Story and photos submitted by Jennifer Murad and Becky Fitch. BradfordToday welcomes your submissions to [email protected].
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The under-11 Sonic boys from the South Simcoe Basketball Club finished up their season this past weekend (March 29-31, 2019) at the Ontario Basketball Championships in Niagara Falls.
The boys started out the season last September with only six returning players and fix new ones. Most of these new players had never played competitive basketball before this season.
The boys worked hard learning the fundamentals of the game while the coaches provided them with a fun and safe environment to learn. Although the start of season was a bit rough in regards to the win column, they slowly improved each game so that by mid-season the boys began to win a few games. Each player improved and began to believe that they could play and compete as a team.
They even won silver in a local tournament at the beginning of March Break. Putting in the effort became their battle cry, which propelled them in their belief that effort would make the difference and help them to succeed.
This past weekend was the boys' final weekend where once again their confidence would be tested. They had to play many teams that they had seen throughout the year, some of whom had previously defeated them.
On Friday, they had one of their best games beating the Whitby Wildcats quite decisively (46 to 22). Their next game was a true battle as they were behind for most of the game. They overcame their emotions and continued to put in the effort to pull out the win against Blessed Sacrament (36-34). The third game was a heartbreak when they lost in the last minutes of the game to the Northern Kings (45-42).
However, they did make it to the gold medal game based on points, which cheered up the boys immensely. Even though they never gave up, unfortunately during their final game the boys came up short against Jump, bringing home the silver medal (37 to 26). Their coaches are extremely proud of how well they played during the weekend.
Throughout their season, the boys have learned that when they trust each other they can accomplish more than they can on their own. They have learned that hard work really does pay off and putting in the effort is truly worth it. They have also learned that although it is amazing to win, you can still lose and be proud of the effort that you put into the game.
The South Simcoe under-11 boys team is made up of 13 amazing young men that have built a bond as close as brothers: Michael M., Judah F., Daniel K., Isaiah O., Jasiah B., Ryker F., Nicholas P., ‘Tiny’ Christien P., Carlos M., Gavin B., Kaiden A., Madhu K. and Dmitiri Z.! You all should be so proud of yourselves.
The team wishes to thank the amazing Coach Shane F., Coach Marco P. and Coach Kevin O. because without them the team wouldn’t have been able to become what it did and, with that, the team is very thankful for you all being positive role models, believing in them, and giving them the confidence to play. Thank you for a memorable and amazing season!
They also want to thank their amazing sponsors for supporting them throughout the season: Oxford Learning Centre, Wilson Verduga, Anastasia Orlando, Julian Casallas, Poleiro BBQ, Ferragine Greenhouses, The Edge Benefits, Be Well Chiropractic Health & Wellness, and Gravity Hair Salon. The team could not have succeeded without them.
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