'It was surreal': Coaches still blown away by Elmwood's boys basketball provincial championship win
A Winnipeg high school basketball team was able to cap their season as the best team in the province last week.
The AAA boys basketball team from Elmwood High School was crowned the provincial champions after a 94-88 win over Garden Valley Collegiate. It was their first provincial championship in the history of the program.
Patrick Gadsby and Jesse Cousins – two of the coaches for the team – said they were shocked once the buzzer went, and they realized they won.
"It's still one of those things that we're still processing," said Gadsby. "It was surreal."
Cousins said the team has had to deal with a couple of disappointing losses over the last couple of years, including an overtime loss in the city championship this season. So to be able to win it all at provincials, he said the kids were elated.
“You can tell it was three years of hard work paying off with this historical win,” said Cousins.
What made this win even more special, according to Gadsby and Cousins, was the fact a number of players on the team were fasting for Ramadan, so during the games, they weren’t even drinking water.
“So we’ve got guys at halftime kind of sprinkling their face trying to cool down and rehydrate that way,” said Gadsby.
Both said they are super proud of the guys on the team and the adversity they have had to face. Cousins also thanked the Elmwood community for being so supportive and helping wherever it was needed.
“Just seeing the level of support that a small school like Elmwood is able to bring, basically everywhere we go. I just want to express some generosity for that because it’s been insane to see,” said Cousins.
Gadsby said there were former players, and parents of former players, who would attend games and even help provide rides for players if it was needed.
Moving forward, the coaches hope this win will open up opportunities for the athletes to play on club teams over the summer, and give them more reps playing basketball, getting them even more prepared for next season.
“So trying to get them momentum and get them into a solid basketball program that can kind of help maintain what we’ve got going on in our committee here at Elmwood,” said Gadsby.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.