The Assiniboia Composite High School鈥檚 senior girls Rockets basketball team hosted the second annual 鈥淲e The Pink鈥� tournament at their school on Feb. 3 and 4.
Al Wandler, one of the coach of the Rockets, acknowledged the 鈥淲e The Pink鈥� tournament hosted by the Assiniboia Composite High School as 鈥渁 way to give back to the community.鈥� There were eight teams that competed in the tournament this year.
The featured Pink Game on February 3 had the Rockets face the visiting Clavet Cougars.聽 As it has done for eight years, there were also a number of fundraising activities, silent auctions and rafffles that took place around this year鈥檚 event to raise funds and awareness for cancer.
The Pink Raffle blanket winner was Sadie Jepson with the earrings won by Carol Marit. The Rocket players wore pink uniforms and played with a pink basketball. Coaches, volunteers and fans all donned pink shirts, the colour which symbolizes the fight against cancer.
This year鈥檚 donations were being raised for Karla (Cristo) Coldwell. Karla, daughter of Robin and Sandy Cristo, and her husband Darren Coldwell are from Assiniboia and graduated from ACHS. They now live in Steinbach, Manitoba. Karla was diagnosed in late November with brain cancer and had surgery on November 30. She now faces a period of extensive treatment.
As a way to do their part, the basketball program and ACHS expressed a desire to help with as many of the avenues of treatment available to them. The Assiniboia community has already raised over $12,000 to support the family.
At the opening before the Pink Game started, coach Wandler read aloud a letter from Karla Coldwell. 鈥淢y family and I want to thank every single one of you here tonight. It means the world to us knowing that our hometown is still one of the most generous places around.鈥�
An emotional Wandler applauded both teams for taking part in such an important game. 鈥淚 want to give a special thank you to the senior girls鈥� team because without them this doesn鈥檛 work.鈥�
Both the Assiniboia Rockets and the Cougars started with back and forth scoring. With the teams tied early in the first quarter, the Rockets pulled ahead in the second quarter and took a 20-point lead heading into the half.
In the third period, the Rockets extended their lead to 24 points. The final was 61-33 for the Rockets with Hanna Crook noted as one of Assiniboia鈥檚 standout players especially in the second half.
The 鈥淲e The Pink鈥� tournament continued on February 4 with the Rockets matched up against the Shaunovan Silhouettes, but losing 61-28. Shaunovan led by over 20 points in the third quarter and kept up a scoring barrage. With lots of back and forth action between the two teams, the Rockets moved well around the court. The championship game saw the Silhouettes and the Broncs face off for first place. Shaunovan dominated the play with accurate passing and shooting to take the lead by the end of the third quarter. The Broncs tried to chip away at the lead as the clock wound down in the fourth quarter. Shaunovan won the hard-fought game 46 -31 to win the tournament. Joanne Feeley, one of the Rockets鈥� coaches, presented the first and second place plaques to their teams, with Assiniboia taking third.
