PRINCE ALBERT – High school basketball season is underway in Prince Albert and the Carlton Crusaders senior girls team had the chance to open in the city at the Kelly Smith Memorial Tournament at Ecole St. Mary
The Crusaders advanced to Saturday’s final after a 68-31 victory over the Indian Head Broncos on Saturday afternoon.
Crusaders head coach Kelsey Pearson said that the dominant performance was great but the club is still working out a few bad habits.
“We have got some work to do,” Pearson said. “Obviously, we missed a lot of easy buckets and that kind of set us back a bit. When your shots aren’t falling, it’s important your defence is even better.”
“We had a little bit of foul trouble,” she added. “We have a young bench, so we’re trying to get the minutes, which was great for them.”
The team got into foul trouble in the third quarter against Indian Head, but eventually fixed things and pulled away further in the fourth quarter. Pearson said the early adversity had its benefits.
“It’s good for it to happen early because then it’s something we can work on in the future,” she said. “We need our players in the game. It’s important that they recognize and understand that.”
As the team got further into the lead against Indian Head, the Crusaders could use their Grade 9 players to give them floor experience.
“We couldn’t get everyone in today, but yesterday we got everyone in,” she said. “We have 14 on our team, so it’s not always going to be like that.”
The Crusaders are coming off a trip to Hoopla as a young team last season. While they’re a more experienced team this year, Pearson said the squad still has many new players.
“We’re young and the experience isn’t there as it has been previous years, but our older girls are doing great at leading, and our younger girls are pretty smart, so they’re catching on quick,” she said. “We’ll just keep working.”
The Crusaders have two Grade 12 players but only one who was on the team last year, guard Lilly Slack. The team has five Grade 11 players, one Grade 10 and six Grade 9 players.
Slack said the team has a good mix of youth and veteran players. Even though it’s still early in the season, she likes what she’s seen so far.
“I think we have a lot of potential on our team,” she said. “Come five months from now, I think we’ll be a very strong team. We’ll be fast, (and) we’ll be running teams to the ground.
“I think our Grade 9s will get a lot of experience and I think we’ll be really fast. I think we’ll have a bunch of good tournaments,” she added.
Slack said that the team likes to stretch the floor and uses their speed to create offence.
“We would like to be a team that runs the court, has fast breaks, and good defence,” she said.
Pearson also said that the roster had a nice balance with the large group of Grade 11 and Grade 9 players.
“Those young girls have never experienced regionals, getting to Hoopla, so they don’t know that competitive drive yet,” she said.
“I’m really hoping to push the girls as far as we can. I would love to give those girls that experience and hopefully make it to Hoopla or get as far as we can with this team.”
The Crusaders opened the Kelly Smith Memorial with a 69-25 win over the Weyburn Eagles on Friday before advancing to the final with the win over Indian Head on Saturday.
Pearson liked what she saw from the players in their first tournament of the season at St. Mary.
“I’m super proud of the girls. They’ve been doing great, working hard. I mean, we can always get better and improve, and the ceiling’s a little higher for us, so we’ve got lots to work on, which is the exciting part, right? Seeing the growth is what I’m most looking forward to this season,” Pearson said.
The Crusaders lost the championship game 62-35 to the Swift Current Ardens on Saturday night but Pearson was still happy to advance to the final.
MURRAY—Murray State Athletics boasted another successful Giving Tuesday earlier this week with $289,800 raised to support the department’s strategic priorities and initiatives while the department continuously invests in a world-class experience of the Racers’ more than 400 student-athletes.
The philanthropic day was the second-biggest Giving Tuesday total in Racer Athletics history behind last December’s total of $409,787.
“Racer Nation continues to invest in our shared vision for excellence by stepping up and supporting our student-athletes on Giving Tuesday,” Director of Athletics Nico Yantko said. “We are extremely appreciative of each of our loyal supporters for believing in our plan to boost our sport programs in a big way.”
The Racer Club plays a crucial role in helping support student-athlete scholarships, general operating budget, and facility enhancements. Investors play a critical role in funding the student-athlete experience and the competitive success of Murray State Athletics programs and student-athletes.
For more information on how to join the Racer Club, call (270) 809-3517.
PHILADELPHIA — The ball found him in the left arc, with the game hanging in the balance at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Tie score. 75 seconds left.
Throughout the contest, the Lakers’ offense had sputtered, misfired, stalled.
Then, LeBron James caught, rose, and released. The arc of the shot–– pure. The swish––silent. The crowd, moments earlier a raging sea of noise, was suddenly, stunningly, subdued.
