W.R. Myers Rebels varsity boys basketball team punched its ticket to 3A provincials thanks to its zone title over the weekend in Coaldale.
The Rebels opened its zone run with a 68-52 win over McCoy on Saturday.
“We came out of the gates on fire, hitting many shots and pushing the ball really nice. The energy was awesome and exactly what we needed to kick-off the zone tournament,” said Greg Bowes, head coach of the W.R. Myers Rebels varsity boys basketball team.
Rebels built an early 15-point lead in which Myers was able to carry the momentum into the second half, leading by approximately 20 points the rest of the game.
“Tom Johnson led the team in scoring with 26 points and all 11 guys hit the scoresheet which was nice to see,” said Bowes. “Our defensive pressure on their guards and dominating presence on the boards by Tom Anderson, Brody Jensen, and Ryan Hansen was a big difference in the game.”
It was a nail biter of a final as the Rebels won the slugfest 71-69 against Crescent Heights.
“The fans sure got their money's worth, it was a really exciting, fast-paced game,” said Bowes.
Once again, the Rebels started the game with a hot hand and had an early 10 point lead. But this time around, Myers cooled in the second quarter as Crescent Heights was able to pick apart the Rebels’ man-to-man defence and dominate the boards, forcing the Rebels into a 10-point half-time deficit.
“In the second half we played with a ton of heart and intensity and found a way to fight off the very big and aggressive posts down low,” said Bowes.
A late fourth-quarter surge was sparked by a few clutch three-pointers by Dennis Campbell and Nathan Bennett, and many big defensive rebounds by Tom Anderson.
“Crescent Heights didn't have an answer for our aggressive zone defence, but we had to fight to the final whistle and hung on to win by a bucket,” said Bowes.
W.R. Myers Rebels varsity boys basketball team is off to provincials this week in Spruce Grove. The Rebels go in as the number-five seed and will face the 12th-ranked Barrhead Composite School from Northern Alberta tomorrow.  
“This will be my first experience as a coach, having been twice as a player. I'm excited for the boys and looking forward to a great week,” said Bowes.