The McLurg Broncs senior girls’ basketball team rolled through their eight-team home tournament undefeated Jan. 10 and 11 to end up with the gold medals and winners’ plaque. With the tournament being “pink” to raise both breast cancer awareness and funds, Coach Mark Myszczyszyn estimated a donation of approximately $2,300 will be making its way to the appropriate charity.
This year’s fundraising started with a silver collection and raffles at the alumni game held in Wilkie, Dec. 21. Players who had graduated over the past six years came out to challenge the current high school team in a fun pre-Christmas match.
The girls then converted their annual home tournament into a Pink Tournament. Booth sales of chili and home baking, admission charges and a number of silent auction items all helped add to the total funds raised.
The fundraising successes were matched by the exciting games on the basketball court, with Myszczyszyn reporting three of the first four games were decided by less than four points.
The Broncs beat the girls from Outlook’s LCBI High School in the opening match of the tournament, Jan. 10. Also on opening day, the Kerrobert Rebels won over the Langham Vikings 47-43.
The Broncs and Rebels met in a semifinal, with the Broncs advancing to the gold medal game against Valley Christmas School. The Rebels meanwhile played for and won bronze in a final against Davidson.
Myszczyszyn said, “Our season has been pretty successful so far. We have beaten many 3A, 4A and 5A teams. We got silver in our first tournament, won the consolation at JP II, won Kerrobert’s, won Rosetown, won our Pink Tournament.”
He added, however, they will see “some tougher teams in the higher A classifications” with the “next run of tournaments” being at Saskatoon Christian School, Lloydminster Composite and Meadow Lake.
McLurg High School is part of a group of schools that take turns hosting the Pink Tournament. This year it was Wilkie’s turn. Myszczyszyn said, “I have approached the next team in line to keep this great cause going and will schedule a game [next year] to highlight the cause. They will then carry on the tradition, I hope.”
