Buzzer beater: Saskatoon high school hoops finals cancelled, then reinstated at last moment

Author of the article:

Dave Deibert • Saskatoon StarPhoenix

Published Mar 13, 2024 • Last updated 6 hours ago • 4 minute read

Walter Murray Marauders’ Faisal Mahadh and Holy Cross Crusaders’ Jack Gray battle in the BRIT 54 championship final. The two teams are set to meet against in the 2023-24 Saskatoon high school basketball league city final. Photo by Michelle Berg /Saskatoon StarPhoenix

If the drama on the hardwood this Friday can match 24 hours of suspense off the court this week leading up to the Saskatoon high school senior basketball city finals, fans will be treated to an all-time classic.

Just as planned, the senior girls final will tip off at 6 p.m., followed by the boys at 8 p.m. But how the teams arrived there, with the contract dispute between the teachers’ union and the province as a backdrop? Far from routine and far from planned.

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EXTRA CURRICULARS PULLED

The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) last week announced extra curricular activities were cancelled province-wide from March 11-13, as part of its latest job action.

“As per STF directive, schools must not reschedule extracurricular activities to a different day,” Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association said this week.

COACHES INFORMED

In Saskatoon, the senior basketball premiere division — featuring the top programs in the city — had been set to play boys and girls semifinals on March 13 and city finals on March 15. The championship division — featuring the city’s smaller programs — had semifinals set for March 11 and finals on March 13.

On Monday, coaches were contacted by the Saskatoon Secondary Sports Athletic Directorate and informed that city playoffs were, instead, over.

There was no consensus — but plenty of concern — over how that would affect Hoopla, the provincial championships, from March 21-23 in Moose Jaw. In the 5A division this year, the boys and girls Saskatoon city finalists receive berths. With no semifinals to determine city finalists, that meant the No. 1-ranked Walter Murray girls, No. 2 Holy Cross, No. 3 Centennial and No. 4 St. Joseph were in limbo. Same for the boys: No. 1 Murray, No. 2 Cross, No. 3 Bethlehem and No. 5 St. Joseph.

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Without semifinals or finals to play, Saskatoon teams were left wondering if they could even go to Hoopla. The idea of league coaches submitting their own rankings to determine the top two teams was thrown out there. So was using regular-season standings to determine the Hoopla entrants. Some coaches didn’t think that was fair. Anything can happen when a game is played, they said.

After originally being called off due to STF job action, the Saskatoon high school senior boys and girls basketball city finals are going to be played as scheduled on March 15 Photo by Michelle Berg /Saskatoon StarPhoenix

HISTORY, LONG- AND SHORT-TERM

Dating back to 1932 for the boys, and 1952 for the girls, the senior basketball city championships had been awarded every year until 2020, when the STF (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic) pulled teachers out of extra curricular activities — resulting in the cancellation of city finals, regional playoffs for smaller communities and Hoopla.

CHAOTIC TUESDAY

Though never publicly announced, word spread on Monday and into Tuesday morning that city finals were off. Parents and players, fans and family emailed and phoned administration, officials and representatives with SSSAD, Saskatoon Public Schools and Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools, the STF, SHSAA and the provincial government, pleading for a change of heart.

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Courtney Morin, whose son is one of the top seniors in the province, was shattered. She says events like the city final hold “immense importance” not only for the teams but also in fostering school spirit, camaraderie and growth.

Saskatoon Public Schools and Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools superintendents and officials on Tuesday also heard directly from coaches and school administrators, urging them to allow playoffs in some form to continue.

As the day progressed, conversations at the highest levels that appeared to be over 24 hours earlier took on a new life.

CITY FINAL ‘REINSTATED’

By mid-afternoon on Tuesday, a joint email from Saskatoon Public Schools, Saskatoon Catholic Schools and SSSAD arrived in the inboxes of principals and athletic directors.

It was sent “to inform you that after further discussions, the city final championship for the (premiere) basketball league will be reinstated and held on Friday, March 15 as originally scheduled.”

Hours later, SSSAD in a news release said that although semifinals were not played due to STF sanctions, “senior administration from both school divisions and the SSSAD have agreed that the top two seeded teams after league play will compete in the city championship.”

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SSSAD athletics consultant Jud Heilman in a statement acknowledged the third- and fourth-place teams and recognized “how difficult it is for these athletes to not have the opportunity to compete in a semifinal as originally planned”

PANDEMIC EFFECTS STILL LOOM

Morin noted there are around 20 seniors on the four teams set to play on Friday — and that the Class of 2024 has had just one normal year of schooling since they were in Grade 7.

In their Grade 8 year, they finished isolated at home for three months due to the pandemic. In Grade 9 (the 2020-21 school year), there were no sports or extra curriculars. Their Grade 10 year was modified. Last school year in 2022-23, they finally had a sense of normalcy. This week, for a moment, it looked like the biggest game of their senior year had vanished.

Said Morin: “They have already been deprived of enough.”

The finals on Friday, she said, is a showcase for their efforts and the “culmination of months of dedication, hard work, and perseverance for these young athletes.”

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