Goulbourn Major Midget Boys Basketball Team
Brings Home Silver Medal!     

      The Goulbourn Major Midget Boys competitive basketball team brought home the Silver Medal with a near perfect record at Senior Boys Wolverine Basketball Tournament 2007 in Gloucester from Friday March 30th to April 1st.

     Strong offensive and defensive efforts contributed by the entire team were the key elements as the Hornets went unbeaten at 4-0 in the elimination round. The Hornets started the Tournament against the Ottawa Shooting Stars and they won the game by a score of 49-26, combining a stifling defense with a well executed offense. Next up was the Kingston Running Rebels #2 and the Hornets continued their strong play at both ends of the court with a 48-23 victory. The host Gloucester Wolverines #2 were the Hornets next opponent, a team that has proven to be a tough match for the Hornets thus far this year. The Hornets brought their A game and won by a margin of 51-42. In the final round robin game the Hornets matched up against the GCBA Selects. In a tight and physical game, the Hornets came out on top by a score of 56-52 to earn the 1st place seed and a trip to the semi-finals Sunday morning.

     In the semi-final game against Kingston Running Rebels #2 early Sunday morning, the Hornets started slowly and played as if they were still sleepy, missing many easy lay-ups, open shots and free throws. Trailing by 11 at the half, the Hornets never gave up and slowly chipped away at the Running Rebels lead. In the fourth quarter, the Hornets caught the Running Rebels and took the lead with less than 2 minutes remaining. The Running Rebels then tied the game with 36 seconds remaining, forcing it into overtime. In the overtime period, the Hornets played much better offense and defense, took control of their game and won with a score of 38-35.

     In the gold medal game, the Hornets team played a very closely-contested game against Gloucester Wolverines team. The Hornets were leading in the first half until the Wolverines erased the deficit with 2 3-point shots and a quick lay-up early in the 3rd quarter. From that moment on, the Wolverines took control of the court and led by 15 points with the score of 26-41 by the end of 3rd quarter. The Hornets put on a furious rally in the fourth quarter to close within 5 points 38-43 with 2 minutes remaining in the game. Foul troubles and excellent free throw shooting by the Wolverines prevented the Hornets from getting closer. The game ended 52-40 in favour of the Wolverines. The Hornets suffered their only loss in the tournament, but brought home their first Silver Medal of this season.

     The Goulbourn Hornets Major Midget Boys have had a good season so far with a record of 24 wins and 11 losses. Head Coach Wendy Verrecchia and Assistant Coach John McCauley are extremely proud of the boys. This well-deserved Silver Medal definitely builds up their confidence as the Hornets prepare for both the tough and challenging Wildcat tournament in Hamilton in mid-April and the Basketball Ontario Provincial Championships in Ottawa in mid-May.

     Congratulations to the Goulbourn Hornets boys and their coaches for an outstanding season and best wishes with their upcoming tournaments.