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St. Augustine Kings and Queens working to get a win

The St. Augustine Kings and Queens battled it out against St. Dominic’s’ Huskies Wednesday, Feb. 18
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St. Augustine Kings’ Ryndale Camat takes a layup under pressure Wednesday

The St. Augustine Kings and Queens battled it out against St. Dominic’s’ Huskies Wednesday, Feb. 18 with both teams unable to get their first win of the season.

Although the female Huskies defeated the Queens 56-28, there were some strong moments for the Ponoka girls who managed to hold their opponents from making any real headway in the second quarter.

Not only did they face a stronger and faster team, but the Huskies were also more experienced on the court and yet the Queens were able to drop the deficit to a few baskets in the second quarter.

“They finally found their confidence. The girls can work quite effectively, not only in their press, but on their offense when they think they can. We were within four points of them in the second quarter,” explained coach Katherine Bergum York.

She said the Queens struggled to regain some of that momentum after the break in the first half, which has been their biggest enemy. “We lost the game in the 3rd quarter, this is when our energy was totally gone. They tried to bring it back in the 4th, but by that time, it was too late to make a difference.”

The girls’ sudden stops halfway to the key became a predictable tactic and the Huskies started to dominate defensively. At times they were able to snatch the ball clean out of the Queens’ hands.

Kings can’t match Huskies’ height

Many of the boys on the Huskies team were taller than players on the home team, which ended up being a big problem for the Kings who lost 64-42.

At one point in the third quarter, the strong Kings’ defense held the Huskies from scoring in at least eight tries in a row, but because of their height, St. Dominic’s players were able to easily rebound the ball.

On more than one occasion, the Kings were unable to grab the rebound in their own key and eventually, the Huskies would score.

“It’s hard to a compete with a small team and a big team like that,” said Kings’ coach Adam Bowie.

He said the players are working on pushing the ball down the court and using their strength to keep control of the ball. He teaches the players to keep the ball out of the middle of the key if possible when facing taller players.

“We have to work that much harder when they’ve got inches on us,” said Bowie.

He said the biggest challenge for the team is not seeing any wins this season, but he focuses on the technical skills as players improve in areas such as their offensive plays and their zone defense.