The Central Plains U16 Girls Basketball team is finding success this spring season, holding their own in tournaments against some of Manitoba’s toughest competition.
Head Coach Dave McLeod shares the team’s progress and highlights from recent events.
Local talent driving strong results
The group includes 13 players, with eight in Grade 9 and five in Grade 10.
Most are playing slightly above their age group, competing against older teams throughout the season. McLeod says many of them have been playing together for years, which has helped their performance and chemistry.
“I've been watching some of these girls play basketball since Grade 7. I brought some of the group together last spring and we played in U14 and then this year I decided to pick up the Grade 10s so that jumped us up to U16,” he says. “I've been working with most of these girls probably off and on for the last two years.”
Challenging tournaments push the team
Their tournament run began at the end of April in Winnipeg, where they were mistakenly placed in the U18 division.
“We actually ended up doing pretty well. We won one game and had two close games at that tournament,” mentions McLeod.
In the Manitoba Club Championships, the girls faced some of the top U16 teams in the province.
“We got put in the toughest pool with two of the better U16 girls teams in Manitoba,” he continues. “We went zero and two in pool play but had a couple of really close games and then we won our last game of that tournament.”
Most recently, the team competed in a tournament in Brandon and made it all the way to the championship final.
“We went one and one in that pool and ended up in the championship final against the team that we lost earlier in the tournament by 27 and we lost in the final by 6,” he adds.
Team chemistry and work ethic shine
McLeod believes the team’s success comes from a combination of familiarity, focus, and a strong work ethic.
“They get along well. They really play well together,” he says. “They show up to practice. They work hard, they're all very intelligent. They learn the game pretty quick.”
He also credits the team’s depth as a key strength.
“All 13 girls are contributors on the team and that's what makes us great is that we just have so much depth and I can pretty much throw any 5 girls out there at any time and I know that they're going to play well,” remarks McLeod.
Eyeing nationals
The club isn’t done yet. They’re set to compete in the Central Canadian Championship on Father’s Day weekend—a tournament that could earn them a spot at nationals.
“You have to win that one,” notes McLeod. “But I would say right now, there's probably 15 to 20 U16 club teams in our division and we're probably in the top five now. We've kind of slowly climbed up the ladder.”
Though the spring tournament season is separate from high school play, the overlap in athletes means this team could form the foundation of future success at PCI.
“A good chunk of them will play for me at the varsity level next year,” he says. “A few of them will still be down in junior varsity, and then two years from now this will be pretty close to my varsity team.”
With one big tournament to go, the Central Plains U16 girls are looking to cap off an already strong season by making an even bigger statement on the provincial stage.