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Venture Heights Hosts Junior Basketball Extravaganza

by Shanine Sealey

Venture Heights Elementary School (VHS) is familiar with hosting tournaments that see numerous schools participating; however, they typically do this for volleyball tournaments. This experience paid off when VHS hosted their first-ever 2025 Junior Basketball Extravaganza on Friday, January 17th.

“Typically, Venture Heights runs three massive volleyball tournaments throughout the year, so this was a new endeavor for us, but the concept was the same, which was to have a large-scale tournament, so lots of kids get the chance to play,” VHS Principal Ron Biberdorf said.

When the idea for the tournament was first suggested, Biberdorf explained that they reached out to the athletic directors within the Prairie Spirit School Division (PSSD) before Christmas, and the response was immediate, with 16 teams signing up quickly.

The January 17th extravaganza took place at the Martensville Athletic Pavilion (MAP), and the Martensville High School, with grade 8 and 9 players from Martensville, Hague, Waldheim, Dalmeny, Clavet, Langham, Allan, Valley Christian Academy, Prairie Christian Academy, Stobart, and Aberdeen competing in the event.

The tournament was split into two separate pools, with the ‘A’ Division consisting of the more competitive teams, and the ‘B’ Division for teams that are in the beginning stages.

Biberdorf noted that basketball coaches Angela Reddekopp and Lance Roberts were essential in making this tournament a success, and as the VHS team prepares for playoffs to begin next week, he is confident in the team, and the coaches.

“The team is looking strong for the playoffs, and we are certainly hoping for the best. We have a ton of kids playing, and they are competing at a good level, as they were able to beat high school teams in the January 17th tournament,” Biberdorf said.

One of the biggest obstacles the basketball program is currently facing is a lack of referees. For the January 17th extravaganza, VHS contacted the head of officiating with the PSSD, and created an official’s training opportunity through the tournament, where young officials had the chance to referee games with experienced officials. Through that opportunity, Biberdorf is hoping to generate a larger list of available referees for the future.

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