High school athletics in full swing

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This article was published 19/02/2024 (518 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Gyms and arenas across the province are buzzing, as the high school athletics schedule picks up.

In curling action, while both Zone 13 teams were able to advance to the quarterfinals at provincials, neither could make it beyond that.

The Steinbach Regional Secondary School Sabres team skipped by Noah Giesbrecht finished second in their pool, even defeating the eventual champion Beliveau Barracudas, but were felled by Portage in the quarterfinals.

All four players on the team are eligible to return next season.

In the girls event, a Gabrielle-Roy team skipped by grade 12 student Lauren Evason managed to finish first in their pool, but lost out to eventual champion St Mary’s in the quarterfinals.

In the top tier of varsity basketball, the Sabres have been hit and miss. The boys team sits seventh in the nine-team standings, with a 2-5 record. The girls team has had a much stronger season, finishing with an 8-3 record. They currently sit third in the standings.

The Zone 13 playoffs are underway, with action on Wednesday night after press time. Niverville appears to have a strong boys varsity team, taking fifth place in the province in the Manitoba High School Athletic Association’s most recent AAA power rankings. They play Steinbach Christian in the playoffs, with Lorette and Ste Anne facing off as well.

In AA action Gabrielle-Roy will play Green Valley. Les Roys put together a tournament win last weekend, taking home the Centurions Classic, defeating hosts St Boniface in the final 88-58. Les Roys are the top-ranked varsity boys AA team in the province.

On the girls side, even as the standings are mixed up, playoff match-ups are identical, as Ste Anne and Lorette will play in one semi-final, with Niverville and Steinbach Christian in the other.

The puck drops on lower division hockey playoffs this week as well. The Gabrielle-Roy/Pointe des Chenes co-op team finished the season as the top team in the Winnipeg Free Press division of the Winnipeg High School Hockey League (WHSHL), which is the second division. The Cavaliers and the fourth-seed Springfield Sabres are awaiting the results in the qualification round, which is already underway.

In the Price Division (tier three), the Lorette Scorpions finished fifth, and are awaiting their playoff match-up as well.

In Zone 4 action, the playoffs are underway, with the fifth-seeded Morris Mavericks taking game one from the Morden Thunder in the quarterfinals. Game two finished after press time, with game three if neccessary Feb. 17 in Morden.

The regular season will finish this week in the Manitoba Women’s High School Hockey League.