The Lo-Ellen Park Sr. Girls basketball team travelled to Guelph on Nov.23-25 for the AA OFSAA Basketball Championships and returned home adorned with hard fought bronze medals.
Seeded fifth going into the tournament, the Knights began their OFSAA run with two comfortable wins, defeating Harbord CI 58-41, and Beatrice-Desloge 54-23 to make the final eight.
The quarter-final pitted Lo-Ellen against St. Theresa C.H.I. In a tense, low-scoring battle, the Knights led just 14-11 at the half. With a berth in the OFSAA semi at stake, the Knights turned up the pressure and scrapped their way to a gutsy 37-26 win, punching their ticket to the OFSAA final four.
The Knights winning streak was halted by top-seeded Arnprior D.H.S 45-26 in the semi-final.
In the battle for bronze, Lo-Ellen had a thrilling back-and-forth game against Sir Winston Churchill that ended in a 53-47 overtime loss. As they had all season, the Knights fought hard and were able to walk away with heads held high. Their fourth-place finish is what's known as "antique" bronze.
Coach Miranda Lessard said she was most proud of how the girls continued to battle in the face of adversity.
“We could have easily given up in our bronze medal game and lost by 20+ points after a 13-3 start, but the girls never quit and believed in one another,” she said. “They stayed true to our defensive principles and chipped away on offence.”
Lessard went on to say that the work ethic of her squad was evident to all her opponents, noting that, “Several coaches complimented us on our hard play, and that is very gratifying. We take pride in our defence, and it carried us all the way to the OFSAA semis.”
Long-time Assistant Coach Antionette Purdon echoed those sentiments.
“What makes these girls special is that they play for each other. This is one of the most successful seasons Lo-Ellen girls have had, and it’s because of the pride they take in wearing a Knights jersey.”
The journey to an OFSAA medal in Guelph began in Sudbury at Laurentian University with a 51-37 win over Lasalle in the SDSSAA Championship Game on Nov.11. This completed an undefeated regular season for the Knights.
The following weekend, Nov. 17-18, Lo-Ellen travelled to North Bay for the AA/AAA NOSSA Basketball championships at West Ferris High School. After defeating host West Ferris 53-38 in their opener, Lo-Ellen then fell to Korah Collegiate 30-27, putting the Knights in a do or die situation vs St.Mary’s the following morning.
In arguably their most exciting game of the season, Lo-Ellen jumped out to an early lead and went into half-time with an eight-point cushion. In the second half, St. Mary’s surged ahead with a barrage of three pointers and it looked like Lo-Ellen’s season could end right there.
“We had to dig really deep,” said Lessard.
The Knights did just that, playing some of their most inspired basketball of the season to pull away in the 4th quarter and down St.Mary’s 56-46.
The AA/AAA NOSSA final gave Lo-Ellen a rematch against Korah. This time the Knight’s stifling defence came with enough offence to secure a win. The 35-22 victory crowned the Knights NOSSA Champions, and paved the way that led to an OFSAA medal.
Summing up the season, Coach Lessard said, “I could not be more proud of these girls. We grew so much as a team this year and I love them with all my heart. It was an incredible season and we are all so fortunate to have been a part of it.”
Mac Bertrand coaches basketball at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School.
