Comets go into Sugar Bowl with optimism

By Lethbridge Herald on December 22, 2023.

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

Talented boys high school basketball teams will convene at Raymond High School for the 56th annual Sugar Bowl for two days on Boxing Day and Dec. 27.

Comets  head coach Brett Ralph said there is a certain level of excitement that goes into playing in a Sugar Bowl.

“We fortunately have played fairly good for kind of I don’t know, I guess starting a season late and so we’re carrying I don’t want to say a lot of momentum but a little bit of momentum going into (the) Sugar Bowl,” said Ralph.

“ I think the expectation is to have a chance to win it and I think all the kids know that if they put forth a good effort that they’re going to have a chance to compete at the end of the tournament.”

The Comets have a more experienced team going into the tournament just due to having a couple of years of varsity play under their belt.

“So I don’t think that the bright lights will necessarily be a shock to them,” said Ralph.

“I think they’ve been in pressure situations and they really have been in those situations in a lot of different sports. So they just came off (a) football season that was competitive and played in some big games there and now obviously we’re on a different surface and we’re playing a different sport. But I think there (are) kids that thrive in that situation and like to be playing in games that are meaningful and a little bit more high pressure.”

Harry Ainlay, Strathcona, Foothills, Cochrane, Medicine Hat, Cardston and Magrath high schools will be joining the  Comets in the tournament.

“I expect there to be some competitive games on day one and then I think the semi-finals will set up to be competitive and I think it’ll generate a really good championship game on the Wednesday night,” said Ralph.

Ralph says the tournament is up for grabs.

“I think there’s multiple teams that are coming in expecting to win, which is what we want,” said Ralph.

The Sugar Bowl draw and results are on the Raymond High School website’s main page at http://www.rhs.westwind.ab.ca.