The Sanford Sabres Varsity Girls basketball team has been named the Winnipeg Sea Bears Team of the Month for March.
It was a fitting accolade for this group of girls who have worked hard on and off the floor to be the best basketball players and role models in their community.
Sanford finished its season with a 25-4 record, winning its zone, and making it to the ‘AAA’ provincial final, where they ultimately lost. They finished the season as provincial finalists and won tournaments in Stonewall, Ste. Anne and Sanford.
“They had a phenomenal season,” said coach Kelli Sinnock. “I’m really proud of everyone for playing their best all season long.”
The Winnipeg Sea Bears pro basketball team accepts nominations for junior teams for Team of the Month monthly throughout the season.
“I nominated the girls, and we were asked to highlight the team’s success and community involvement,” said Sinnock. Every year, the team runs the Mini-Sabres Basketball camp in April, where the current players coach the kindergarten to Grade 6 athletes. They are tremendous role models for the athletes and teach them basketball skills, and the program is a huge success due to the student-athletes that coach.”
This is the tenth year of the Mini-Sabres program, and the school currently has 60 athletes registered for it. It has been a big part of the Sanford community every spring.
The Winnipeg Sea Bears noticed this program and promptly selected the Sabres as the most recent Team of the Month.
“Our girls were honoured to be selected for the Winnipeg Sea Bears Team of the Month,” said Sinnock. The Sea Bears social media team came out to Sanford to film the girls practicing and interview our athletes, and it was just a great experience. Our team only graduates two athletes this June, so we are looking to build on our success next season.”
In other local basketball news, the Winnipeg Sea Bears were recently announced as the host team for the 2025 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) Championship Weekend next summer.
2023 was the inaugural season for the Winnipeg Sea Bears, marking the CEBL’s fourth expansion since launching in 2019. The Sea Bears’ season was extremely successful, with four sold-out home games and the top six attendance records in CEBL history in their first eight games.
Championship Weekend 2025 will feature the CEBL’s top teams and a festival that includes the league awards and live performances from top local and Canadian artists. It will also feature a three-on-three basketball event and community legacy projects in partnership with Basketball Manitoba and Buckets and Borders, among other activities.
