Provincial champ Black hits hardcourt running

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This article was published 09/12/2024 (282 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kypling Black’s week couldn’t possibly finish as well as it started, but Saturday was still sweet.

The Vincent Massey Viking jumped and hugged her teammates on the Investors Group Athletic Centre court on Monday, celebrating the school’s first-ever AAAA provincial varsity girls’ volleyball title.

Six days later, she scored a game-high 15 points to lift the Vikings basketball team to a 53-50 victory over the host Crocus Plainsmen in the Early Bird tournament final.

Massey held tryouts on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by one practice Thursday before running the table with a win on Friday and two on Saturday.

“I think we worked very well together and we all communicated. I feel like we all get along very well so that helps a lot,” Black said.

“We stay pretty calm on the court, sometimes we rush it, but that’s going to happen. It makes all of us feel very happy and ready for the rest of the season because we came off with a win.”

Black wasn’t the only one with a quick turnaround, as Reece Cowan and Ashley Sullivan also had to trade their volleyball uniforms in for basketball jerseys.

Before the final, the multi-sport trio reflected on their magical Monday.

“Me, Reece and Ashley were just talking about this today. We are just striving to go to another final,” Black said. “How much fun it was and is a great experience for high school sports, we want to let all the other girls experience this.

“With enough effort put in, I think we have a good group of girls here and can come out with something.”

While the Vikings lag behind Winnipeg schools development-wise, since their players typically hit the hardcourt much younger than the average hooper in Westman, they’ll seldom be the smaller team on the floor.

With Nicole Nnamani defending the paint and Black and Jessie Sumner standing around six-foot on the perimeter, they will be tough to match up against.

“It’s a really, really big advantage. It’s easier to get it into the post and it’s easier for all the guards to trust the posts,” Black said. “Having the size advantage, it makes us a lot more confident as a team.”

The versatile senior led Massey’s transition offence all weekend, facilitated in the half-court and hit shots teammates created for her. Black was relentless on the glass and the defensive end, whether she was asked to defend under the hoop or 20 feet away.

“I’m comfortable playing whatever but don’t feel the need to play everything because I do trust all my teammates,” Black said. “I’m just taking myself wherever I feel is necessary at the time and I feel it worked pretty well (Saturday).”

Both teams breezed through their first two games but knew the final would be close.

They defended tough through the opening 10 minutes as the Vikings pulled ahead 14-9. Black got rolling with seven points early in the second quarter, but the Plainsmen found their touch from three-point land as Rebecca Alebiosu and Jordyn Rowan knocked them down.

The Plainsmen trailed by a few scores through the second and most of the third, until Alebiosu hit a tough layup, then two free throws to tie it 38-38. But right before the quarter ended, Reece Cowan caught a deep pass, turned and fired to an open Black under the basket to retake the lead 40-38.

The Vikings went up five midway through the fourth, and Alebiosu responded again to draw her team close.

The last few minutes were riveting, as Abi Cadegan-Syms picked off a pass in full-court pressure and scored to put Crocus ahead, only for Ashley Sullivan to respond with a putback bucket on the other end.

Saphiya DeVlieger knocked down a clutch jumper for Massey to go up three, and then Kate Hiebert banked in a well-contested shot to cut the deficit to one again.

With 13 seconds left, Cowan was fouled and drilled two big free throws. The Plainsmen couldn’t quite get the look they needed to force overtime.

“I’m extremely proud of Reece. She has not had a lot of practice … She definitely showed up today and came in whenever we needed a sub and didn’t disappoint on the court,” Black said.

“She did everything she could, she left her blood and sweat out there. Everything she did was very good and I’m so proud of her.”

Sumner and Alebiosu posted 13 points apiece in the final. Alebiosu and Grace Mohr-Clark were named tournament all-stars while Sumner received the MVP award.

In the third-place game, all-star Ivy Perkin posted 24 points to lead the Souris Sabres past the Dauphin Clippers 73-35. Dauphin’s Carr claimed the other all-star nod with 15 points.

The Plainsmen girls are off to Winnipeg’s Pembina Trails Classic this weekend, while the Wheat City is home to the 32-team Brandon Sun Spartan Invitational. It’s the 21st edition of the event the Sun and Neelin Spartans started as the big kickoff of Manitoba’s varsity boys’ hoops season.

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