It was a difficult end to the season for Bow Valley High School's basketball community, but one the Cochrane school's coaches feel will make them better in the long run.
The Bow Valley Bobcats senior boys' and girls' basketball teams took early losses during the South Central Zones tournament this past week, which acts as the qualifier for the Alberta Schools Athletic Association (ASAA) provincial championships.
The boys' team came up short on March 9 during a match against Canmore that saw them eliminated from the tournament 78-69.
Bobcats' head coach Kris Neilson said the performance at zones was not the one the Bobcats had hoped for, but wasn't unexpected after several of the team's starters were forced out of the tournament due to injury.
"We finished off without a single starter playing," Neilson said. "So that was five injuries that were pretty devastating for us."
Neilson said those injuries have been an issue for the team all season, noting that before losing teammates, the team had been performing at a high level.
"We have a fantastic team. Right out of the gates, we were looking at being the number one team in the province," he said. "We beat the number-one team prior to the provincial final rankings, so we were looking good, then we had some problems."
If there's a silver lining to missing some of the team's more talented or experienced players, it was the opportunity to give the additional court time to other team members, Neilson said.
"It's a blessing in disguise in that we've had the opportunity to give a lot of guys minutes on the court they wouldn't otherwise have and they [will be] very key guys for us next year," he said.
With a young team consisting of primarily Grade 11 students, Neilson sees this as an opportunity to invest in the team for next year.
"If we bring back a core that is outstanding — that could have won provincials this year — and we bring it back for their Grade 12 year, it's going to be amazing," he said.
"We've still been ranked in the Top 10 all year long, despite our injuries, so I think it speaks volumes about where we're headed."
Girls looking to next year
It was a similar story for the Bobcats' senior girls' varsity team, as well.
The girls faced off against Olds in the South Central Zones tournament, held in Strathmore. Unfortunately, they lost early in the tournament in a tight game that saw them bested 48-45.
Head coach Darryl Viste said both games were well played, but the team needs a little more time to cement their abilities.
"It was a year of getting my philosophy going with the Grade 11 girls," Viste said. "With another year with the same group, we'll probably have better results."
As for many involved in high-school sports, this year has marked the first semi-normal season since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Viste said the team has worked hard but that the pandemic has still affected the season.
"Everyone's in the same boat with COVID-19 having taken a year off from our play," he said. "We had interruptions throughout the year, so we played as expected, but they all worked hard and we're very lucky with the group we've had."
