The Unity Composite Warriors compete in the provincials semifinals tonight after winning gold at a co-hosted regionals last weekend. (Submitted photo/Unity Composite High School)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

Winning double

Unity Composite basketball teams set for Hoopla semi-finals

Mar 25, 2022 | 11:02 AM

One more northwest school is getting in on Hoopla action this evening.

The Unity Composite Warriors basketball teams both hosted and dominated their regional tournaments last weekend, qualifying them as second seeds in 3A semifinal action tonight. In the girls final, Unity defeated Creighton 78-41, while the boys won 83-59 against Kindersley.

Principal and girls head coach Aaron Melnyk said after two years of disruption, no one was sure what this year would bring or what the standard would look like.

“Just proud [of the team] and thankful that we’ve been able to play,” he said.

The double golds at a co-hosted regional tournament was a first for the school and prompted the printing of tee-shirts that said “making history”. Melnyk said the girls program hadn’t hosted regionals since 1987 and now they join the boys in making repeat trips to the provincial tournament with their sights set on both squads playing for gold.

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“Technically speaking, we are both making back-to-back trips, as 2019 and 2022 are consecutive Hoopla’s,” he said.

“Considering how long it had been since we had made the provincial tournament, it’s really special. I’m really excited about where our program is going.”

The squads have a mix of grades throughout the roster and are poised to be competitive for a while. Athletic director Ken Parker noted that the pipeline of athletes in junior varsity and middle school are promising after having district success this year.

“I’ve got an entire team of Grade 9’s who are ready to come in and contribute,” he said. “Seven guys are leaving [the senior team] and these Grade 9’s are raw, but they are going to jump in quickly.”

Unity’s girls’ team faces St. Walburg at Indian Head in their semifinal, while the boys are in Osler to take on Bert Fox, out of Fort Qu’Appelle. The Warriors split their season series against the Saints and are expecting a tight contest.

“They’re a worthy opponent, it should be a tough game,” Melnyk said.

The principal and bench boss also thanked the school community for supporting the teams during their first co-hosted regionals as the gym was packed during the wins by both squads.

“We certainly couldn’t have pulled it off without them and their cheering goes a long way,” he said. “We’ll miss that this weekend.”

Both games will be live streamed at 8:00 p.m. here (girls) and here (boys). You can find more information through the SHSAA website.

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cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com

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