Carlton's Franck Ntwari puts up a floater in a game against the Clavet Cougars during the Marauder Invitational tournament at St. Mary High School in Prince Albert on Feb. 8, 2025. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW Staff)

By Logan Lehmann

Provincial Championship

Carlton vying for provincial championship as HOOPLA starts Thursday

Mar 20, 2025 | 1:38 PM

Both Carlton Sr. basketball teams are off to Saskatoon Thursday as the Crusader Boys and Girls battle for a provincial title at HOOPLA.

All 1A-5A HOOPLA tournaments this year will be held at four different high schools in Saskatoon, including Bethlehem Catholic High School, Marion M. Graham Collegiate, Centennial Collegiate, and St. Joseph High School.

The Carlton Sr. Girls and Boys qualified for HOOPLA one week ago during Regionals, where the Boys won their tournament over Swift Current in North Battleford, while the Girls finished as Regional runner-ups to Swift Current in Estevan.

“HOOPLA is always one of the biggest events in the calendar. Saskatoon hasn’t hosted since 2019. COVID kind of delayed a few things, so it’s our first time in a while,” said Jud Heilman, one of the organizers of the tournament.

There’s more excitement in the air for this year’s edition of HOOPLA due to the one-year hiatus last year. Sanctions by Saskatchewan teachers during the contract dispute with the provincial government resulted in the 2024 tournament being scaled back to a single-day event.

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The Carlton Sr. Girls will help kick off the festivities, playing in one of the first games of the tournament against Regina’s Dr. Martin Leboldus High School at Bethlehem with a 6 p.m. tip-off. Meanwhile, the Sr. Boys will face off with Regina’s Martin Collegiate, also at Bethlehem for an 8 p.m. start.

Also competing in the 5A Girls tournament is Swift Current Comprehensive High School, Regina’s Miller Comprehensive Catholic High School and Winston Knoll Collegiate, and Saskatoon’s Holy Cross High School, St. Joseph High School and Walter Murray Collegiate.

In the Boys bracket, it’s also Swift Current and Saskatoon’s Holy Cross, St. Joseph and Walter Murray, along with Regina’s Martin Collegiate, Michael A. Riffel Catholic High School and Campbell Collegiate.

“I think it’s just the size and scope. Other provincial championships spread throughout the province, and here you get all categories in one centre,” continued Heilman. “We’ve got 48 teams from all over the province. Every corner of the province is essentially represented at HOOPLA. I know we’re pretty excited to be having the province’s best basketball teams show up and give it their all and put everything on the line for a championship on Saturday.”

All games will be streamed on the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association’s website.

The action on Friday begins at 11 a.m. and runs until 8 p.m. at one of the four gyms previously mentioned. The championship final games are set for Saturday.

A full schedule for the HOOPLA championships from 1A-5A in both Girls and Boys can be found by clicking here.

-with files from 650 CKOM’s Shane Clausing

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com

On Bluesky: @loganlehmann.bsky.social