Main photo: (back row from left) Michael Simonett, Jenna Yeo, Austin Simonett, Sheila Roberson; (middle from left) Mykenzie Deziel, Celeste Dupuis, Gabby Arsenault, Madison Buck, Zoe Long, Kyoka Stone; (front from left) Kaiya Roberson, and Tianna Fraser
The Huntsville Hurricanes U16 Girls are Division 5 Ontario Cup champions.
Ranked sixth as the tournament opened, the Hurricanes decisively beat the Pelham Panthers 43-32. Saturday had Huntsville in a rematch from the previous weekend against the Orangeville Hawks. The Hurricanes started very slow and trailed by 12 in the fourth quarter, but stormed back to within one point of their opponents. With only three seconds left, the Hurricanes had two foul shots to tie but could only convert one free throw and lost 37-35.
The final round-robin game saw Huntsville needing to beat the undefeated hometown Ottawa Next Level club by three points to advance to the gold medal game.
“The Hurricanes came out strong right away with lots of positive energy and team work,” said Sheila Roberson. “Winning/losing this game determined going for gold or not.”
Starting strong with a 20-8 lead after one quarter, things looked good before Next Level closed to within one point in the fourth quarter. Excellent Hurricane team defense again took over and the Hurricanes won 53-46. “The Hurricanes dug deep,” said Roberson. “Strong defence and great shots won us the game.”
In the final on Sunday against Strathroy, the Hurricanes came out strong right from the tip off. “The girls worked as a team. Endless energy and hustle, smart plays, strong defence and shots finding the hoop gave us a lead at the end of the first half, 21-16,” said Roberson. They would hold that lead for the game, pulling away to a convincing 48-34 win and Division 5 Gold. The Hurricanes came away from the season ranked 33 of 59 teams in the province and first in their division.
Congratulations on a terrific season, Hurricanes!
Click here for full results from the Ontario Cup.
Sports fan? Click here to see more Huntsville sports and leisure stories!
Don’t miss out on Doppler! Sign up for our free, twice-weekly newsletter here.
Join the discussion: