Cobras win provincial 2A Boys Basketball Championship

By Rob Vogt, Local Press Writer
The Willow Creek Composite High School Cobra boys’ basketball team capped off a dream season with a stirring victory in front of a capacity crowd on the weekend.
They defeated Millwoods Christian of Edmonton by a score of 86-80 in the final of the Alberta Schools Athletic Association 2A Boys Basketball Championship on Saturday night, March 17.
In a game that went back and forth all night, the Cobras trailed 41-37 at halftime, on the strength of an improbable, three-point, half-court shot by Carlos Ramos of Millwoods Christian.
Very little separated the teams through the third quarter, but Claresholm managed to take a 66-65 lead into the final 10 minutes.
However, with just minutes remaining, the Cobras found themselves down 76-73.
Then, Nic Harder closed the gap to 76-75 and Cole Dixon buried a three-pointer to give Claresholm a 78-76 lead.
Harder upped the score to 80-76, then Jean Pierre Otero Rodriguez hit a free throw to grow the lead to five.
But, Millwoods responded, closing the gap to 81-80, with a chance to take the lead.
The Cobras got the stop and Rodriguez made the Royals pay, hitting his first three pointer of the game with just seconds to play.
Harder iced the game with two late free throws, as Claresholm won their first provincial basketball championship since 1991.
“I’m very proud of these kids,” said head coach Keith Harder, shortly after cutting down the nets. “They listened and they did what we told them to do.”
The coach said they emphasized four things over the previous three days, summed up by the acronym “EASY” – effort; attack; simple, as in keep it simple; and yellow, for their zone defence.
Even when they were behind, Harder had confidence they would win.
“We just refused to lose,” he said, pointing to the strong defence the Cobras played. “We were able to defend.”
They also kept the Royals from running and turning the game into a track meet by controlling the tempo.
“They go on big runs and we wouldn’t let them,” Harder said.
Senior forward Ross Van Rootselaar played the game of his life, hitting big shots at crucial points in the game, leading the way with 24 points.
Nic Harder had 22 points; Rodriguez had 18 points; Dixon had 11 points; Logan Currie had five; and Nick Anderson, Tason Perry, and Aarron Wutke had two each.
The Cobras opened the tournament Friday night, March 16, with a convincing 102-56 win over Webber Academy of Calgary.
Scoring for the Cobras were Harder with 29 points; Van Rootselaar with 23; Rodriguez with 13; Currie and Jackson Wright with eight points each; Wutke with seven; Ethan Watt with four; Perry and Josh Batioco with three each; and Anderson and Daxton Woodward with two each.
Later that same night they defeated Strathcona Christian of Sherwood Park in the tournament semi-final by a score of 85-73.
Scoring for the Cobras were Rodriguez with 28 points; Harder with 17; Van Rootselaar with 14; Dixon and Wutke with six each; Anderson with five; Perry and Wright with four each; and Currie with one point.
(Please see related stories on pages 10, 11, and 12 of the paper)