ST. PAUL - With plenty of fans cheering from the stands, and a general feeling of normalcy, junior high basketball teams from across the St. Paul Athletics Association (SPAA) region took part in the 2022 championship tournament on March 4 and 5.
Plenty of baskets later, the finals for both the boys' and girls' side would see the Glen Avon School teams take on teams from Two Hills School in the finals.
While Two Hills doesn't always field junior high basketball teams, both the boys' and girls' teams proved they were capable of holding their own on the court.
On the other side, the girls' Glen Avon team battled to secure their third back-to-back SPAA banner, which they did. And the boys' team worked hard to earn their first Jr. SPAA banner in about a decade.
Not only did the Glen Avon boys grab the SPAA banner, but they also achieved a perfect season in 2022.
Coach Trent Rowley admits that the season felt "a little different," with many tournaments cancelled in January due to ongoing public health measures. But, as the season went on, those measures were loosened. Fans even returned to the stands, and Rowley says it was great to see parents watching their children play sports once again.
Sticking to just league games in January, Rowley says it didn't really feel as though the season started until there were spectators back in the gym. And while having parents, grandparents, siblings. and others in the gym may have caused some nervousness for players who weren't used to the extra eyes, the team was able to push through during the final game on March 5 and claim the SPAA banner.
Once the team settled in, they were able to achieve a convincing win, taking the game by a score of 57-26 after four quarters.
Rowley says he personally feels like he lucked out with a team that included a number of kids who were self motivated and continued to practice their skills during the pandemic.
Of course, there was a drop in skills noted across the division, as kids were away from being coached for an extended period of time. Last winter was the first basketball season Rowley was away from the court in about 13 or 14 years, he says, so returning to coach for the 2022 season was welcome.
“It was fun to get to see kids get to be kids."
Speaking about the competition during the final game, Rowley says he's hopeful Two Hills School can continue to field a basketball team in coming years.
"To see them both make the finals, that bodes well for them," he says, adding, it's beneficial to the SPAA league to have more teams playing.
Girls
On the girls' side, coach Robyn Randall, who is also a teacher at Glen Avon School and currently on maternity leave, was happy to return to the court for the 2022 basketball season, but it wasn't without its challenges.
"The season was a bit of a rocky road between not being able to play tournaments in January and many games being cancelled due to weather. We also had teams drop out, which was mostly COVID related," says Randall.
When February arrived, only one league game had been played and the league had to re-work the schedule to fit games in.
"We ended up finishing the season with games being made up until the night before the championship."
But when the SPAA finals came around in early March, the weekend competition went well.
The last time both the boys and girls won basketball banners together at Glen Avon School was in 2002.
"It was really nice to see the season actually be completed and have fans in the stands cheering on our kids," says Randall. While the girls' team also went undefeated this season, she says it was still an unusual season with few tournaments being held.
"With that being said, I had a strong group of girls and they improved a ton over the course of the season," says the coach. "It was amazing to be back playing again."
The final score for the girls' final was 67-15 score.
Randall says the season involved a lot of hard work and dedication from both players and coaches. With two young kids, Randall says her children often tag along for practices and games, and she has plenty of support from her family, which helps tackle her role as coach.
"And I wouldn't want it any other way."
The Jr. SPAA championship tournament is the highlight of the season for many athletes, since it signals the end of the junior high basketball season.
"At the end of the day, the SPAA banner is what you play for. It’s a big deal," says Rowley. “It’s something that you get to remember.”
