Undefeated Giants are provincial hopefuls

Elmwood

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This article was published 09/02/2024 (925 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Elmwood High School’s varsity girls basketball team is making a giant name for itself this season.

At press time, the Giants squad was ranked second in the province among AAA schools, behind only the John Taylor Pipers. The team was also undefeated in eight games of Winnipeg Tier 2 division play, scoring an impressive +361 points over in the process. The Giants also won the Springfield Collegiate varsity girls tournament in January, defeating Calvin Christian School 93-15 and the Churchill Bulldogs 84-42 en route to beating Nelson McIntyre 54-35 in the final.

“Our biggest focus is on the defensive end,” said Zach Mendoza, who coaches the Giants with Vanessa Parisien. “We focused early on on a variety of coverages and defensive fundamentals, which has been really successful for us.”

“Our girls are very hard-working,” Parisien added. “They’re diligent. They come into games ready to execute.”

Led by Grade 12 captain Alexis Kemp, a six-foot combo-guard, along with Grade 11 co-captains Mikaela Ramsay and Solap Obasa, both point guards, the team is mostly made up of Grade 12 players, but there are four Grade 10s on the roster.

“They really bought into the program,” Mendoza said.

“That was our focus, letting them know that this isn’t a one-year thing. We’re trying to build a program here at Elmwood. They’ve bought in.”

Kemp, who plays club basketball with the Attack program, is described as a quiet leader with a high basketball IQ, but she isn’t shy about letting her teammates know where they ought to be on the court.

“It’s received well,” Parisien said. “The other athletes really respect her.”

Obasa and Ramsay, the Grade 11 leaders, bring intensity and experience to the court, and provide leadership to the younger Grade 10 players.

“Solap is very vocal, she brings the spirit up, a lot of positive energy,” Parisien said.

“Mikaela is very offence-oriented,” Mendoza said. “She’s very intense. She also plays club with Refresh.”

With only a few weeks remaining in the regular season, before playoffs and provincials, the Giants are keeping things in perspective.

“We take it game by game,” Parisien said. “Every game we try to reiterate that every game is a mission.”

“And potentially our last,” Mendoza added. “We take every game seriously. It’s always an opportunity to learn. We can’t settle for the way that we are. There’s always something to work on and get better at. We’re using these games as an opportunity to be a better version of ourselves for those bigger games.”

“Provincials is the end game,” Parisien noted.

“That’s the goal. We’re very proud of the girls and how they have been working all season. We’re proud of their achievements so far, regardless of the final outcome.”