The Goulbourn Hornets Major Midget Girls basketball team took their second consecutive gold in Ottawa area tournaments by winning the AAA/AA division of the Mike O’Connor tournament on the weekend of February 6-8. The Hornets opened the tournament with a Saturday morning game against the host Gloucester Wolverines. The Wolverines opened a 10 point first quarter lead as their defense frustrated a Hornets offense that was slow to find its rhythm. The first three quarters were tightly contested, with Gloucester holding a 1 point advantage heading into the final period. Goulbourn came alive in the fourth quarter, as defensive pressure and much sharper offensive execution carried them to a 41-26 victory.
The next opponent was the Kingston Impact in a game that was competitive throughout the first half, with Goullbourn holding a single-digit advantage at halftime. The Hornets again got better as the game progressed as they finished their chances and played stingy defense to win 63-38. The strong opening results gave the Hornets a bye to the semifinals and a matchup with the Nepean Blue Devils on Sunday morning. This time the Hornets were determined to avoid the slow starts of the previous day and came out with a much stronger effort in the first quarter. After a feeling out period and good defense by both teams, Goulbourn began to assert itself offensively by combining good outside shooting and opportunistic transition baskets to open up a good lead. This lead was never relinquished, as the Hornets cruised to a 78-44 victory and a rematch with Gloucester in the gold medal game.
The Hornets saved their best performance for the most important game in the tournament. In the championship game, all facets of play were clicking. The Hornets dominated on the boards, pressured the ball on defense and established their high tempo transition offense. Combined with unbelievable outside shooting accuracy, this proved too much for the Wolverines, as Goulbourn prevailed 76-34. Sasha Thomson was named Championship Game MVP for the Hornets.
