PICS had another great basketball season where once again we were able to run a total of 7 different teams. Despite only having one gym, our coaches were very accommodating and this year we were able to host both senior high and junior high basketball games. It was great to have had so many fans cheering our teams on! Each coach has left behind a small recap and message to their team:

Junior High B Boys:

This year I coached the grade 7/8 boys’ team or Junior high “B” team. This was a first for me as I had coached every other boys’ team to this point. As an assistant coach I had Ian Jagersma helping me along. We had a very fun season full of growth and enthusiasm. We were a very young “B” team as 11 of our 13 boys were in grade 7, but we had two grade 8 boys as well who took on a leadership role and did an awesome job in that role. Given our inexperience, wins were hard to come by. One of the things that I was most impressed with was that these boys always made games and practices fun. They were always enthusiastic, thankful and they understood that winning is only a miniscule part of why we play sports. First and foremost, these guys approached every event as a chance to glorify God both through their God given abilities but especially through their character. We weren’t able to make the playoffs in our league, but there was an enormous amount of growth and I think everyone had an awesome experience this year!

Tyler Hoeksema

Junior High B Girls:

What a privilege it has been to coach this year’s Junior Girls BB basketball team. With a lot of fresh talent and new players, I was met with a group of girls who were eager to learn, work hard, and exemplify Christ. A couple of tournaments gave these girls the opportunity to develop their fundamental skills and endurance while the league games taught them resilience, in spite of calls not always going our way :) With several one-point games to wrap up the league, I can confidently say these girls rose to the challenge and worked hard to the very end. They displayed a Christian attitude even in the intense third place victory.

These girls treated everyone on and off the court with respect and they reassured and encouraged one another throughout the season. Every player on this team modelled Christ in their work ethic, character, and speech, and I look forward to seeing their growth in Him throughout the rest of the year and upcoming seasons.

Rachel Aasman

Junior High A Girls:

The Junior A girls have had a very successful season. Coaching these girls has been such a joy. They are eager to learn, they hustle hard, and they represent our school in such a positive way. We have received a lot of positive feedback from both refs, as well as other coaches. The girls battled hard in their tournaments, only losing one game. They have come up against Div 1 and Div 2 teams and have successfully come away with 2 golds as well as a bronze. They are undefeated in their league, and they ended the season with a first place win for tier 2 premier basketball! It has been a wonderful season, and I am so proud of the growth of this team throughout this season.

Lindsay DeGraaf

Junior High A Boys:

The Junior High boys had another successful and exciting basketball season. Despite being in a tough division the boys battled hard every game. They participated in three competitive tournaments throughout the season, resulting in a couple wins for PICS. This season came with great improvements. The team learned how to box out against opponents much taller than them and grew into an impressive defense. Offensively, the team learned the importance of moving the ball, getting open and setting screens. These improvements were not only noticed by the team coaches and parents, but also by opposing coaches who we played in the beginning and end of the basketball season. We ended the season with a fun competitive practice that ended with a player hitting a half court shot on his first attempt.

 Craig DeHaas

Junior Varsity Boys:

The Junior Varsity Boys Basketball team had a very fun season. Although we didn't play in a league, we managed to play 14 games through exhibition and tournament play. Highlights would include playing in tournaments in Airdrie and Wetaskiwin. The boys showed growth throughout the season, and ended up winning around half the games, but worked hard in all of them. What a great season, boys!

                        John Jagersma

Senior High Girls:

The PICS senior girls basketball team had an enjoyable, challenging, and very competitive basketball season. 

Playing in division 3 in the Edmonton metro league, we had a very enjoyable, challenging, and at times frustrating season.  We played a very competitive league season, challenging most teams within our division, losing a few very close games.   

The highlights of our season included a nice win early in the season against Regina Christian at Elevate, two wins out of four games at our Rundle College tournament in Calgary, a solid quarterfinal win against a 3A school in our RF staples tournament in Westlock and finishing off our season with a very good showing at our zone qualifying tournament.   

A great win in the zone semi finals against Millwoods Christian put us in a position to challenge Edmonton Christian for the zone championship and a spot in the provincial tournament.   Our team put in the effort that they have given all season, challenging and playing so hard against Edmonton Christian all the way till the final buzzer. We came up short, placing second in the Edmonton zone just missing out on a spot at the provincial tournament. 

From the start of the season till the final game, our team has shown so much improvement, and the effort given has never been questioned.   

A special thank you and recognition for our three graduating grade 12 students. Thank you, Riana De Jong, Deandra Dewitt, and Skylar Frost, for the effort and contributions to the girl’s basketball program at PICS.

Senior Boys Basketball:

The PICS Penguins Senior Boys team had a very successful first ever 2A season, competing in Division 3 of Edmonton Metro League against primarily 3A and 4A schools.  The Penguins finished the season with an overall record of 17-10, and maintained a 3rd place ranking by the ASAA in both ranking periods.

In league play the Penguins were 6 and 5, finishing the season strong by going undefeated in league play for the month of February.  They upset higher seed Bellrose (4A) in the first round of the playoffs before losing to undefeated top seed Memorial (4A) in the semi-finals.

The Penguins achieved a silver medal and two Consolation championships in tournament play.  In the season opening Elevate tournament the co-host Penguins lost to a very strong Regina Christian team to open the tournament and then went undefeated to take the consolation championship.  They took silver in the Clash of the Titans tournament in Coaldale, defeating Livingstone and 4th ranked Kate Andrews, before losing a barnburner to host Coaldale Christian.  Finally in February, the Penguins participated for the first time in the ME LaZerte Thom Elniski Invitational, against Metro Division 2 opponents, and did very well; losing in a close match to host and eventual tournament champs ME LaZerte and then defeating Archbishop Jordan (4A) and Queen Elizabeth (4A) for the consolation championship.

The Penguins competed in their first ever 2A zones tournament to obtain their Provincials berth with convincing wins against Edmonton Islamic and Maurice Lavallee, the 9th ranked 2A team in the province.

Other notable games this season included a double OT loss to undefeated Memorial high (4A) and victories over Ardrossan (3A), St. Joes (4A), Eastglen (4A) and Oscar Romero (4A).

Provincials this year was hosted here in Edmonton by Millwoods Christian. Our boys made it all the way to the gold medal game where they fought hard against Webber Academy. They ended up taking silver home, an incredible achievement at PICS’s first ever 2A provincials!

A special thank you and recognition for our three graduating grade 12 students. Thank you, Liam De Boer, Samuel Leffers, and Matthew Weessies, for the effort and contributions to the boy’s basketball program at PICS.

Mike Zeldernrust

A special thank you to all of our coaches for taking the time to work with our teams here at PICS. It is a blessing to have so many people invest in our athletic program and provide leadership and guidance to our students here. Thank you for all your hard work! Thank you to the community who comes out and supports all our different teams! Most of all thank you to our Heavenly Father who has provided all these things for us! We are excited as we look forward to our spring sports which include badminton, track and field, and senior high soccer!

Brittany Larson

Athletic Director