The Sturgeon Spirits senior women's basketball team capped off their season with a championship.
On Saturday (Mar. 4) the team played in a razor-thin final against the Bev Facey Falcons.
It was a tight game that saw each team trade leads all the way up until the fourth quarter, where the Spirits were able to open up a 10-point lead of their own.
The Spirits powered themselves to a 67-59 championship victory.
Avery B. (#5) led the way for the Spirits, scoring 21 points, while Sadie S. (#3) picked up 12 points.
"We went from, last year, being second-last in [division two] and we brought back a bunch of players," said Tim Spenrath, the Sturgeon head coach. "The girls worked so hard, their commitment to practice, the grind of basketball...I greatly appreciated it."
"All that hard work has made us champions."
Spenrath says the girls were able to pick from past experiences to keep their composure in the championship game.
"We've been in five finals this year and we won four of them," said Spenrath. "We have lots of experience in these types of situations which makes it so we understand the consequences and the value of competing in these situations."
"We executed at the end of the game."
Sturgeon topped Archbishop MacDonald and Parkland Immanuel in the playoffs.
While the team will enjoy their hard-earned victory, they will have to get back into gear quickly. The Spirits open up their provincials with their first zone playdown on Monday.
"We are ranked number two in the province and number one in the Edmonton zone, and now we have to go prove that once again."
Bev Facey took home the silver medal.