As a social studies teacher, the Foothills Falcon Senior boys basketball coach knows those who don’t study history, are doomed to repeat it.
Foothills head coach Amron Gwilliam will study the Falcons’ 92-73 victory over the Holy Trinity Academy Knights on Feb. 17, and he’s hoping history will repeat itself when the two teams meet in the 4A South Central zone tournament this Thursday at HTA.
So, what does the victory in February mean going into zones, coach?
“Nothing,” Gwilliam said on Feb. 17. “They are a very good team, and we got some game experience under our belts. But they were missing a good player (Jesse Ralph). So this game means nothing.
“We just have to watch some film and make sure we are prepared for zones.”
Knights head coach Sam Aiello also learned from the loss. It’s a tough lesson — HTA can’t make any mistakes in the big test on Thursday.
“We played hard – we just can’t make many mistakes,” Aiello said. “If we do, they just come right down and take advantage. If you do, suddenly, what was a three-point game is now a nine-point game… We just have to be ready.”
The Falcons leader is UNBC-bound Adam Pahl. The six-foot-five Pahl had a quiet 29 points in the victory over HTA.
“Adam is going to get his points, he’s too talented not to,” Aiello said. “If we can contain him to 20 we will give him that.”
But Aiello knows there’s a Baker’s dozen of quality players with Pahl.
He said Falcons Peter Baker and Tyler Ziehl both had 20-point games in the victory. As well guard Josh Derochie helps run an effective fast-paced Falcons’ offence.
Aiello added the Falcons might be playing their best basketball of the year. They beat the no. 9 provincially-ranked Winston Churchill Bulldogs on Feb. 18 and barely lost to third-ranked Bishop O’Byrne Bobcats a week later.
The Knights Cole Fieseler said they will have to keep a man on Pahl at all times.
“You have to make sure he doesn’t make too many baskets like he can,” Fieseler said. “If he can not get the ball in the first place he can’t make his shots.”
HTA will also have more manpower with the return of Jordan Cyr, who was injured early in the Falcon game, and Jesse Ralph to the line-up.
“We will have more fresh players out there,” Fieseler said. “Foothills was able to cycle more players and we got tired.”
Fieseler admitted if the Knights are to have any success against Foothills, defence is the key.
“We have to make sure we are intense on them, getting on their shooters, boxing out and trying to stop their drives up the middle,” Fieseler said.
The other team in the three-team zone tournament is the Chestermere Lakers. Both the Falcons and the Knights have beaten the Lakers this season, but Aiello stressed they won’t be pushovers.
The Knights opened the 4A South Central zones tournament by beating the Lakers 77-66 March 7.
The remaining schedule for the 4A South Central boys zones tournament is:
March 8 — Foothills vs. Chestermere, 7:15 p.m.
March 9 — Foothills vs. HTA, 7:15 p.m.
March 11 — 1st vs. 2nd final, noon
