The St. Martin de Porres Kodiaks senior girls’ basketball team battled hard until the very last second, but in the end, it fell just short in the Calgary Senior High School Athletic Association (CSHSAA) Division 3 championship game March 10, losing 54-46 to the Henry Wisewood Warriors. “They just took it from us,” said head coach Tammy Paulence. “Our girls just weren’t strong enough on our defence and the shots weren’t going in, so we suffered the consequences." Playing for a packed house at Henry Wisewood High School in Calgary, the Kodiaks took an early lead, but a strong second and third quarter from the Warriors proved too much for St. Martin to overcome in the final frame. “The second period, we started to struggle,” Paulence said. “They had a couple good girls who can drive to the hoop, and we couldn’t cope with it.” The game was still neck-and-neck as the two teams headed into the locker rooms at half time, with the Warriors leading 26-25. The home team found a new gear in the third quarter, while the Kodiaks continued to struggle with its shooting and rebounding. Henry Wisewood extended its lead to 12 points before the end of the third frame. “Once we get [a lead], we get a little bit ahead of ourselves and we allow them to come back,” said Grade-12 post Madolyn Arsenault. “After we get down, the girls get frustrated, so it’s hard to get back up. But we definitely put up a fight.” With the championship on the line, the Kodiaks players gave their complete effort in the fourth quarter. Employing a high press and sinking some shots early into the frame, the visitors reduced the Warriors’ lead to just six points. As the minutes ticked down, the Warriors’ coaches called two timeouts to rally their players and break up the Kodiaks’ momentum. “We just wanted to push and give it our all, because [we want to play as if] the score is always 0-0,” Arsenault said. “We just had to give it everything.” In the end, the Warriors managed to hold on for the championship win on its home court, sinking a few clutch shots in the final minutes to take the eight-point victory. The final buzzer didn’t just bring an end to the Kodiaks’ season, but also concluded the high school basketball careers of four of the team’s senior players. “[Playing with the Kodiaks] is a really good experience because you make a lot of good friends,” said Arsenault, who is also the Kodiaks’ captain. “This year, we did a lot better than we ever have before. When I was in Grade 10, we [finished] in third-last place, and we’ve made it all the way to second, so that’s definitely an improvement.” The Kodiaks finished the regular season tied for second in Div. 3 with an 8-2 record, while the Warriors topped the table at 9-1. During the playoffs, St. Martin de Porres booked its ticket to the championship game with a 53-35 home win March 5 over the Forest Lawn Titans, and a 62-48 semi-final victory March 7 over the John G. Diefenbaker Chiefs. Paulence said this year’s Kodiaks senior girls’ team was one of the school’s most successful in basketball in recent years. “I’m very proud of the girls for making it this far, and they should be proud of the silver,” she said. “It’s always hard to win silver, because you have to lose the game to win silver.”
