After kicking off the 2018-19 season with two losses, the Chestermere Lady Lakers senior girls’ basketball team is showing a resurgence. The five-time defending Rocky View Sports Association (RVSA) champions’ season didn’t get off to the greatest of starts, with a 44-38 defeat to the Cochrane Cobras Dec. 5, 2018, and a 45-36 loss to the W.H. Croxford Cavaliers Dec. 12, 2018. But Chestermere has won both of its league games since then to climb up to fourth place in the RVSA standings. The team earned its first win of the season with a convincing 64-14 victory over the Springbank Phoenix Dec. 19, 2018. Following the winter break, the Lady Lakers returned to the court with another victory by large margins – this time winning 60-29 at home against the Bert Church Chargers, Jan. 10. The 31-point win came despite a poor first half, according to Lady Lakers head coach Dan Isbister. “I kind of expected it, because we were coming off the Christmas break,” he said. “We had a slow first half – I think we were only up by 13 at the half – and then we had a massive third quarter, where we got up to that 30-point lead and kept it there.” Isbister – who used to play basketball at the collegiate level with the Medicine Hat College Rattlers and the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns – said Chestermere’s recent improvement has been due to stronger defensive performances, as well as better communication across the court. “Early on, some of the girls were still struggling with foot position, placements and where they should be on defence in relation to the basketball,” he said. “But they’ve really come along. “We still have a long ways to go with it, but it’s something that’s really improved for us.” The team is currently on another hiatus from competitive games, as high school students complete diploma exams. The Lady Lakers’ next league fixture will not be until Jan. 29, when the squad travels to Airdrie to take on the George McDougall Mustangs. The team lost to the Mustangs in pre-season, but Isbister noted it was missing two key players, as they were still playing with the school's volleyball team at the time. “If we come out and play strong, we should be OK,” Isbister said. “Obviously, the goal is to win that game, because then we’d have one more league game left, and that would be against Bow Valley, who seems to be really strong this year.” Bow Valley is the only remaining unbeaten team in the division this season, boasting a perfect 4-0 record. Chestermere will host the Bobcats in the Lady Lakers’ final regular-season game, Feb. 5 at 6 p.m. Isbister said he expects Chestermere to be competitive for the final two games. “The season is going well – we’ve played solid basketball, except for one game,” he said. “We can compete with anyone in this division, it’s just a matter of [the players] all playing well together.”
