Just call them the champions.

The Jasper Cougars’ junior high school girls basketball team took home a gold medal last weekend, finishing up their season in Edson.

In a nail-biting 31-26 win over Grande Cache, it was the first gold the girls had won since 2006.

“It was fantastic. This is a very big win for us. I was almost in tears,” said coach Mollie Lalonde. “It was a very proud moment.”

The Cougars beat Gerrard Redmond from Hinton and Pine Grove from Edson before playing Grande Cache in the finals.

Before the final game, the team reviewed their goals and talked about how they had achieved their short-term goals, which led to focusing on the gold, Lalonde said.

The players met small goals for themselves, like finishing a proper layout in a game, making a three-point shot and building team camaraderie. Making small goals led us to the ultimate goal, she said.

The Cougars scored right away, jumping to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, but Grande Cache came back strong, forcing Jasper’s defense to work hard.

“Hailey Smith (point guard) was one of our strongest players,” Lalonde said. “Jessica Van Bogart is out tallest player, and she played well.”

The boy’s team played at the same time as the girls, placing fourth overall.

But it was the girls’ final game that stole the show.

“It was so exciting, oh my gosh,” said Jo-Ann Sherlow, mother of Cougar’s post Mikyla Sherlow. “It was nail-biting, I was like a hockey mom. Oh my goodness, the last game for the gold medal was 31-26 – two baskets, that’s all that is.”

“Well, it was the first time in a very long time (to win), I think. So it was good, it was so exciting,” she said.

As the girls’ coach, Lalonde put it, “a true champion has a heart of gold. The girls definitely proved that today.”