For the first time in a quarter century, the Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs senior boys’ basketball team is heading to the Hoopla provincial basketball tournament.
The Elecs punched their ticket to Hoopla with an 81-71 victory over the Yorkton Regional Raiders Saturday during the rural regional playdowns in Yorkton. Two teams from the rural regionals qualified for Hoopla, which has eight teams entered at the 5A level.
The other teams in 5A are from Saskatoon and Regina.
Estevan was the second-seeded team for the rural regional, and opened with a convincing 100-57 victory over Swift Current. The game was relatively close at half-time, as Estevan held a 49-38 advantage, but then the Elecs took over in the third quarter, outscoring their opponents 29-7 for a 78-45 lead.
“We had great team play, spreading the ball around and sharing the work,” said coach Carmon Lindquist. “We managed to put a solid offensive game together against Swift Current.”
Estevan had 17 three-pointers in the contest, with Francois Adaya collecting eight of them. He led the attack with 24 points, while John Anders had 17.
The Elecs led Yorkton Regional 19-17 after the first quarter and 39-38 at half-time.
“We knew that we were going to be up against a tough second game, coming into Yorkton, playing in their home gym,” said Lindquist.
It appeared their hopes of advancing to Hoopla were fading after they were outscored 20-8 in the third quarter, leaving them down 58-47, but they outscored Yorkton 34-12 in the final stanza.
Lindquist believes some of the players were feeling the pressure in the third quarter against Yorkton, and started playing as individuals.
“We’ve done that before, and they recognized how important it is to spread that work out and play as a team,” said Lindquist.
It was a loud gym in Yorkton, as the crowd was looking forward to seeing their hometown team advance. But the Elecs spoiled the party.
Anders (26 points) and Adaya (19) led the offensive attack. Lindquist pointed out Estevan had very balanced scoring in the fourth quarter.
Estevan and Lloydminister Composite School closed out the tournament in a game that was used for seeding for provincials, since both teams had already qualified for Hoopla. Lloydminster led 59-30 at half-time, and the two teams each managed 45 points each after half-time, giving Lloydminster a 104-75 win.
Clark Cabiluna had 20 points for Estevan.
Lindquist believes Lloydminster is the strongest 5A team in the province, as they won the prestigious Lutheran Invitation Tournament earlier this season.
“They’re just big, strong and experienced team,” said Lindquist.
The Elecs will be seeded eighth for the 5A tournament, and will play Saskatoon St. Joseph in a first round game on Thursday night. The winner will advance to the semifinals, while the loser goes to the consolation round.
Still, Lindquist and the Elecs are looking forward to playing at Hoopla for the first time in 25 years, and doing it in the division with the big schools. They have been busy making preparations for the tournament.
“Just getting there is a huge accomplishment in the 5A category,” said Lindquist.
Lloydminster is the only team they have faced or watched so far this season.
“We know that we can play with most of the teams that are there. We anticipate that Lloydminster is going to be one of the strongest there,” said Lindquist.
Hoopla runs from Thursday to Saturday in Saskatoon.
