ST. PAUL – The Glen Avon School's boys' and girls' basketball teams won their home junior high basketball tournaments held on Jan. 10 and 11.
Teams from across Lakeland and beyond, including Bonnyville, Cold Lake, Lloydminster, and Vermillion, came out to compete at the annual tournament.
On the boys' side, Glen Avon faced off against their local rivals Racette Jr. High in the finals.
The competition was fierce. Last year, Racette defeated Glen Avon to claim the Jr. High St. Paul Athletics Association (SPAA) banner in 2023, and also won the bronze medal against Glen Avon during the junior high basketball tournament in 2024.
But this year, Glen Avon prevailed and won the championship.
In the girls' category, Glen Avon defeated the St. Jerome’s Spartans from Vermillion in the finals.
Robyn Randall, coach for the girls' team, said the Spartans were "our toughest competition throughout the tournament," commending the visiting team for their performance.
The two teams were scoring back and forth for the first two quarters of the game, but it was Glen Avon who ultimately came out on top.
"They didn't ever give up . . . they just kept on fighting," says the coach, adding the team has drastically improved since the beginning of the basketball season.
Randall is also the athletic director for Glen Avon and among the organizers of the tournament. She thanked all the teams who drove to St. Paul to take part.
"Normally, it's all SPAA (St. Paul Athletic Association) teams that consistently play over and over again, so it's nice to see different competition come out," says Randall.
