BADDECK: The Cape Breton West U18 Girls basketball team took home the Basketball Nova Scotia Division III provincial banner on the weekend of April 13 when visiting the Chedabucto Heights Junior High School in Halifax.
“It was certainly worth the drive,” said coach Rae Germani, speaking to The Reporter from her home in Baddeck just days after the eight-team tournament and that all-important championship final.
“We ended up playing against the Cumberland Hurricanes in the final game, and we started out pretty tight through the first quarter,” the coach said. “We gained some ground in the second, and then we were able to see some good efforts from our younger players into the second half of the game.
“Of course, our seniors were a big part of getting the tempo set early,” she continued. “We were the most well-balanced team for the weekend. We really do encourage the girls to play five strong every time they’re out. Whenever the other team tried to shut one of us down, the other four stepped up.”
The final score of the championship game was 72-49. The West was undefeated in all its games.
The U18 Girls are a true Cape Breton West team, as three players are from Germani’s home town of Baddeck, five are from central Inverness County, two come from Port Hawkesbury, and one represents Richmond County. The ages of the girls on the team are also spread out, as some are as young as 13-years-old.
The effort of all girls on the weekend, Germani said, was exceptional. With that, there was no substitute for the leadership of the 18-year-old seniors.
The leaders in question were Annie Rankin, Lauren Boyd, Liz Morgan, and Maddie Campbell.
“Honestly, you couldn’t ask for four better leaders than the four we had,” Germani said. “They were really happy to win it. They really worked hard for it.
“We had compliments on the girls’ behaviour, their conduct, and that’s great to hear as well.”
The girls worked hard during their season to get ready for provincials, the coach added. Indeed, in the preseason, the girls were hard at work battling Division I teams at tournaments in order refine their game. Germani said that playing against the best is always the best way to learn.
She noted that any players interested in playing in the Cape Breton West program are welcome to join up.