The Cedars Christian Eagles hadn't faced the Valemount Timberwolves in nearly two seasons.
But by the time they squared off Saturday to decide the single-A girls basketball north central zone championship the Eagles knew what they were up against. They knew it would be a tall order trying to keep the Timberwolves from getting their hands on the trophy.
Five of the 12 players on the T-wolves roster stand five-foot-nine or taller, which meant the vertically-challenged Eagles had to utilize their speed, shooting accuracy and pit-bull mentality on defence to counter their physical disadvantages.
Leading by only a single bucket at halftime, the Eagles turned to a pair of undersized Grade 12 veterans - Kyla Giesbrecht and Jenna Van Delft - as their difference-makers on offence. Giesbrecht, a five-foot-five wing, proved unstoppable in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 of her 21 points in the final eight minutes to give the Eagles their second straight zone title, a 65-53 win at the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre.
"They were working hard the entire time and we just wanted to keep up with them and keep pushing because we know we're in shape, but they're huge," said Giesbrecht, who will be sticking close to home next season when she begins her post-secondary career with the UNBC Timberwolves.
"They're big girls who work hard for the rebounds and we're a pretty short team but we're fast and that was our key."
In her last home game before she moves on to the university ranks with the Trinity Western Spartans, Van Delft did not disappoint. Predictably, the Eagles' Grade 12 guard was deadly from wherever she chose to shoot and in tournament MVP style, Van Delft collected a game-high 23 points in the final.
"We knew we were a smaller team and our defence had to be able to stay with them and fight for the boards against them, especially with them being way taller than us," said Van Delft. "We tried to help our post players down low, just crashing in on the boards, calling shots and calling screens. Communication was key."
Van Delft nailed a pair of treys and a field goal in the third quarter and gave the Eagles some breathing room, 48-42 at three-quarter time. But the scrappy Valemount squad got within one shot of tying it early in the fourth quarter when tournament first-team all-star Kaitlyn Jensen hit from three-point range. Giesbrecht responded by drawing a foul to complete a three-point play and the Eagles never looked back. Cedars post Maddisen Brown used her five-foot-11 height to haul in rebounds and Taylor Rowland was a warrior, forcing turnovers and tracking down loose balls to keep the T-wolves out of scoring range.
"We were concerned with their size - they're a physical team and they're a talented team and they can all shoot and run," said Eagles coach Jeff Ludditt. "Our game is to run with speed and push the ball and we tried to milk that lead as long as we could and we hang our hat on our defence."
Daquita Cardinal collected 11 points and Jensen finished with 10 to lead the T-wolves.
The Eagles have seven Grade 12 players and will likely improve on their No. 6 seed status before they start the 16-team single-A provincial tournament in Duncan, March 8. Valemount and Northside Christian of Vanderhoof (the third-place zone finishers) also qualified.
