Local high school teams set to play at The Western Slam

By Lethbridge Herald on November 28, 2024.

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

The Western Slam NCAA men’s basketball tounrnement  in Lethbridge this week will have a local addition to it with some high school teams taking to the floor ahead of the main games at VisitLethbridge.com Arena.

“When we first got the bid right out of the gates, one of the things that we really wanted to make sure (of) is that this was a great community connection piece because this is such an incredible event for Lethbridge and area ,” said Todd Caughlin, a Western Slam organizer.

The participating teams are the boys and girls varsity teams from Magrath, Catholic Central High School, LCI and Raymond.

“We thought, well you know what let’s look at one of our local teams and one rural team to get in maybe some of (the) tradition pieces to it to kick things off,” said Caughlin.

Magrath plays CCH today followed by LCI versus Raymond on Saturday.

The girls games start at noon followed by the boys games at 2 p.m.

“The promoters and On Ice Entertainment were very supportive of us doing that,” said Caughlin.

“So we’re excited that we get a chance to do that and again we get to showcase southern Alberta high school basketball.”

LCI girls head coach Darren Miller is excited for the girls.

“To have a venue like that where they get to participate with some of the best athletes in the world and just kind of see what it’s all about and on the bigger stage, I’m really excited for the girls,” said Miller.

Miller was asked about what the VisitLethbridge.com Arena atmosphere will be like compared to a normal high school gymnasium.

“The sheer size and just the magnitude of the event,” said Miller.

“Anytime you kind of go to any (of) those venues and you have the kind of fan support that you see, it’s always memorable.”

Teams will stay after and watch the NCAA games.

Admission to the high school games is by donation and in turn will go to the Special Olympics.

The Western Slam started Thursday and runs through Saturday with teams from Kennesaw State, Towson, UC Irvine and Kent State playing in a tournament format against one another.

More information on schedules and tickets can be found at http://www.westernslam.ca.