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LA CRETE, ALTA.
Ten Fort Simpson basketball players gained valuable experience while competing in a tournament in Alberta earlier this month.

The Wolfpack basketball team from Fort Simpson placed fifth in the Northern Exposure Tournament in La Crete, Alta. The team included back row, form left, coach Kristen Morrison, Jerome Constant, Charles Gargan, Laurent Isaiah, Rylan Hardisty-Gillis, Steven Thompson and coach Neil Barry; middle row: Garret Yatsallie, Devan Horassi, Adrien Tremblay, Jordan Mansbridge, Lucas Hachey and Ernest Tsetso; front row: Dwight Hardisty and Brandon Tonka. - photo courtesy of Kristen Morrison

The Thomas Simpson School Wolfpack was one of 10 senior teams in the Northern Exposure Tournament in La Crete from Feb. 4 to 5. The Wolfpack finished fifth in the tournament with a record of two wins and one loss.

"It was a complete success," said Kristen Morrison, one of the team's coaches.

"They raised their game to another level."

The Wolfpack, which had 10 players from Fort Simpson and three from Hay River, won their first game 65-60 against Grimshaw, Alta. During the game, forward Charles Gargan scored 11 points and made 13 rebounds. Laurent Isaiah, who also played forward, was the team's top scorer with 19 points.

Foul trouble

In the second game, the Wolfpack faced off against Glenmary, a team from Peace River, Alta. The Wolfpack got into foul trouble early in the game.

In the first quarter, three of the team's senior players, including Isaiah, Gargan and Adrien Tremblay, fouled out. Even with the missing players, it was a close game right up until the fourth quarter when the Wolfpack lost by three points, 70-67, said Morrison.

Gargan was one of the key scorers for the team in the game. In the first quarter, before fouling out, he got 23 points and 16 rebounds.

"That's amazing," said Morrison.

Because the tournament was following a single elimination format, the Wolfpack's loss moved them into the losing side of the pool and took away any chance of competing in the finals.

In their third game, the game to decide fifth place, the Wolfpack competed against a team from Manning, Alta. The Wolfpack led for most of the game while every player was given lots of court time.

"Everyone played great that game," said Morrison.

The team played their strongest defence of the tournament during their final game, she said. With a 75-68 win, the Wolfpack secured fifth place in the tournament.

The Wolfpack's performance at the tournament was commendable considering their only loss was by three points, said Neil Barry, the team's co-coach.

Following the loss to Glenmary, Barry said parents of the winning team's players came over to say the Wolfpack was the toughest competition the team had faced.

The real value of the tournament came from the experience the team gained and will take to the NWT Power Corp. Senior Cager Territorial Tournament in Yellowknife at the end of the month, said Morrison.

"They completely improved," she said. "Everyone is really starting to understand their role."

Morrison said the team will spend the next two weeks leading up to the Cager thinking about what they did well and how they can improve.

Morrison also said the Hay River players were a great addition to the team and provided both leadership and experience.

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