A guard and post have been a winning combination for their teams over the years.
But it hasn’t been the best combination according to the Holy Trinity Academy Knights duo of Shelby Dudar and Elena Brown-Hozjan. That honour goes to something that sounds Pippen-Jordan-like, the Chicago Mix.
“The first time we went to Edmonton, I was in Grade 8 and I bought this bag of Chicago Mix,” said Knights guard Shelby Dudar. “And that was all Elena talked about.”
The six-foot post Brown-Hozjan still raves about it.
“It is a cheddar, caramel-popcorn mix — it sounds weird but man, is it a good combination,” Brown-Hozjan said. “Shelby and I bond over food… it’s the only reason I play sports so I can eat more food.”
The Grade 12 students have been playing together since they were St. Mary’s Huskies in Grade 6. The past two years they have helped the Knights take a bite out of the opposition.
“I love playing with Elena — it’s really nice to have someone under the boards like her so that if you miss, you know she is there to get the rebound for you,” said Dudar, after the Knights 68-28 win over the Highwood Mustangs on Feb. 8 “I am sad this is going to be our last season.”
This is one case where familiarity definitely doesn’t breed contempt.
“Shell’s awesome because we have played together for so long we know where each other is on the court,” Brown-Hozjan said.
“I always tell Shelb, ‘Even if you think you’re having a bad game your ball-handling is so important.’”
Although Brown-Hozjan is also an adept ball-handler, it’s swatting away the round-ball that is a key to the Knights’ success.
“Elena’s defence — her blocks — you have no idea how much that helps us,’’ Dudar said. “When the person gets by me on defence, Elena is there to smash the ball down. That’s the best thing.”
The pair has played club ball together as well as their venture with the Knights.
Brown-Hozjan has seen a marked improvement in her teammate.
“She is so dedicated – I’m not that dedicated,” Brown-Hozjan said. “She goes and helps the younger kids in our club and then she goes and practices her shooting.
“I don’t know how she does it.
“And her ball-handling is so good.”
Brown-Hozjan is a defensive specialist this season, as newcomer Jordan Bonertz, Dudar and Annelise Hielema have taken some of the pressure off in regards to scoring.
“Scoring is nice, but I have always said defence is my main goal when I go out there,” she said.
The Knights are dominating in the Foothills Athletic Council and have been up to the task in their first foray in 4A.
Dudar and Brown-Hozjan become a bit melancholy as their career together is likely coming to an end after this year’s basketball season.
Dudar would like to play college ball next season.
Brown-Hozjan, an honour student (“She helps me with my homework,” Dudar said) plans to take a year off in the fall before heading to university to possibly study physics.
Meanwhile, they see a lot of potential in the Grade 10 phenom Bonertz.
Sure, she can score points but her efforts at an Olds tournament indicated she is ready to take on a key role when Dudar and Brown-Hozjan graduate.
“Jordan brought cheesecake and we just had snacks together in our room – we just had a buffet,” Brown-Hozjan said. “It was so good.”
The Knights are 9-0 in the Foothills Athletic Council after downing the second-place Strathmore Spartans 74-59 Monday night at HTA.
