By Matt Nemeth

Colts win first provinical basketball championship

Mar 18, 2017 | 8:34 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — The Monsignor McCoy senior girls basketball team claimed their first provincial title in school history Saturday with a 46-41 win over W.R. Myers.

Katelyn Rozdeba led the way offensively for the Colts with a game-high 21 points. The 17-year-old senior was also a perfect 6 for 6 from the free throw line on the night.

“We focus on driving (to the basket) a lot,” said Rozdeba after the game, adding she and her teammates made a concerted effort to try and get some of the Rebels in foul trouble once the second half started.

Both teams had a tough time getting their feet underneath them to start, with the score favouring W.R. Myers 9-5 after the first quarter. The two teams entered the halftime break tied 20-20.

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“We just talked about getting to the glass, using our height to our advantage, and just staying level and not making it a bigger deal than it was,” said Colts head coach Janice Laing about what she told her girls during the intermission.

McCoy would outscore the Rebels 23-13 in the third quarter giving them the cushion they needed to keep W.R. Myers at bay in the fourth. Only 11 points were scored between the two teams in the final period, with it taking over five minutes for the quarter’s first basket to be registered.

For the Colts Saturday’s win was revenge against a team that had beat them in the provincial final last year, and the zone championship this year.

“To win at home is so special for these kids,” said Laing, who was hoisted up onto the shoulders of a couple parents during the celebration after the final buzzer. “We’ve lost some heart breakers, we’ve lost some ouch games, but they battled and they never stopped believing in themselves, and each other.”

“We worked hard for many years,” reflected Rozdeba while wearing her provincial gold medal around her neck. “It feels good to finish off strong.”