It was the first time they had won a home tournament, and they did it undefeated.
Creighton Kodiaks senior girls’ basketball team will now go on to one of the best tournaments in Saskatchewan, according to coach Ryan Trumbley.
“We’ve won a lot of tournaments over the years, but we’ve never won our own home tournament,” he said of the Kodiaks’ win as host of the Kit Classic, played Jan. 16 at Creighton Community School.
“They were pretty excited to do that,” he said.
Creighton girls beat Cranberry Portage in their opening game. That win moved them to the A side, where they faced Hudson Bay in the semifinal.
In the final, Creighton met Sandy Bay, “who are usually very, very strong,” said Trumbley.
The game was close – tied going into the end of the third quarter. Creighton pulled away at the end to win the tournament.
“It was a great final,” said Trumbley.
Next up is a tournament in Meath Park this weekend.
“Every team that’s there was in provincials last year, so it will be a really good test for us to see where we’re at,” said Trumbley.
The coach said it’s one of the strongest teams Creighton has had in a long time, and their goal is to make it to provincials.
It’s tough to say right now what the girls’ chances are, Trumbley said, but they’ve been playing well so far.
“We have a really hard conference this year, so hopefully we make it.”
The girls will continue with tournament play until the first weekend in March, when playoffs begin with the conference championship. If they finish in the top two teams there, the girls will go on to regionals the following weekend.
Regional champions go on to Hoopla, where Saskatchewan’s top four teams will vie for the provincial title.