It was the exclamation point on a 29-point, tour-de-force reminder, a 112-108 Lakers victory carved from resilience and authored by an old master who decided, when it mattered most, to take the pen back.
James can do what he wants. He sees the collection of youth on the court; nonetheless, it flourishes under his gaze. But when they need big brother to step in and tend to the business, they can’t; that’s why he is there.
On Sunday, business was messy. Business was necessary.
Luka Dončić, returning from a transatlantic journey for the birth of his daughter, labored to a 31-point, 15-rebound, 11-assist triple-double—his 49th 30-point triple-double, moving him past Russell Westbrook and Nikola Jokić for second all-time.
But his shots often rimmed out, his rhythm––absent.
Austin Reaves fought through an off-night where the lid sat snug on the basket.
Enter the connector. The conductor. The closer.
“I really thought his play throughout the game gave us such a lift,” head coach JJ Redick said. “LeBron was like our connector tonight.”
James wasn’t just a scorer; he was a solver. He set bone-rattling screens. He leveraged his gravity. He played a cerebral, grinding game, picking his spots with the precision of a surgeon until the moment demanded a sledgehammer.
That moment arrived with the score knotted at 105 after a Joel Embiid jumper. The Lakers’ previous four possessions: a Reaves miss, a Dončić miss, a Dončić turnover, another Reaves miss. The offense was adrift. The play call was simple, timeless: get the ball to LeBron.
He delivered the three. On the next trip, a 20-foot dagger. Ballgame.
“That was vintage ‘Bron,” Dončić said. “He just decided the game.”
Dončić finished 11-of-14 from the line, his free throws icing the win, but the night belonged to the elder statesman.
“I was tired,” Luka said. “Mentally, I wasn’t there much. I’m just glad we got a win.”
The win was a testament to layered strength. It was Deandre Ayton’s defensive versatility, switching onto Tyrese Maxey, who scored 28 points to lead Philadelphia, and bothering Embiid, who poured in 16 points on 4-of-21 shooting.
It was the team bending but not breaking after a 10-point first-half deficit. It was, as Redick noted, the luxury of having multiple suns in a solar system.
“Some nights… we played through LeBron a lot in the second half tonight. Down the stretch, we played through him,” Redick said.
For James, the win was a personal reaffirmation after injuries and a streak-snapping quiet night in Toronto. He needed the win to show that he still had the magic he’s carried for 23 seasons inside him.
He has it. He has the calm. He has the clutch gene. He now has 1,015 regular-season wins, surpassing Robert Parish for sole possession of second place on the all-time list. A number that speaks of longevity, excellence, and nights like this—nights where he observes, he calculates, and then, decisively, he strikes.
The Lakers will board their flight back to Los Angeles 2-1 on a taxing East Coast trip, and 17-6 on the season.
They will carry many things as they head home: their luggage, Dončić’s historic triple-double and another notch in the win column.
But they also carry the feeling, the secure knowledge that in the grinding heart of a close game, they have an ageless weapon.
A player who can, with a single shot, silence an arena and show the annals of NBA lore that legends don’t fade—they wait for their moment to roar.
Every day is a new experience for Rotary Youth Exchange student Leo Canudas — including the area’s recent snowfalls. The United States was on the shortlist of countries Canudas wanted to attend school in for the year, after years of asking his mom when it would be his turn to spend a year abroad as part of the Rotary Youth Exchange. He did not know anything about Wisconsin when he was finally told he had been accepted and where he would be going. He did learn that Wisconsin is “full of cheese” and that it can get pretty cold. When he arrived at Gibraltar this past fall, he discovered that American school days are longer than those in Bolivia, but he quickly immersed himself after deciding to join the football team.
Canudas’ fall at Gibraltar included being named homecoming king and scoring a touchdown on his first and only carry of the game. A boxer in his home country, Canudas is also taking up another sport he has never played before: basketball. He says it is all part of the Rotary Youth Exchange experience and adds that sometimes you only have one chance to do something — and you should take advantage of it when it comes up.
Canudas will be enrolled at Gibraltar until the end of the school year, by which point he hopes to catch a Packers game and a boxing match before he goes home. You can learn more about the Rotary Youth Exchange program at this link.
