PRINCE ALBERT -- Brett Johnson’s teammates at Prince Albert Collegiate Institute have no doubt what the four-year senior girls’ basketball player means to them.
“She’s like the string that holds us all together,” said Golden Bears forward Shelby Pellerin. “We might fall apart without her.”
Johnson led the Golden Bears with 17 points Friday at the Saskatchewan High School Athletic Association 3A conference basketball tournament at Rivier Academy. But, it was the Birch Hills Marauders coming up with a 41-33 win, putting Johnson and PACI in a must-win situation today at 2:15 p.m.
Pellerin, 18, said if anyone can help extend the Golden Bears’ season it would be Johnson.
“She always has a really positive attitude and keeps everybody upbeat all the time,” said Pellerin.
It’s not just on the basketball court where Johnson is a workhorse, as she excels at volleyball, track and badminton, while maintaining a 96-per cent academic average.
“It just comes easy to me; I don’t know why,” said a red-faced Johnson after Friday’s game. “Lucky, I guess.”
The 17-year-old credits her ability to stay on the court for the whole 40 minutes to basketball coach Tracy Astrope.
“My coach does really good conditioning,” said Johnson. “We know how to work hard because of her.”
The hard work has already earned Johnson a place at the University of Alberta next fall, where she plans to study pharmacy.
When Sterling Swain, interim coach for the Golden Bears this weekend, heard about Johnson’s future plans he approached her about strutting her stuff in a tryout for the Pandas’ women’s basketball team.
“Athletics has been important to her and, I think, it would be nice if she at least gave it a shot to see if she could get to that level,” said Swain about the Canadian Interuniversity Sport squad. “She’s probably not the size that they’d want in a post, like we use her for, but she’s got other skills that, who knows, maybe there’s a spot waiting for her.”
Swain admits that PACI will be sad not to have Johnson on the senior girls’ team or at the school anymore.
“Brett has been a big part of this program and at our school,” he said. “She’s one of those ones that we will miss when she graduates. She’s our top academic student, as well as our leader on this team.
If the Golden Bears do manage to pull off a win and get themselves into the top four this weekend to advance to the regional showdown, Swain said, all people have to do is look at for number 11 on the court.
“If we lose (today), this is her last weekend and, she’s not going to leave anything on the floor,” he said.
slamb@paherald.sk.ca
