After a remarkable win in zone competition, the Canmore Collegiate High School boy’s squad deflated at the 3A basketball provincials, hosted by Chestermere High School.
“We didn’t do as well as we hoped,” said Crusaders coach Chad McClenaghan. “When we went to the provincials, the word on the street was we were the team to beat, so we went in there with a target on our backs. With that, the boys played tighter.”
Wetaskiwin spanked Canmore in the first game (March 18 at SAIT), dropping the Crusaders 84-58. That sent Canmore into the B pool, where they then lost to Peace Wapiti Academy 75-67.
“Wetaskwin hit us right in the first quarter. After the game, the coach said that was the best game their team played all year,” McClenaghan said.
Canmore appeared to lose their drive after the loss to Wetaskiwin, who went on to lose to the Cochrane Cobras in the final.
“The loss put us in a position where the rest of the games didn’t matter,” he said. “After that, it’s a tough sell to the kids and to myself.”
Canmore was seeded fourth going into the tournament, however, a string of upsets sent the seedings out the window early.
The coach still said it’s a season to remember, thanks to several successes.
“Number one, to be the only team to have beaten Cochrane this year (in the zone championship) was amazing. The experience the boys got from that game was amazing. Number two, the memory of the zone final is something they’ll never forget.”
Canmore has become a team in demand at several tournaments, and McClenaghan credits the character of the team for that reputation.
“Teams want Canmore to come to their tournament because we give good competition and the boys are polite,” he said.
Watching the boys celebrate with their families made the year for the coach, who let the team know how rare their run was. He’s coached the group for the past three years.
Five members of the current team will return next year, said McClenaghan, who will say goodbye to longtime players such as Seth Leonard, Luke Praught, Adam Munro, Spencer Rose and several others.
“It’s tough to see them go. Every year you wonder how you’ll replace what you’ve lost and you just do. That’s high school basketball.”
