It's early in the season, but the home team showed what it's made of at a tournament on the weekend.
The Humboldt Collegiate Institute (HCI) Mohawks senior girls' basketball team hosted the annual Humboldt Invitational Tournament (H.I.T.) December 10-11.
The two-day tournament saw teams from Indian Head, Outlook, Kinistino, Melfort, Delisle, Saskatoon's Walter Murray - the first 5A team to compete in the tournament - and Lake Lenore make the trip to Humboldt to compete for the tournament title.
The weekend kicked off with HCI taking on the Lake Lenore Lancers.
The Mohawks took control of the game early on, running up a 19-6 lead by the end of the first quarter.
The Lancers had a better second quarter defensively, forcing HCI to shoot from farther out. The Mohawks were up 32-9 at the half.
The third quarter saw the Lancers continue to improve, making HCI work harder for their points, but the Mohawks continued to increase their lead.
At the end of three quarters of action, HCI was leading 59-15.
The fourth quarter was much the same, with HCI increasing their lead despite the Lancers' best efforts. The final score was 74-24 for the Mohawks.
The consolation final saw Melfort defeat Lake Lenore 67-56. Erika Pederson led Melfort with 16 points, while Danielle Bauml had 24 points for the Lancers in that game.
The B-side final saw Indian Head defeat Delisle 70-60. Randi Yee paced Indian Head with 21 points and Katrina Currie chipped in 18 points for Delisle.
The third-place final saw the Kinistino Blues defeat Walter Murray 37-34. Bailey Johnson had 16 points for the Blues, while Tina Wilyman had seven points for Walter Murray.
In the final, the Mohawks squared off against Outlook, the second time this year the two teams have met. This game had the same results, with HCI taking a 53-38 victory. Paige Crozon had 25 points and Kaitlyn Grieman had 16 for the Mohawks. Brittany Prpich led Outlook with 14 points, while Dielle Bleackley added 11.
"Outlook played a very physical, tough defensive game," said coach Kerri Archibald after the game. "This slowed our tempo and allowed Outlook to play their type of game. Outlook played very well.
"We didn't have a great shooting game, so for three quarters, it was a defensive battle. It was a great weekend. This is our third H.I.T. championship and the girls were excited."
The crowds were great, with the gym filled to capacity for the HCI games, she added.
The All Star Team selections, as voted by the coaches were:
First All Star, Alyssa Van't Hof, Walter Murray;
Second All Star, Bailey Johnson, Kinistino;
Third All Star, Brittany Prpich, Outlook; and
Fourth All Star, Randi Yee, Indian Head.
HCI heads to Indian Head for their next tournament on December 17-18.
