Warriors take Horsemen in final showdown

The Plains Horsemen took one last step on the court for the finale of the Western C Class Basketball finals against Arlee in true Wild Horse Plains fashion.

The final showdown for the basketball championship came down to the Horsemen against Warriors and it was a game not to be missed.

Parents and locals travelled to Hamilton to support the Horsemen as they aimed to climb the ladder once again in the hopes of making it to the title round.

The boys took on Seeley-Swan last Thursday and dominated the court to take them one step further in the playoffs.

The next game came against Twin Bridges. Horsemen fans got on their feet as senior Jay Vonheeder dunked in style, helping secure a win.

The Horsemen topped the Flacons so they could once again go head to head with the Arlee Warriors, this season’s kryptonite for local team.

The finale saw captains from both teams line up for the coin toss, Arlee captains in traditional head dress while the Horsemen captains stood across at the ready looking for redemption.

Once the buzzer signaled the tip off, the Horsemen got into stride.

Though the scoreboard didn’t reflect the tenacity and play of the Plains team, by the end of the first quarter they were in a position to charge for a catch up.

Eight minutes into the second quarter the Warriors led the game 29-14. They would continue to lead the game with the final buzzer securing the win for Arlee 77-33.

“I felt that the boys played some great defense this past weekend against Seeley-Swan and Twin Bridges to get into the championship with Arlee,” said head coach Mike Cole.

“In the championship, we played well against their pressure at times; I felt we were a bit tired both physically and mentally, and wore down quicker than we have in the past when facing Arlee. Arlee is such a tough match up for us because they can score so quickly from the perimeter and in their transition. With that scoring ability it is hard for us to make up the runs they go on, they pride themselves in closing quarters with runs, and it has broken our back in these past two games when we faced them,” he continued.

“Anytime in the past three to four years when your team gets the opportunity to play Arlee, and Manhattan Christian (both top ranked teams in the state) in the postseason; your team is playing some good basketball. Playing in two postseason championship games is great achievement in such a tough conference and division,” he said of his teams ability.

However, the story will continue for the local team. Though they took the loss last Saturday night, they grabbed a shot for the redemption with the challenge game against Manhattan Christian in Phillipsberg.

“Hopefully, we can play one of are best games Monday when we go up against Manhattan Christian and have an opportunity to win over a top-two ranked team in the state. I am proud of the achievements of this team for not only winning at the rate they have, but the way we have won, All these kids have bought in to tough team defense, and good execution on offense,” were the thoughts of Cole as they prepared for the impending game.

Results of that game were not available at time of press.