The W.H. Croxford Cavaliers senior girls' basketball team book-ended their unbeaten regular season with a dominant playoff performance to secure the Rocky View Sports Association (RVSA) banner.
The Cavaliers had advanced to the final after easily beating the Bow Valley Bobcats 84-24 in the semi-final on March 4. Playing on their home court on March 5, the Cavaliers marched to a 67-47 victory over the Chestermere Lakers to secure their second consecutive divisional championship.
“Everyone was super excited,” said Grade 12 forward Macy Mulholland, the Cavs' captain. “We won together as a team, which I really liked. Everyone got to see the floor, and everyone contributed to the win. Overall, that teamwork pushed us to win that game.”
Croxford led 36-23 at the half and managed to extend that lead to 20 points in the final two quarters.
Mulholland, 18, said the players' communication skills and positive mindset helped propel the team to victory.
“We each helped each other instead of beating each other down, and we were always there to pick each other off of the floor,” she said. “Everyone stayed positive. Everyone makes mistakes, but instead of reflecting on those mistakes, the teammates we have helped us forget about them and move on.”
In other championship games on Saturday, the Cochrane Cobras won the RVSA senior boys' banner by beating the Lakers 74-68.
In the junior age divisions, the Cavaliers junior girls' team overcame their west Airdrie rivals, the George McDougall Mustangs, 59-55. The Cochrane Cobras beat George McDougall 66-63 to claim the junior boys' division title.
Mulholland said the Cavaliers girls' basketball program has been highly successful in recent years, as evidenced by the two banners this weekend. While last year's high-school basketball season was cancelled due to COVID-19, she noted Croxford's senior girls' team also won the RVSA banner in 2020, just a few weeks before the pandemic shut down the sporting world.
With the RVSA league done and dusted, Croxford's senior girls' basketball team is preparing to compete for the South Central Zones 4A title this week in Okotoks. The winner of the South Central Zones banner will qualify for the Alberta Schools Athletic Association (ASAA) provincial championships later this month.
First up for the Cavaliers is the Holy Trinity Academy (HTA) Knights on March 9. Mulholland said the Knights beat the Cavaliers in a tournament earlier this season, which means the Airdrie side will have to bring their A game against the Okotoks team on Wednesday night.
“We have played HTA before and we did lose, but we’re a different team now,” she said. “We know we can compete with them, so we’re very excited to go into this game. We’re keeping our heads held high and I’m confident we can play with them and win.”
Other than HTA and Croxford, there are three other 4A teams in the South Central Zone, and Mulholland said the Cavaliers have as good a chance as any to claim the title.
“I would say we’re kind of equal with our skill levels,” she said. “I do see we have a really good shot at making it to provincials this year.”
