In a hard fought game with high intensity, the Jr. Dinos lost to the Wildabeasts in Airdrie Elite East Spring League action 69-57. Both teams played with high emotion and desire, and there were many a time during the game when bodies were sprawled across the hard wood diving for loose balls. However, at the end of the game, it was the Jr. Dinos inability to shoot the ball, and turnovers that were the difference in the game.

The Wildabeasts featured Dominyc Coward, the U of C Dinos #1 recruit for the 2008-2009 season out of Bert Church in Airdrie, Dallon Martin (Lethbridge Community College) and Zack McKee (Grant MacEwan) also both out of Bert Church, as well as Gabe Goree and Ibrahim Mohammed, both graduates of St. Mary’s University in Halifax. Gabe was a two time conference player of the year and 2 time first team All-Canadian while at SMU.

The Jr. Dinos seemed a little out of sync from the beginning of the game, and put themselves in an early hole that they were unable to climb their way out of. The team shot a terrible 8-40 from the floor in the first half, and combined that with 14 turnovers. The half time score was 32-20. A tied 37-37 second half shows the ability of the squad, but their slow start was an obstacle they could not overcome. Add that to the inside presence of Coward, Mohammed and Goree, and the Jr. Dinos could not cut the lead to fewer than 4 in the second half.

The Jr. Dinos were unable to make the consistent right decisions leading to the obsurdbly high number of turnovers. It was too much to overcome in the long haul. Kudos to Ryan Baker, Sean McCormick and Dallin Bachynski who battled against the much bigger opponent all night.

The Jr. Dinos will take the floor again next Tuesday against another Calgary Club team, the Red Jackets. Game time is 8:30 pm at Bert Church.

The Jr. Dinos started off their Spring League schedule once again at Bert Church in Airdrie in the Elite East League. After only 3 practices, the Dinos played the Falcons, a collection of former Foothills Composite Falcons High School players. Playing hard and determined, the Dinos used a run with just over 10 minutes to play to propel them to a 80-61 victory.

The Jr. Dinos were led by 2nd year U-17 starter and team co-Captain Sean McCormick of the 3A Provincial Champion Chestermere High School. Sean led the Dinos with 24 points including 3 three pointers and a foray of takes to the rim. Sean also contributed 7 rebounds to the cause. The other double digit scorer was 2nd year U-17 player Ryan Baker of Sir Winston Churchill with 10. The even scoring also saw Eric Bakker, Brett Pekar, and Kyle Wilson with 9 points a piece, while Brett Palmer did a great job of controlling the tempo in the Dinos transition and 1/2 court game. Dallin Bachynski was a monster on the glass ripping down 13 rebounds.

The Jr. Dinos next game is next Thursday April 24 against the Wildabeasts, a team featuring current Dinos recruit and Jr. Dino graduate Dominyc Coward, and a host of former Bert Church Chargers.

4 - Jordan Prince - 5′8″ PG, Bert Church, Airdrie
5 - Brett Palmer - 5′7″ PG, Sir Winston Churchill, Calgary
6 - Kevin Davies - 5′9″ PG, EP Scarlett, Calgary
7 - Jordan Stevens - 6′0″ G, Centennial, Calgary
8 - Kyle Wilson - 6′6″ G, Chestermere High School, Chestermere
9 - Brett Pekar - 6′5″ G, St. Mary’s, Calgary
10 - Johnny Wenzel - 6′5″ F, Bert Church, Airdrie
11 - Eric Bakker - 6′4″ G/F, Centennial, Calgary
12 - Sean McCormick - 6′5″ F, Chestermere High School, Chestermere
13 - Trevor Debolt - 6′3″ G, Sir Winston Churchill, Calgary
14 - Ryan Baker - 6′5″ F, Sir Winston Churchill, Calgary
15 - Dallin Bachynski - 6′9″ F, Sir Winston Churchill, Calgary

Coach - Matt Skinn (4th year), U of C Dinos
Coach - Craig Anderson (1st year), U of C Dinos