HEAR THE STORY ABOUT CANUDAS’ TOUCHDOWN IN THIS YEAR’S GIBRALTAR HOMECOMING GAME
Ignacio boys basketball head coach Trae Seibel, right, talks with now-senior Rance Rathjen during last season’s road game at Montezuma-Cortez. Rathjen will be counted upon to provide depth and veteran leadership in 2025-26. (Joel Priest/Special to the Herald)
As much as an Ignacio boys basketball team can typically, and traditionally has, out-run an opponent, conditioning always proves most crucial and thus allows coaches to properly train players in the ways of the Bobcat.
It’s basically Trae Seibel’s favorite time of year as the Bobcats look to improve on a fifth-place 4-8 in the 3A/4A Intermountain League and ultimately 11-13 overall last season after falling to Loveland Resurrection Christian in the 3A state tournament’s opening round of 32.
Which wasn’t surprising; the Cougars, which went on to capture the state championship and complete a 28-0 season, were the No. 1 seed while the ’Cats were the 32. Unfortunately, the loss ended the prep careers of five seniors including usual starter Charley Pargin, plus regular reserves Angelo Frost, Coty Webb, Lincoln Gillespie and Marquise Cibrian.
But much established talent will be back for the 2025-26 grind. Now-senior Trace Crane returns to anchor the front court, but with length enabling him to strike from almost anywhere.
“In our system that we implemented, the UCLA offense, we’re hammering on (getting) high-percentage shots,” Seibel explained near the close of the ’24-25 season. “So we’re pounding the ball inside then looking for outside opportunities. Charley, he took advantage of it, and there were games where Trace took advantage of it. They were working their butts off, and so was everybody else.”
Senior back court regular Ambrose Valdez also returns along with senior Sonny Flores, capable of starting or filling a sixth-man role. After continuing to hone his skills last winter as an important reserve, senior Rance Rathjen is also back along with classmate Stoney White Thunder-Lucero.
Juniors William Mendoza-Lechuga and Thunder Windy Boy, junior-varsity regulars last winter (the latter did see some varsity minutes as the season progressed), will add depth along with junior Shaun Sanderson, sophomore Joseph Atencio, freshman Keyon Alston and senior Zaine Velasquez-Hight.
And while read-and-react may again drive Ignacio’s attack, the ’Cats may again rely defensively on a zone-based look.
Up first, IHS’ boys will host 2A Mancos on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. With nowhere to go but up after a brutal 0-22 (0-12 3A/2A/1A San Juan Basin) campaign last winter, the Blue Jays are already off to a 1-1 start after winning their ’25-26 opener, 60-42 over 1A Lake City Community School, on Friday at 2A Sargent’s two-day tournament. MHS, however, then fell 52-38 on the Saturday to the hosting Farmers.
After meeting Mancos, the Bobcats will then creep into the San Luis Valley to contend at 2A Center’s 12/12-13 C-Town Showdown. Awaiting the gents at 7 p.m. on its first day will be Blanca-based Sierra Grande (No. 8 in the preseason CHSAANow.com Class 1A rankings), which went 6-0 in the 1A Southern Peaks last season and ended up 19-6 overall after losing to Elbert in the 1A state tournament’s Sweet 16.
Ignacio’s December slate will conclude at Aztec, New Mexico’s Rumble in ‘The Jungle,’ December 18-20. The Bobcats are scheduled to square off against the hosting Tigers on the 18th at 7 p.m.
El Dorado players and coaches after winning the Gary Raya Classic. (Photo courtesy El Dorado basketball).
El Dorado’s boys basketball team moved ahead in the final seconds and held on to defeat La Habra 53-52 in the championship game of the 29th annual Gary Raya Classic Saturday afternoon at El Dorado.
It was the seventh win in a row for El Dorado.
“Battling illness, five games in eight days,” said El Dorado Coach Ryan Mounce. “Resilience and grit.”
Noah Barker and Evan Nam scored 13 points each to lead El Dorado (9-1). Barker was named the tournament MVP.
Acen Jimenez led La Habra (8-2) with 29 points.
WOODBRIDGE 68, SAN JUAN HILLS 57: Woodbridge (8-3) won the third place game Saturday. Jaiden Sabino had a big week for Woodbridge. Nick Francik scored 23 points, Kam Aziz and Cooper Lee 10 points each and Nick Pandis nine points to lead San Juan Hills (5-4) which was without four injured starters.
ALL-TOURNAMENT
MVP: Noah Barker, El Dorado
Evan Nam, El Dorado; Ryan Northcott, El Dorado; Eli Rodarte, El Dorado; Noah Querubin, El Dorado; Acen Jimenez, La Habra; Aaron Wilson, La Habra; Josh Desatoff, La Habra; Connor Fisher, Capo Valley; Jaiden Sabino, Woodbridge; Rocco Jensen, San Juan Hills.
