Horton boys, girls set sights on hoop provincials

For the past four years, the Horton Griffins have been the best high school boys' basketball program in the province.

Certainly, the Griffins have been the best to not win a provincial title. Despite playing in the provincial final three of the past four years, Horton has ended up with three second-place finishes and one third.

Hope springs eternal for the Griffins and their coaching staff, led by veteran Tim Kendrick, who has won more than 500 high school games in an 18-year career.

This year's Griffins squad - dare I say it - may have the best chance of any team in Kendrick's tenure of breaking what is almost becoming a championship “jinx.”

The 2006/ 2007 Griffins are a talent-rich team with few holes; Horton literally has players coming off the bench who could start for most D-1 programs in the province.

In fact, they could be starting for Horton - other than the fact the coaches normally choose to start graduating seniors Brandon MacInnis, Josh McGill and Joe Kendrick. Combined with the Grade 11 Ellis Ffrench and Jeremy Dunn, they arguably make up the best starting five in the province.

Horton may not end up seeded first at provincials - there are some pretty good teams in Metro, after all, two of whom (C.P. Allen and QEH) the Griffins have not beaten - but it would be difficult to rank them any lower than third.

Horton has lost just four games all season: two to QEH and one each to C.P. Allen and St. Pat's, the latter of whom they have since defeated. They have dominated MAC and regional play, going 14-0. No one came within 30 points of Horton at the regionals.

There's no guarantee a dominant season will translate into success at provincials - and Horton has fallen short before - but I really like the Griffins' chances.

The Horton girls, on the other hand, are no strangers to success. They have captured back-to-back provincial titles, even though head coach Bev Greenlaw stresses those titles were won with a different group of players, many of whom are now gone.

Their legacy, though, is a team that, while not as strong as the past two, can hold its own with any in the province - and just might surprise some people.

The Horton girls have battled through injuries to several key players with the result, even though they will probably only go as far as their starting five takes them, they have developed a decent bench, albeit lacking in overall experience.

The female Griffins' overall record isn't as impressive - a function of Greenlaw scheduling the toughest-possible opponents for his team wherever possible - but with their lineup intact, they have held their own with all the best teams.

Horton's starting five of seniors Emma Duinker, Robyn Fleckenstein and Jasmine Parent and Grade 10 students Lindsay Harris and still-developing Abbey Duinker is at least as good as anyone in the province. Among the non-starters, Kaylee Young and Sarah Smith in particular have both come huge distances.

Admittedly, you don't get quite the same feeling of confidence from the Horton girls as the boys, but the girls are hosting provincials, and that will hopefully have an impact.

I wouldn't bet a nickel against either Horton team at least making the provincial final and, in the case of the girls, maybe even pulling off a bit of an upset and winning it all for an almost-unprecedented third season in a row.