When a pair of very young and inexperienced teams get together for some early-season basketball action, it has the potential to be a lot of fun to watch.
The coach definitely thought that it was.
When the Yorkton Raiders and Melville Comprehensive School Cobras got paired up in the 'C' side finals Saturday at the Regional, it turned out to be one of the closest games in the 3rd Annual Yorkton City Senior Girls Basketball tournament.
It is the one tournament held in Yorkton, hosted by both the Yorkton Regional High School and Sacred Heart.
Donna Kriger, coach of the Yorkton Raiders, said the season is very young but will probably be a trying one with not a lot of experience on her team this year.
She said it was fun to watch Yorkton and Melville go at it in the final.
The action was more back-and-forth than any other YRHS game played over the course of the two days.
Both gyms held games covering two full days, Friday and Saturday.
Kriger told the paper that Yorkton/Melville get-togethers have the potential to be a lot of fun."Melville's always a fun team to play against," she said moments after a close 49-47 loss at the hands of the Cobras.
"We're both very young teams this year. We're both sort of in a rebuilding year."
The tournament featured teams from Balgonie, Canora, L.P. Miller (Nipawin), Meadow Lake I and II, Melville, Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Prince Albert (St. Mary's), Sacred Heart, Weyburn and the Raiders.
Kriger said the Raider's senior squad this year carries with it only two Gr. 12s, Avery Westberg and Rebecca Kriger.
There are five Gr. 9 players, three Gr. 10s and four Gr. 11s.
YRHS played in four games. They dropped games to Canora, North Battleford before losing in the 'C' final to Melville.
Kriger said they did put up a solid effort Saturday morning in their game against Nipawin, winning 43-17.
When it came to the North Battleford game, it slipped away in a 66-21 loss.
Coach Kriger said that coaching some younger players is frustrating at times but added that in a year or two, the team could become explosive with practice and dedication.
The weekend tournament also featured one of the top schools in senior girls volleyball, the North Battleford Comprehensive.
According to Kriger, they could be one of the team's playing for provincial glory this season.
"North Battleford is a team that is quite experienced. They're a team to watch," Kriger insists, hinting at provincials.
"They're well coached."
Kriger said she chose to look at the very small picture taking her team into that encounter, opting to look at each and every possession her team had, rather then simply hoping to play well."We tell the kids to play for each possession as its own game. We (really) break it down."
She added that as long as the team plays well and works hard in practice, it stands to be a good season.
"We improved steadily throughout the season. We're (really) playing for the future."
This coming weekend, YRHS is in Prince Albert to take part in the Carlton tournamentKriger added that she expects the northern Saskatchewan schools to be the toughest to beat (North Battleford, Moose Jaw, and Saskatoon).
