Playoff basketball is in the air for all three Cochrane High Schools. The Rocky View Sports Association (RVSA) post season starts on Feb. 27, while the Calgary Senior High School Athletic Association (CSHSAA) which includes both St. Timothy Thunder teams and their playoffs will begin on March 4.
The Cochrane High Cobras senior girls team finished the season on a hot streak. The Cobras won their final three league games as well as a tournament in Arizona during the Christmas break that has helped roll them into second place with a 5-1 record, just one win back of the undefeated Chestermere Cowboys.
Head Coach Randy Peron said he believes his team is where they should be heading into their Feb. 27 contest against their cross-town rivals Bow Valley, who finished 1-5 on the season but are capable of putting a scare into anyone.
“Chestermere certainly had the jump on us at the beginning because they were a more established team, with us being younger and trying to establish ourselves … and really trying to find our identity. When we played them, we had a lot of unknowns and a lot of question marks,” Peron said.
“We feel like we can now compete with Chestermere and play a competitive game. With that being said, we still have a few games to take care of before we get to that point. Bow Valley is a cross-town rival, so they’re going to come out energized. Both team’s know each other, they’re friends off the court so it’s going to be a competitive game.”
“We want to play Cobra basketball, run and gun and pressure defence. See how they react when we play the way we’re capable of.”
The senior Cobra boys finished atop of their league with a 4-1 record, the sole loss coming at the hands of the Bert Church Chargers 74-68 in their final league game on Feb. 14. Cochrane has outscored their opponents 439-312 over the course of the regular season and will have a bye into the second round of the playoffs. Cochrane High will play the winner of fifth place Chestermere and forth place W.H. Croxford Cavaliers on a date yet to be determined.
Both the junior boy’s and girl’s Cobra teams finished their seasons undefeated, going 6-0. Both Cobra teams will have byes into the semifinals on March 2, with the boys playing either W.H. Croxford or the George McDougall Mustangs. The girls will take on either George McDougal or Springbank in their semifinal game.
The St. Timothy Thunder senior boys squad has been improving with each and every game, but have only found the win column once through 10 attempts so far this season. They have one more regular season game on Feb. 22 against St. Martin de Porres, which will decide who gets the eighth and final playoff spot.
The Thunder senior girls are a little better off, as they sit tied for first place with a 6-2 record on the season. The girls have won some tight contests as they’ve outscored their opponents 398-360 on the season. The Thunder have two games remaining against the 5-2 Henry Wise Wood Warriors on Feb. 22 and the 1-7 James Fowler Falcons on Feb. 26.
