Huskies take gold from tournament
Fort Nelson, B.C., Fort Smith and Hay River come to Fort Simpson for Wolfpack meet
April Hudson
Northern News Services
Thursday, February 9, 2017
LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Basketball players from four communities clashed on the court in Fort Simpson during the annual Wolfpack Basketball Tournament at Thomas Simpson Secondary School.
Wolfpack player Teagan Zoe-Hardisty, front, races the ball past two members of the Fort Nelson Huskies during the Wolfpack tournament's senior boys championship match on Feb. 5. - April Hudson/NNSL photo
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The tournament ran from Feb. 3 to 4. With stands full of people cheering on their respective teams, players from Fort Nelson, B.C., Fort Smith and Hay River tested their mettle against the very best Thomas Simpson Secondary School had to offer.
The junior girls team from Fort Simpson emerged triumphant with gold in their final game against Hay River, while the senior girls championship saw gold go to Fort Nelson's team.
Fort Simpson's junior boys team beat out Fort Smith for gold, while Fort Nelson hit their final game against Fort Simpson hard and took home the senior boys gold.
Akesha Hardisty-Norwegian, who played point guard for the Fort Simpson junior girls, said her favourite part of the tournament was going up against Hay River in the finals.
Fort Simpson and Hay River were the only ones who had junior girls teams playing, meaning the junior girls had to face off against two junior boys teams over the course of the weekend.
Shaznay Waugh, who played post for the Fort Simpson junior girls, said she enjoyed the team's first game the most.
"I was on fire. We had a lot of energy, and our team hustled a lot throughout the entire weekend," she said.
"I was really proud of them for that."
Allan Menicoche, who played for both junior boys and senior boys on Fort Simpson's behalf, said both junior and senior teams played well but could have done better if players had worked together more.
When asked about the senior boys' final game against Fort Nelson, Menicoche said communication played a role in Fort Simpson's loss.
"Our players spent too much time individually with the ball," he said.
Despite an initial lack of team playing for the junior boys team, Menicoche said the team came together once it started listening to the instruction of coaches Kristen Morrison and Leif Amundson.
"The best part of the tournament was coming back from a 0-16 score against Fort Smith," he said.
The tournament also included an open game between a Fort Simpson team and a team comprised of the coaches from each team present.
The coaches won.
Players have a month of practice left before heading to their next tournament. Thomas Simpson Secondary School plans to send U15 boys and girls as well as U19 boys to the Cager tournament in Yellowknife on March 4.
