They say you can’t beat experience.
If that’s the case, the Holy Trinity Academy Knights senior girls basketball team is going to be doubly tough in the Foothills Athletic Council as they have talent.
With six returning players from last year’s squad, which lost the FAC final by one point to the Foothills Falcons, the Knights are going to be a force in 2016-’17.
“It should be good,” Knights coach Scott Royce said. “That experience means a lot. The girls know what is expected as opposed to starting from scratch -- to run a variety of defences and just yell out something and the girls know what is going on, that’s huge.”
The Knights are also huge up the middle.
Grade 12 six-footer Elena Brown-Hozjan is back for her third-year with the Knights.
Brown-Hozjan, the Knights MVP last season, provides a soft touch around the rim but also her long-reach and timing provides the Knights with a human-flyswatter as she bats away so many opponents’ shots.
Abigail Griffiths will also provide size in the middle.
Annelise Hielema is back for her third-year with the Knights. Hielema, fresh off the Knights’ provincial volleyball squad, provides even more height.
She also can shoot a jumper and is an excellent ball handler.
Grade 11 student Breanne Trotter will provide some muscle under the boards.
“Breanne is pretty strong and tough -- she is also fast,” Royce said.
There is also plenty of speed at guard where Shelby Dudar and Kennedy Brown are returning. (The athletic Brown and Trotter are both members of the Rocky Mountain AAA Midget Raiders, which finished third at the national hockey championships last season).
The Knights are well stocked for the future with an impressive field of rookies on the squad.
“We also have four really promising Grade 10s in Rachel Anderson, Jordan Bonertz, Tiana Miller, and Lauren Sinclair who led JPII to the zone championship last winter,” Royce said. “Rounding out our roster is Kirstin Powell who comes to us from St. Luke’s, but played last year for the Cochrane Cobras.”
The Knights open their FAC season on Monday when they travel to High River to take on the Highwood Mustangs.
Improved Spartans
Strathcona-Tweedsmuir Spartans coach Ken Zelez has found his legs at the smaller school after years of coaching at the larger Centennial High in Calgary.
“Not only are we a very small school but our kids are encouraged to do so many things at school -- our athletes are the ones in the school musicals, debates, it’s a rare time that I have a full squad at practice, while at 4A, I always had a full squad,” said Zelez, who is in his third year at STS. “But I’m loving it here.”
The Spartans have steadily improved under Zelez’s tenure, winning three league-games last season.
This year could be even better.
“We have more Grade 12 than I have ever had,” Zelez said.
The Spartans leaders are returning seniors Hadley Rawling, Kenzie Witschi, Emily Neal, and Imaan Sunderji. Also returning is Grade 11 Evelien Boerstra.
“She is one of the most skilled players out there,” Zelez said.
Boerstra is one of the Spartans’ sharpshooters from the outside. Another sniper is Arzina Jaffer. Grade 11 player Emy Udoh is also returning.
“We will have a motion offence with some set plays -- we also hope to play a high-pressure defence as well,” Zelez said.
The Spartans opened FAC play Dec. 5 when they also head south to play the Notre Dame Collegiate Timberwolves in High River.
The two Okotoks area schools will face one another when the Knights host the Spartans on Dec. 7 at 5:30 p.m.
The defending league champions, the Foothills Falcons, have opted not to play in the council this year. The other teams playing FAC are the Strathmore Spartans and the Holy Cross Hawks from Strathmore.
For more information go to fac.teampages.com
Knights Classic
Holy Trinity Academy starts its season this weekend with its annual Knights Classic. The Knights open the tourney taking on Robert Thirsk High Friday at 1 p.m. before tangling with the Bert Church Chargers at 4:30 p.m. The Knights third game will be in the playoffs Saturday. The two first-place teams from Pool A – the Knights’ pool – and Pool B will square off in the final at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
The teams in Pool B are Winston Churchill, Medicine Hat’s McCoy High and Wetaskiwin.
