Members of the Estevan Comprehensive School’s senior girls basketball team played strong on the court and make a difference off of it during the Victor Elias Memorial Shoot for a Cure basketball tournament at the school’s gymnasium Friday and Saturday.
The Elecs went 1-2 at the tournament, opening with a 77-45 victory over the Moose Jaw Central Cyclones on Friday, but then dropping a 62-60 overtime decision to the Weyburn Comprehensive School Eagles in the semifinal Saturday afternoon, and a 71-51 game to the Notre Dame Hounds in the bronze medal game that night.
The tournament was about more than just basketball, as for the ninth straight year, it was a fundraiser for the fight against cancer. Proceeds will be directed to William Sinclair, a former Estevan resident who now resides in Kensoee Lake, and has had multiple bouts with cancer since his first diagnosis in 2015.
The tournament is named after Elias, the father of Elecs head coach Jessie Smoliak. Elias died from cancer in 2017.
Smoliak said she was impressed with how the girls played in the tournament opener, because they spent the week fundraising for the tournament, and because a lot of them knew Aaron Lavoie, who died in late February.
“They played their hearts out for Aaron, as they dedicated their game to him with putting his number 13 on their shoulder,” said Smoliak.
They also had a “V,” in honour of Smoliak’s father, on their other shoulder.
The Elecs played well defensively, she said, and their team play was strong.
“Everyone played so well and us coaches were super impressed with what they did as a team,” said Smoliak.
In the Weyburn game, Smoliak said they came out flat and missed a lot of open opportunities on offence, including layups and inside shots, which left them down by 15 points at halftime.
But Estevan came out strong in the second half and led by five in the final minute. A couple of mistakes allowed Weyburn to tie the game and send it into overtime.
A couple of starters fouled out, but Tiana Seeman, a Grade 9 student, played well in the last couple of minutes, Smoliak said.
“She was told to rebound and that is exactly what she did, we just could finish the little shots inside,” said Smoliak.
They played well against Notre Dame until half-time, but then just ran out of steam. Smoliak said they struggled against the Hounds two six-foot post players, making it tough to rebound.
She praised Grade 10s Haylee Janes and Renee Stephanie for strong performances on both sides of the ball, while Bethany Montebon registered at least 20 points in every game.
This year marked the ninth time that the Elecs have hosted a tournament as a cancer fundraiser. Prior to the game against Moose Jaw Central, the Elecs and the Cyclones lined up on the court. Sinclair was on hand, and was presented with a gift by the Elecs captains. Each of the captains and Smoliak gave him a hug.
Players on both teams carried pink balloons with a name inscribed of someone they know who is fighting cancer or who has died from the disease. They read off the name, and then released the balloon into the air.
“It really made the girls realize how much cancer affects everyone,” said Smoliak.
Up next for the Elecs is an exhibition tournament in Weyburn this coming weekend, and then regionals will be the following weekend.
For more on Sinclair’s story, please see this week’s edition of Southeast Lifestyles.
