Covy Moore/Rocky View Publishing

The Bert Church Chargers gather prior to their game against the WR Myers High School Rebels, Dec. 15.

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Bert Church Invitational hosts seven schools from across Western Canada

Bert Church invited seven other schools to hit the floor for its annual Bert Church Invitational (BCI) Basketball Tournament Dec. 13-15.

Both Charger senior boys and girls ended up losing the consolation games as the competition was fierce from southern Alberta schools.

“We had a Tommy Douglass team that was very competitive. Taber, they are one of the top teams in the 3A level,” said Charger head coach Mike Serra. “We had great teams on both the girls and boys side.”

The Lady Chargers won their opening matchup on Dec. 13 against the Central Memorial Rams, but lost to both the Foothills Lightning and the Sturgeon Spirits.

On the boy’s side, the Chargers also won a single game en-route to losing in the consolation game.

Dec. 13 saw the Chargers beat the Lord Beaverbrook Lords, but fell to both the WR Myers Rebels and the Sturgeon Falcons out of Edmonton.

One of the unique aspects of the BCI Tournament is the fact that it kicks off on Thursday and runs until Saturday, which means students pack the gymnasium for the first two days of play, giving players a great atmosphere to play in.

“The kids like the BCI, both the players and the students. They talk about the tournament all year,” said Serra. “The gym was full, it was good and loud. When you got into the Friday and Saturday games, it got pretty competitive.”

Even visiting teams complimented the school on the tournament, and packing the gymnasium for the big games.

“We always look forward to BCI, they bring some competitive teams to that tournament,” said Chestermere Laker head coach Mitch Turgeon. “The work that Mike (Serra) and Ian (Ferguson) do every year, they pack the gym during school hours... It’s fun to play against those big teams.”