One Nation, Under God

Rattlers, Henry head to nationals

Courtney Henry, a former Malta M-ette standout is in her final season of basketball, and her senior season isn't over, as she helped led her team to a tournament they haven't made since 2008.

The Medicine Hat College Rattlers basketball team has made the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Championships, the national college basketball tournament in Sackville, New Brunswick.

"It's an amazing feeling," Henry said. "It all seems so unreal. I feel extremely blessed to be apart of such a tight nit team. We've gone through so much over the past few years and it feels great that the hard work is paying off."

Henry had been a part of the 2010 State B Champion Malta M-ettes as a freshman while at Malta High School. The team was runner-up to Fairfield in her sophomore and junior seasons as well.

Henry has overcome a tear in her right Achilles tendon that she suffered in January of 2016, and is now a combo-guard, playing both point and shooting guard at times for Medicine Hat College.

The Rattlers reached nationals after defeating the tournament hosting SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) Trojans 50-42 in the  Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference Provincial Tournament (ACAC) semi-finals on Friday, March 2. Henry had a team-leading 11 points.

The team went on to face the St. Mary's University Lighting in the championship game the following evening and lost 77-66, earning the team silver medals. Henry had 10 points.

According to Henry, the championship game was quite the spectacle, and the SAIT gymnasium was provided the teams with a lot of spectators.

"The gym had a DJ which was awesome," she said. "There were a ton of people because we were playing a Calgary team in Calgary and Medicine hat sent a bus up full of fans! SAIT did a really good job hosting this year."

Earlier in the tournament, in the quarter-final game, Henry tied teammate with fellow senior Kennedy Were for a team-leading 17 points.

"I came into the game knowing that I needed to be a contributor on both ends of the floor," Henry said. "I focused hard on being aggressive and going to the basket and my pull up (shot) was on so I just continued to try and take what the defense was giving me and shoot when I was open."

Henry earned a spot on the All-Tournament team thanks to her performance during the five-day event.

"It was quite an honor! It felt pretty cool to have such a good weekend one of the last week's I'll ever play," Henry said.

The Rattlers, ranked fourteenth in the National Tournament, will face the Mount Allison University Mounties, the host team who is ranked ninth. The game is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 15.

 

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