There’s nothing like a crosstown rivalry to decide the champion of the town’s largest basketball tournament. The Bow Valley High School Bobcats and Cochrane High School Cobras junior-varsity girls did not disappoint at the 7th Annual Cochrane Classic.
Both were the final two teams standing in the Classic JV girl’s bracket, and they left it all on the floor in a thrilling, high-skills final that went to Cochrane 56-36 in the end. But the score did not indicate the final game’s level of intensity and competition.
You had Cochrane’s Brittany Janzen taking it hard to the rack. You had Bow Valley’s Madison Lethebe sprinting all over the floor and teammate Brynn Anderson attacking the ball like a starved Bobcat on a T-bone.
And the final was rife with subplots, including: Cochrane Cobras 2012 grad Bailey Serhyenko and Mary O’Neil, daughter of Cobras football/track coach Bruce O’Neil, coaching the Bobcats – a team featuring five players who until this season had not played organized, competitive basketball.
This was one for the ages.
“This is our house. This is where we come every day,” said elated Cobras head coach Jackson Parker following his team’s win. “No matter what level you are. To win at home; whether it’s a tournament, whether it’s a championship game, rival or not, it’s always special.
“The kids really did a good job responding to some adversity today.”
That adversity came complements of a Bobcats squad that would not back down.
“It’s a lot of fun. The girls are so awesome,” said Serhyenko, who coaches the Bobcats JV girls with mom Kim Serhyenko and O’Neil. “They all have such good attitudes. I love coaching them.
“It’s a little weird coaching for another team. But I love it. Five or six of them, this is there first time ever playing basketball. They are great athletes. They’ve already come so far.”
Of 10 Cochrane-based teams entered from Cochrane High, Bow Valley High and St. Timothy, the only other local team to make an ‘A’ final was Cobras varsity boys, who ran into a more-experienced EP Scarlett Lancers squad. The Lancers’ size, speed and experience earned the Calgary school an 81-60 win over their hosts.
In varsity girl’s consolation final, Bow Valley Bobcats downed Memorial 61-48.
CHS 40 Canmore 41
Holy Trinity 79 St. Timothy 35
Rundle 90 Bow Valley 53
Memorial 53 CHS 41
Bow Valley 77 St. Timothy 41
Bow Valley 61 Memorial 48 (Bow Valley wins consolation final)
Cochrane 57 (7th) St. Timothy 41
CHS 88 Centennial 76
Memorial 79 Bow Valley 38
CHS 86 Salisbury 53
E.P. Scarlett 84 Bow Valley 34
Leduc 106 Bow Valley 23
CHS 70 Rundle College 32
St. Timothy 48 Holy Trinity 41
Bow Valley 38 Canmore 16
Cochrane 57 Lerduc 50
Bow Valley 42 St. Timothy 31
Leduc 42 St. Timothy 27 (4th)
Salisbury 69 CHS 49
Leduc 89 Bow Valley 38
Holy Trinity 73 CHS 55
Hunting Hills 59 Bow Valley 49
CHS 53 (7th) Bow Valley 48
