From Alberta to Provo: A pair of high school basketball rivals team up at BYU

They fought their way through a snowstorm to get inside a high school basketball gym where 1000 fans waited for the match of the year.

Raymond Comets’ Grade 10 bright star Delaney Gibb drove her team to a 76—75 lead over the rival team in the final minute of the provincial final. Her opponent is her future teammate, Hattie Ogden and the rest of the Magrath Pandas.

Following miss shot and a failed attempt at 3-point shot from the corner by Ogden, the Comets get the board and bring the ball to their weapon. Gibb brings the ball into the offence as the clock goes down to 1 minute. This is the chance when big time players shine, those pressure situations in a championship match.

Gibb pauses for a moment and stops herself on her defender and then she makes the three pointer and shifts the lead of her team to four points.

The last three-pointer that rocked the clutch was the game winner that sent Raymond to tighten up on defense to clinch the title and win the 2022 Provincial title 80-75.

“It was crazy. I think especially being in Raymond, like in our home gym This is especially important when footballing in Raymond, or home gym, if you will. It was unreal,” Gibb said. I said, ‘Magrath’s 10 minutes away, so we had the entire town of Raymond and Magrath packed in that gym. There was a lot of reporting where the successor had to play in an environment that is completely different from what he or she has ever experienced before.

Ogden was nevertheless consoled by the fact that she was effectively challenged by the Comets during the games which she played against them more so in the final game against Raymond. The new season 2021-22 saw Ogden and Gibb confront each other on six occasions.

“It always made me better to play against them,” Ogden said.

Thus for instance we had massive fans coming and watching. Gibb was very explicit in what he had to say, So we were getting more fans than the boys games half the time, he said. “I loved it. To the best of my understanding, I believe that it benefited women’s basketball in southern Alberta.”

Where they needed to be

Gibb and Ogden are currently playing for BYU women’s basketball team, even though they reached the team by different ways.

Gibb made a decision to play for the Cougars in the summer, but other power five programs were also interesting in him.

“I lived in Provo my freshman year of high school, and so I think it was very familiar to me, and I also knew (BYU) coach (Amber) Whiting,” Gibb said. Based on my opinion, when I began to choose what college I would be going to I believe that BYU was a different feeling compared to all the other schools. It was home to me and a place I thought I was going to succeed and do really well…

Ogden, however, went to the University of Buffalo right from high school and spent two years with Buffalo Bulls.

“I think it was really good for me.” It was a big two years of just growth,” Ogden said about her time at Buffalo. “BYU was kind of always the dream,” says Cody.

In the interview with Ogden, she explained that she needed to be closer to her family in the West Coast and that the transition would be good for her after basketball. Two of her uncles had also played football here at BYU and she wanted to keep it in the family so to speak. Once she put her name in for the transfer portal, Ogden contacted assistant coach Lee Cummard about coming to BYU and her dream had become a reality.

Bringing the firepower

Gibb is a 5-10 freshman of Raymond High School making his specialty on the guard position. She as explosive kind of playing style which can assist in BYU’s offense.

“I definitely like to push in transition and play fast,” Gibb said.

She said that she plays as a “two-way guard” since she enjoys shooting and passing the ball so that her teammates have better shots.

Gibb won the top honours of Alberta’s Miss Basketball award twice: in the 2022 and 2023 season during her high school years. She also represents the Canadian National Team in the competition at the 2022 and 2023 World championships.

“You get to represent not just your country, but communities and your family, and just everything on such a bigger stage, and a higher level and everything means so much more,” Gibb added.

“And I think for me, when I made this first national team, it was as if the veil was lifted and I realized I have so many options I want to become great and I want to become the best basketball player that I can be.”

The 6-1 Ogden is now in her third season of college basketball. She played 35 games for the Buffalo Bulls, across her two years with the team as a player. She played 7.5 point per game for the season and shot 31.7 percent from the three point line last season.

“I am a shooter, that’s my main thing,” Ogden said.

In an interview when asked what role she prefers when she isn’t ball dominating on the offense, she replied, the following, “I like playing off the ball more as, as, like a big man, as, like, pick and pops, horns actions and such.”

She also wants to contribute much more to offense than just scoring.

‘The same I prefer to be a facilitator,’ Ogden said. “I prefer to see the floor, make those passes, give it to my bigs.”

The Brigham Young University women’s basketball team finished the inaugural year of the Big 12 Conference with a 6-12 conference slate and 16-17 overall. Amber Whiting is in her third season with the Cougars and she used the current off season to reshape the roster. Two of the players that were hired by BYU include Gibb – Ogden, former high school rivals.

Sights on this season

Utah State is also willing to meet in-state rival Utah next season with both of them saying that they are anxious for their game against the Utah Utes next year. They are just trying to find a way to contribute to the effort of the team in whatever manner they can.

“I'm super excited. For me personally, I would like to start on the games and just see how I could play to assist the team in some way,” added Gibb.

At this one=i think our team is special this year and i think we got a lot of good pieces you know just see them all fit together and practice is just awesome Ogden.

Cougars are expecting to have a better season this year and to depend on the abilities and experience that Gibb and Ogden have. Gerdest and Anderson, both Canadian athletes, should get off to an early start and go hard with this new look BYU roster as the Cougars begin their second year in the Big 12.