After a three-week winter break, Airdrie's high-school basketball teams resumed their regular-season competition on Jan. 12, with the W.H. Croxford Cavaliers senior boys' team losing 94-72 to the unbeaten Cochrane Cobras.
The Cavaliers lost their following fixture as well, going down 81-67 at home to the visiting Bert Church Chargers on Jan. 18.
Cavaliers head coach Danny Eveleigh said it was a tough outing against their cross-town rival, considering Croxford was sporting a reduced roster due to illness and injuries.
“We were missing a lot of guys and only had eight guys,” he said. “We had COVID issues and injuries. That being said, it was a gutsy performance from a reduced squad.”
Grade 10 players Jacob Mulhulland and Benson Thomas led in scoring for the Cavaliers, putting up 17 points apiece.
The loss means Croxford is currently in the lower half of the RVSA standings with a 1-3 record.
Eveleigh, who is in his first year of coaching the team after a long teaching and coaching career at Springbank, said 2021-22 has mostly been a learning year for a young, new-look Cavaliers squad.
“We’re not measuring things by the wins and losses right now, we’re measuring things by what we’re doing and how we’re executing,” he said. “We’re making a lot of mistakes still, because we’re young, but slowly getting better at executing. It’s coming along – above my expectations at this point of the season – but we still have a long way to go.”
On the other side of the court, Bert Church point guard Sam Jackson was buzzing after the game. He noted the victory over Croxford marked the Chargers' first regular-season win of the campaign, following losses to the Cobras and the George McDougall Mustangs.
“We started off really rough, so this one means a lot,” he said. “This was our first game back in a month after break, so we played pretty well.”
With the Chargers sporting a 1-2 record, Jackson said things are starting to look up for Bert Church as the second half of the season gets underway. He mentioned his team had a strong showing at the Bert Church Invitational tournament in December, making it all the way to the final despite a reduced roster.
Bert Church will resume their regular season Jan. 26 against the Bow Valley Bobcats. The Cavaliers meanwhile, will take on the George McDougall Mustangs in the finall all-Airdrie clash of the regular season on Feb. 1.
Senior girls
In RVSA's senior girls' division, W.H. Croxford leads the way with a 2-0 record, putting up 153 points and conceding just 57 in their first two fixtures. The Cavs will look to remain unbeaten on Jan. 26 when they take on the Chargers, who currently sport a 1-1 record after losing to the Bow Valley Bobcats on Jan. 18.
The 0-1 George McDougall Mustangs, meanwhile, will attempt to secure their first win of the regular season when they travel west to face the Cochrane Cobras on Jan. 26.
For scores and schedules, visit rvsa.rockyview.ab.ca
