Teams traveled from as far away as Fort McMurray but ultimately it was the local stars that stole the show at the second annual Cochrane Classic.

The Cochrane High Cobras varsity and junior varsity boys teams took first place in their respective divisions at the 32-team tournament held Jan. 7-10 at venues around Cochrane.

In the varsity boys final, the Cobras went down early to the John Diefenbaker Chiefs but slowly chipped away and pulled within three at the half. In the second half, the Cobras turned to impact Grade 12 player Keelan Mantei to lead the way. Mantei led the team in rebounds and minutes played as Cochrane High stormed to a 63-56 win.

After the game, Mantei said the key down the stretch was maintaining ball control as the Chiefs attempted to narrow the deficit in the dying minutes.

“We just tried to slow things up, don’t cause any turnovers and take care of the ball really,” he said.

Mantei wasn’t the only Cobra to step up in the championship game, as Grade 11 post player Josh Perreault — named a starter just prior to the game — drained 12 points and dominated in the paint for much of the game. The Cobras also got huge contributions from bench players Marc Nzojibwami, Scott Moortgat and Ben Lawrence. Nzojibwami, specifically, tallied 15 points in the second half to help the hosts surge ahead. In all, nine of the 12 players on the Cobras team found their way onto the scoresheet.

Cochrane High guard Ben Lawrence races past a John Diefenbaker defender as his team won 63-56 to place first at the Cochrane Classic. Photo by Patrick Price

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Lawrence, who handled the ball at point guard for much of the second half, said the energy from the hometown fans helped fire him up.
“I’m like the Energizer Bunny if you will,” he said. “We started off a little bit slow but really pushed the ball and got it done.”

This wasn’t the first meeting between the Cobras and Chiefs, as the teams also faced off at Calgary’s Higher Hoops Tournament in December with Cochrane High also winning that affair by a 66-58 margin.

To make the final, the varsity Cobras also rolled over Olds 89-37 and edged J. Percy Page from Edmonton 85-77.

Elsewhere, the Cochrane High junior varsity boys finished off an outclassed Canmore team in the championship game by a score of 78-51 to join their senior peers atop the tournament ladder. The junior Cobras were dominant all weekend, also beating Calgary teams from Lord Beaverbrook and John Diefenbaker by more than 30 points.

“We just played really well defensively. I think that was our best thing, and then the offence came from our defence, which is how we play” said Cobras guard Kellen Forrest.

Cobra girls also boast bite

Not to be shown up by their male classmates, the Cobras girls teams also performed well in their respective divisions. The senior girls suffered a heartbreaking loss in the semifinals to Central Memorial before rebounding in the third-place game to top John Diefenbaker 54-45. Meanwhile, the junior girls fought their way into the championship game before falling to John Diefenbaker 50-45.

The junior Cobras dealt with foul trouble early in the second half of the final and were forced to sit two key players for the entire third quarter.

“If we had those players that might have been the difference,” said Doug Jensen, junior varsity head coach and Cochrane High co-ordinator of the tournament. “That’s basketball though, sometimes you run into those bumps in the road along the way.”

Bobcats bounced early

The Bow Valley High Bobcats also entered all four of their basketball teams into the Classic; however, none earned a spot in a championship game.

Both varsity Bobcat teams opened the tournament with losses and were forced to play in the consolation portion of the bracket. The boys  team finished sixth and the girls were seventh.

The junior varsity girls were the top team from Bow Valley over the weekend, finishing fourth. The Bow Valley junior varsity boys lost all three of their games by considerable margins and wound up eighth.

Classic a success

Cochrane High’s Jensen said this year’s Cochrane Classic — a joint venture between Cochrane and Bow Valley — went off without a hitch, no easy feat given that the tournament doubled in size over last year. The Cochrane Classic made its debut last year with a 16-team field, replacing the previous Cobra Classic tournament.

“I couldn’t be happier,” Jensen said. “We have had so many volunteers help out and step up to the plate.”

Jensen pointed to the teams visiting from Fort McMurray as evidence that the annual tournament is gaining exposure.

“Hopefully the word gets out and we can expand into Western Canada in the years to come,” Jensen said. “Those are lofty ambitions but we like to think big.”

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