The Stirling Lakers are proving this season to be strong in tournament play.
The Lakers were in Coalhurst over the weekend to compete in the annual Roger Vander Linden Memorial Tournament and came home with the tournament championship title.
The Stirling girls’ high school basketball squad faced off against the host team, the Coalhurst Crusaders, in the gym at Coalhurst High School Saturday evening in the championship final. The Lakers took the game 73-43 and Stirling’s Teirjah Nilsson was named a tournament all-star.
In Friday night’s opening round of the tournament the Lakers defeated Foremost 67-60 with Taylor Barr named Player of the Game for the Lakers.
The win put the Stirling team on the championship side of the tournament where the defeated Fort Macleod Saturday morning 67-59 to advance to the championship game. Kylie Mazutinec was named Player of the Game for the Lakers.
Stirling’s Taylor Barr was named Tournament MVP at the close of the two-day basketball competition.
The tournament is named in memory of Roger Vander Linden who died in 1997 and lived his entire life in Coalhurst. He was a teacher and vice-principal at the high school and the girls’ basketball coach from 1990 until his passing.
He was an active community member, volunteer fire chief, volleyball coach and spent countless hours developing the girls’ basketball program at Coalhurst High School.