The John Paul II Collegiate Crusaders will have their first game of regionals against Onion Lake on March 20 at 6:00 pm. (Image Credit: John Paul II Collegiate/Facebook)

By Ryan Lambert

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

John Paul II to host 4A boys senior basketball provincials

Mar 20, 2026 | 6:00 AM

With HOOPLA on the Horizon, the John Paul II Crusaders senior boys’ basketball team is set to host their regional championships this coming weekend. 

It’ll be their second year in a row hosting the regional tournament.

Last year, the Crusaders finished third at regionals and after a bronze medal win at the North Battleford Comprehensive High School (NBCHS) tournament earlier in the month, the Crusaders are feeling good heading into the weekend. 

“Our boys feel pretty confident. They’ve put in a lot of work this year, and I think they’re kind of using that as their source of readiness,” said Crusaders head coach Cooper Olson. 

Hosting the tournament comes with some positives, as well as its own negatives. 

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“It’s nice to be able to feed off of the energy of the crowd, but that there’s obviously a sense of pressure that comes with playing in front of friends and family,” said Olson.  

“Our message today was just kind of to just make sure that they didn’t let it get too big and honestly just enjoy the moment. For a lot of our players, this is the last time they’ll ever get to play in our gym.” 

One big advantage for hosting the tournament for the Crusaders is familiarity. 

“These are the rims we shoot at and practice every single day. They get to sleep in their beds, they get to have their home cooking, and they get to do their normal morning routines. I know stuffing teenage boys in a van for like 4 hours and then having to sleep in a hotel at night is a disadvantage.” 

The Crusaders could be leaning on one of their star players throughout the weekend in Nate Fransoo. While Olson said he wasn’t sure if Fransoo has any commitments, he knows that Fransoo has gotten some university looks to potentially play basketball as the postsecondary level. 

Fransoo has also represented team Saskatchewan at national tournaments, so he is no stranger to the big stage.

“He’s always got a pretty laid-back demeanor. The guys look to rely on him in big moments. Time and time again, he showed up for us. So, I think he’s the type of player who won’t let the moment get too big.” 

The Crusaders coach says that while the team has been good at going up and down the floor, their three-ball shooting has improved immensely in the past couple of tournaments. 

“The last two weekends, we’ve had multiple games where we’ve hit, probably 15 threes as a team. It totally unlocks our offense.” 

As the season comes to an end, the seniors are playing in their final games of the season. In the NBCHS home tournament, they honoured the seniors from NBCHS as well as John Paul II. 

“That was a really cool moment for them to get the chance to get their flowers in that regard. They got a standing ovation from the fans that were there. So that was a pretty cool moment and really cool that NBCHS would involve our boys in that.”   

After that moment, the Crusaders will look to earn their way to HOOPLA when they host the regional tournament. 

The Crusaders face off with Onion Lake at 6:00 pm on March 20, while Lumsden faces Meadow Lake at 8:00. The losers face off in the consolation final at 11:00am on March 21, and the finals are at 1:00 at John Paul II Collegiate. 

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Ryan.Lambert@pattisonmedia.com