Katrina Owens
Lakeside Leader

As promised, here’s an update about how the St. Francis Falcons did at provincials: didn’t come home with gold, but did come home with pride.
“After winning zones, the Falcons took the next step and headed to Calgary to take on the best of the best of the best in the senior boys 1A provincial basketball tournament,” says head coach Evan Mellsen. “This is uncharted territory for our town as no basketball team from Slave Lake has ever made it this far. After a tough loss to the home team in game one, the Falcons picked it up and won game two.”

Mellsen adds, “The tournament ended with a loss, but due to the poise of the Falcons, we finished the 10th best team in the entire province. The Falcons represented the town well and it was the town that got us to that point. So many peopled stepped up to support our team and make this tournament a reality for our young boys (11 of whom had never been to Calgary).”
According to Mellsen, during opening ceremonies, the Falcons were actually singled out as a huge success story.
“It was due to the fact that we never made it to provincials – it was good to see our area represented,” he says. “The Falcons were also nominated for the team sportsmanship award though there is no word yet on the winner.”
Players Justin Burdeos, John Whalen and Kyojin Sanje were all named players of the game during the competition.