'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
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'oesn't get' the global phenomenom.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Student anti-war protesters dig in as faculties condemn university leadership over calling police
Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at at universities across U.S., some of whom have clashed with police in riot gear, dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, while several school faculties condemned university presidents who have called in law enforcement to remove protesters.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.