CWAJHAA CHAMPIONS!
On Friday, March 15, and Saturday, March 16, 2024, the Brownfield Junior High Girls Basketball team competed in the CWAJHAA championships at St. Matthew’s School in Rocky Mountain House, AB.
The team members included Gwen Richardson, Ella Younger, Hadley Faber, Raynah Richardson, Ava Webber, Callia Harris, Lexi Johnson, Elsie Webber, Kaci Richardson and Serena Richardson. The Brownfield team qualified for the tournament by finishing second at the CARA championship, losing by one basket to a strong Gus Wetter School team.
At CWAJHAA, the team played Rocky Mountain House Christian School on Friday night. The team implemented a full-court press and jumped out to an early lead. But Rocky Christian was resilient and pushed back hard in the second half, erasing Brownfield’s 20-point lead. Brownfield’s defense was strong and the team squeaked out a 49-46 win. On Saturday morning, Brownfield faced a speedy Clive team. Raynah Richardson starred in a defensive role and helped to slow down Clive’s most prolific scorer. The game was close through the first three quarters, but Brownfield pulled away in the fourth winning 57-35 and booking their spot in the gold medal game against Alix.
Alix's starting lineup featured grade 9 students and the team had a full bench to draw from. In the semi-finals, Alix beat a very strong Gus Wetter team handily, exhibiting incredible transition play, team defence and individual skill.
With ferocious defence and relentless pressure Brownfield led 8-4 after the first quarter. Each play was highly contested, as both teams brought a high level of intensity. It was truly a defensive battle! Brownfield led 12-10 at half-time. Ella Younger's tenacious play helped stifle Alix’s attack, but she fouled out early in the third quarter. Callia Harris stepped in and played great defence and contributed 4 big points in the fourth quarter. Hadley Faber, Ava Webber and Raynah Richardson worked hard on both ends of the court - boxing out with ferocity and creating space for each other with a strong pick-and-roll offence. Each of these grade 8 girls also contributed key baskets. At the end of the third quarter, Brownfield held a 25-20 lead. In the fourth, Gwen Richardson continued to spearhead Brownfield’s attack. Working off of screens from teammates, she attacked the rim, and when the Alix defence closed the door deftly found open teammates and hit open shots including two important 3's. Gwen’s scoring carried the team right through to the final buzzer. Securing a 38-26 victory!