Coaldale Christian takes home 1A boys provincial championship

Posted on March 22, 2023 by Sunny South News

By Garrett Simmons

For Sunny South News

The 1A Boys Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association Provincial Championships gold medal game was never in doubt.

Coaldale Christian led from start to finish, as the host team rolled to a 111-61 win over Clear Water Academy.

The route was on early, as Coaldale Christian raced out to an insurmountable 33-4 lead after only one quarter of play, thanks to a 13-point opening quarter from Noah VanderHeide, who finished with 30 points in the contest.

VanderHeide’s big first quarter was matched by Micah Visser’s 31-point effort, as Coaldale Christian’s offence overwhelmed Clear Water from the opening tip, all the way to the final buzzer. Asher Slomp added 25 points for Coaldale, as the three-headed monster of Slomp, VanderHeide and Visser were too much for the silver medalists, who were led by Joshua Njongwe, who scored a game-high 36.

No. 1 ranked Coaldale Christian earned a first-round bye in the tournament, and kicked off play Friday with a big 109-43 win over St. Mike’s in the quarterfinal.

Coaldale led 22-6 after one quarter and never looked back, as Visser scored 25 to lead the way and Slomp chipped in with 23. VanderHeide, James Mackay and Blake Bareman all had 13 points each, while Rylan Veldman had 10 points.

In the semifinals, Coaldale Christian earned another dominating win, this time in a 91-59 victory over No. 4 ranked Olds Koinonia.

Olds did keep things relatively close early, however, as Coaldale Christian led 27-19 after one quarter. A 29-point second quarter helped put the game on ice, however, as the home squad led 56-34 at the break.

Slomp’s 25 points paced the Coaldale Christian attack, while VanderHeide added 19. Veldman finished with 18 points.

The other No. 1 ranked team in provincials, the Kate Andrews High School senior boys, could not duplicate Coaldale Christian’s success. Kate Andrews fell in the 2A semifinals, 102-100, in an intense game against No. 4 St. Joseph Collegiate.

In the team’s first game of the tournament, Kate Andrews earned a 93-79 win over No. 9 ranked Grand Trunk.

The bronze medal game saw Kate Andrews fall 94-69 to No. 2 Webber Academy.

In the 2A girls provincial tournament, Kate Andrews kicked things off on a winning note with a 62-53 win over John Maland.

But the team’s championship dreams came to an end in the second round after an 86-33 loss to Glenmary.

In the consolation round, Kate Andrews then fell 78-56 to La Crete.