The Goulbourn Hornets Midget basketball team competed in the Blessed Sacrament Invitational Tournament in Hamilton on the weekend of April 4-6. They competed in the top division, which features 6 of the top 10 ranked teams in the province and therefore needed to play their best to compete. The Hornets opened the tournament ton Saturday morning against the host team and got off to a tremendous start to open a 22-5 lead at halftime. The Hornets’ size advantage turned the Blessed Sacrament team (ranked 8th provincially) into a one dimensional outside shooting team and they were able to defend very effectively, while scoring off of rebounds. After extending the lead to 28-5, the Yellow Jackets fought back hard, but it was too little too late, as Goulbourn went on to win 43-22.
The next opponent was the London Ramblers, one of two London-based teams in Division 1. The Hornets again had a great start and had a 19-9 lead after the first quarter by using their defense and speed in transition to score some easy baskets. London showed some resilience by narrowing the lead to 4 points at the half. Goulbourn withstood the counter-attack and had restored the 10 point lead by the end of the 3rd quarter and ultimately won 49-33.
The third game of the day was against the London CYO team and needed to be played without 2 players who were out due to injuries. The game was very close for the first 3 quarters, with London leading 30-29 entering the final quarter. The fatigue from playing their 3rd game of the day and the depleted roster began to show, as London opened up a 10 point lead by creating turnovers and finishing their chances. The Hornets made a final push, but eventually lost the game 45-40.
The toughest test was still to come, as the Hornets faced the #2 ranked Scarborough Blues to conclude round robin play on Sunday morning. The Blues opened the game by applying tremendous defensive pressure and displayed the speed and athleticism that had contributed to their high provincial ranking. This lead to a 14-7 lead for Scarborough at the end of the 1st quarter. Goulbourn eventually figured out how to break the press and narrowed the gap to 6 by halftime. The Hornets opened the 3rd quarter with an 8-0 run and went ahead by 5 by the end of the quarter. The fourth quarter had several lead changes and a very close finish, but the Blues eventually won a narrow 47-46 victory.
The Hornets 2-2 record placed them in 2nd in their pool and in the Division 1A semi-final against the #6 ranked team in Ontario, the Niagara Falls Red Raiders. Goulbourn had trouble with the Raiders zone defense and were unable to have offensive success, eventually trailing 31-9 in the third quarter. The Hornets found their stride somewhat and fought back with an 11-5 run to open the final quarter. It was not enough, as Niagara Falls prevailed 42-23 to win the bronze.
Overall, the team showed that they belonged among the top teams in the province and will enter the Provincial Championships in May well prepared for the level of competition. Well done girls!
