The Edwin Parr Composite senior girls basketball team ended up third in an Edson tournament last weekend, with a nail-biting bronze medal game.
Predators head coach Wade Hicks said the team rallied this weekend with a short lineup, and in the final game broke a tie with a layup in the last four seconds.
“They were always really, really intense games, and being able to closeout that last game like that was really impressive,” he said. “I was pretty proud of how hard they played for how shorthanded we were.”
EPC’s first game was against Grand Trunk High School, which the Predators won 51-34.
“They’re usually a pretty decent team (Grand Trunk) and they’re game against us was their first loss of the season,” Hicks said.
Next morning, EPC faced off against Edmonton’s Archbishop Oscar Romero High School, and lost with a significant gap.
“We had trouble scoring – we just couldn’t get rolling at all,” Hicks said.
The bronze medal game was against Devon’s John Mallon High School, and Hicks said it was good to play the team, because they’re second in EPC’s zone.
When there was only four and a half seconds to go in the final game, and the score was tied at 43-43, the Predators took a time out and then went back on the court and tried a sideline play they’d never incorporated in a game before.
“The girls went out and ran it to perfection, and we scored a layup with one and a half seconds to go on the clock,” Hicks said. Dani Panyluk, EPC’s pointguard, made the game-winning basket.
Hicks also said the tournament was great experience for the Grade 10 players, who saw lots of court time and played intense games.
The Predators have won eight games and lost two so far in the season, and Hicks said all of this was accomplished without a full team once.
“We’re competitive. We’ve had one game this year where we didn’t score very well, and kind of got blown out, but all of the rest of our games have been within reach,” he said. “I think we look pretty solid.”