Sierra Canyon Basketball, which started the 2024-25 season ranked No. 1 nationally, has partnered with KlutchShots AI to deliver instant highlights captured from iPhones
The program becomes the first in the country to adopt the end-to-end AI highlight system, eliminating the need for camera crews, editors, or post-game delays
Athletes can access multi-angle, pro-quality highlights through a double-tap function on iPhone or Apple Watch, with automatic syncing across devices
The technology includes AI reframing for social-ready vertical video, manual reframing tools, and athlete profile storage for all games and highlights
Individual plans start at $4.99 per month, with a $9.99 family plan launching soon
From iPhone to Instant Highlight Reel
KlutchShots AI has partnered with Sierra Canyon Basketball to bring high school athletes a technology previously unavailable at this level: instant, multi-angle highlights captured and delivered without professional video crews or editing software.
The system works through iPhones positioned around the gym. Athletes or parents can trigger highlight captures with a double tap on an iPhone or Apple Watch. The platform automatically syncs video from multiple angles and processes the footage through AI to create polished highlights ready for distribution.
Coach Andre Chevalier noted the program has been using KlutchShots for several months. “KlutchShots has provided high-level highlights for us for a couple months now, and we believe it’s the future of sharing highlights to social media in a seamless fashion,” he said.
Technical Features Built for Social Distribution
The KlutchShots AI platform includes several features designed for immediate use across social media:
Hands-free capture eliminates the need for someone to manually record every play. The system can run continuously throughout games.
Multi-angle syncing pulls video from any iPhone recording in the venue and coordinates the footage automatically.
AI reframing converts horizontal game footage into vertical formats optimized for TikTok and Instagram Reels without manual editing.
Manual reframing gives users control over zoom levels and framing for specific sports requirements or creative preferences.
Athlete profiles store every game, highlight, and camera angle in one place, creating a growing portfolio of content.
Jeff Snyder, CEO of KlutchShots AI, emphasized the accessibility angle. “Sierra Canyon sets the standard for excellence in youth sports and media. KlutchShots AI delivers the quality their program demands with our advanced sports video technology and we’ve made it accessible to every athlete, instantly and affordably.”
Pricing Positions Product Below Traditional Highlight Services
The individual plan costs $4.99 per month. A family plan priced at $9.99 per month is scheduled to launch in the near future.
These price points fall well below the cost of hiring videographers or subscribing to full-service highlight production companies. The technology also removes the typical wait time between game completion and highlight availability, a factor that matters for athletes trying to build recruiting profiles or social media presence during active seasons.
The company positions the technology as delivering quality comparable to established platforms like Overtime, Ballislife, and Slam, but at a fraction of the cost and with immediate turnaround.
Why Sierra Canyon Makes Strategic Sense as First Partner
Sierra Canyon brings significant visibility to any partnership. The program started the 2024-25 season as the No. 1 ranked team in the country and carries a national media profile that extends beyond typical high school basketball coverage.
The program has built a reputation for elite athletes, multiple championships, and consistent media attention. Coach Chevalier connected the partnership to the program’s broader approach: “Our mission [at Sierra Canyon] is to always find ways to push basketball forward, and KlutchShots AI is aligned with that mission.”
For KlutchShots AI, launching with Sierra Canyon provides immediate credibility, it establishes a proof point for programs with fewer resources or less technical sophistication.
Impact on Recruiting and Social Media Content
High school athletes increasingly rely on highlight reels for college recruitment and personal brand building. The traditional model involves hiring videographers, waiting for edited footage, and managing file sharing across platforms.
KlutchShots AI compresses that timeline to minutes. An athlete who makes a notable play in the first half can have that highlight on their social media or in a recruiter’s inbox before the game ends.
This speed matters in a recruiting environment where coaches monitor social media and evaluate prospects continuously. It also benefits athletes at programs that receive less media coverage than Sierra Canyon, potentially leveling access to quality highlight footage across different competition levels.
Looking Ahead
Sierra Canyon’s adoption of KlutchShots AI marks the first major program partnership for the technology. The real test comes in broader distribution.
The system addresses a clear pain point in youth sports: the gap between the highlights athletes want and what they can practically afford or access. Whether that translates to market traction beyond elite programs remains to be seen.
YSBR provides this content on an “as is” basis without any warranties, express or implied. We do not assume responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, legality, reliability, or use of the information, including any images, videos, or licenses associated with this article. For any concerns, including copyright issues or complaints, please contact YSBR directly.
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