The Dauphin Hawks basketball program began playing about six years ago.
Three years ago, a U14 female team was formed and early on, many struggles came with it. The team did not win a game in their first year; over the next couple of years, wins were few and far between.
Now at the U16 age group, the same female Hawks team is hitting their stride and showing that if you pair hard work and dedication, amazing things can happen. The Hawks played in a tournament over the weekend and going up against teams from larger centres, it was a weekend to remember.
They beat Ice South in the championship final, 40-37. The game was a thriller for fans in attendance and came right down to the wire as the U16 female Hawks won their first championship since the program began.
"The effort the girls showed this weekend is representative of the perseverance and effort of the young athletes," said Scott Carr. "To go from not winning a game in their first year to winning a tournament this year is incredible."
Carr also shares the moment after the final buzzer went.
"They were ecstatic, it was a close game that went right down to the wire," offered Carr. "To compete at this level shows how hard these girls are trying and how much skill they have."
The team will look to make it back-to-back championships when they head to Yorkton for a tournament from June 7 to 9. This same team will also represent the Parkland region at the Manitoba Summer Games which take place from August 11 to 17 in Dauphin and the area.
At the same event over the weekend, the U16 male Hawks went 1-2. The U14 male Hawks dropped all of their games while the U14 female Hawks finished 0-4. We will have more on the Hawks program early next week.
