdrie schools in action.

In Rocky View, basketball fans were treated to a Battle of Airdrie, while the Calgary Senior High School Athletic Association saw an Airdrie team play their first home game of the season. 

Bert Church Chargers at George McDougall Mustangs

The junior and senior George McDougall Mustangs welcomed crosstown rivals the Bert Church Chargers to the Mustang Corral for a highly anticipated matchup, and benefited from home court advantage.

In a low scoring game, the senior Mustangs were able to best their rivals by 18 points, finding their first win of the season in a 50-32 victory. The Mustangs now sit fifth in their division with a 1-2 record, while the Chargers remain winless in sixth place.

The home team was also the winner in the junior matchup, as the Mustangs rolled past the Chargers 49-32.

 

Bow Valley Bobcats at Croxford Cavaliers

The senior Croxford Cavaliers continued their strong season with another win at home. The Cavs welcomed the Bow Valley Bobcats to their gym. In the end, it all came down to the final shot, with Raine Buczny sinking a buzzer beater to lead the Cavs to a 43-42 win.

Head coach Aaron Nisbett was happy his team got a win in their first game back after the holiday break.

"The first game back from a long break is always tough, and there were definitely moments when the rust showed, but the team fought through it to grab a good win."

Nisbett said the team played well when their defense was on, but the team needs to work to maintain pressure and focus throughout all four quarters.

With the win, the Cavs sit in second behind the undefeated Chestermere Lakers with a 3-1 record.

The junior Cavaliers were also in action on their home court against the Bobcats, pulling off a ten point win, 58-48.

Meanwhile, the junior boys Cavaliers were the only Airdrie boys team in action in Rocky View. Like the girls, the Cavs also pulled off a ten point win, beating the Bobcats 76-66 in Cochrane.

 

St. Gabriel Guardians at St. Martin de Porres Kodiaks

Both of the St. Martin de Porres Kodiaks senior teams were in action at home last night, facing the St. Gabriel Guardians.

The lady Kodiaks took the hardwood first. Top scorers Jamie McKinnon, Kennedy Fay and Brianna Caouette led the Kodiaks to a 54-39 victory to start the second half of the season. Head coach Tammy Paulence said Liza Avila's offensive and defensive rebounding was also vital to the win, which saw the whole team pull together.

"It's always tough to come off a break and we were a bit slow to start but the team brought it together for a good finish."

The senior girls now sit in second place in their division with a 3-1 record.

The senior boys followed with their own matchup against the Guardians. It was a long awaited homecoming for the Kodiaks, who spent their first three games this season on the road. Unfortunately, the Kodiaks weren't able to capitalize on home court advantage, falling to St. Gabriel 85-62.

Coach Curtis Senkow said the team was neck and neck with the Guardians for 36 minutes, and was even within two points of the lead at one point but couldn't turn the tide. Going forward, he said the team will need to focus on conditioning and work ethic, and they'll also need to overcome another long break.

"Because we just came off Christmas break and then head into exam freeze next week we have lots of down time in the season. My players need to still work on their conditioning outside of school to keep up with the demand on the court."

The Kodiaks will continue to look for their first win of the season when they resume playing on February 1. They currently sit last in their division with an 0-4 record.

 

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