On April 5 and 6, the Bracebridge Breakers major bantam basketball team travelled to Hamilton to participate in the Blessed Sacrament basketball tournament.

The Breakers took to the floor Saturday morning against Blessed Sacrament for their first game of the competiton. A slow start for both teams resulted in no scoring for the first two minutes.

The speedy Wismer twins, Blair and Allan, provided some excellent defence, but the Breakers had trouble finishing at the other end. They found themselves on the wrong end of a 14-8 score at halftime.

Justin Dellandrea started things off for Bracebridge in the second half with two quick baskets and Alex Crawford followed suit, matching his teammate’s skill. However, the Breakers could not get their offensive game going and lost 47-32.

Later, the boys and Zoe were pumped as they faced the much higher-ranked Nepean Bobcats. This game was a defensive battle from the outset, with the Breakers’ determination and hustle giving them the edge in all areas.

Greg Doiron, Scott Larson, Wyatt Ratkowsky and Crawford out-muscled the opposition under the basket, while Zoe Onley, Dave Bush and Dan New dazzled them with their quick passes and fancy footwork.

Dellandrea, Crawford, Onley and Mitchell McNair were impenetrable on the half-court press, forcing many turnovers and subsequent opportunities for Bracebridge.

It was a one-point game throughout the first three quarters and Nepean was winning 32-31 with four minutes to go.

The Bobcats were then forced to foul a flying Ratkowsky three times in a row. He repaid them by coolly sinking all six shots and leading his team to a 44-34 victory.

The Breakers’ third game of the day was delayed and did not start until 9:15 p.m. They had faced the Barrie Royals before and knew it would be a tough, physical match.

A strong Barrie press and a couple of quick three-pointers set the Bracebridge players back on their heels and put them in a come-from-behind mode from the start. The players were able to regain their composure, however, and patiently fought their way back to just a two-point deficit at halftime.

Throughout the second half, it seemed that Dellandrea answered almost every Barrie basket with one of his own. McNair provided a highlight reel moment with a spectacular catch and flipped through the mesh for two.

It was not enough, however, and the Barrie team prevailed, winning 55-42.

This set up a three-way tie in Pool B and resulted in a semifinal game between the Breakers and the Kingston Impact on Sunday morning.

McNair put the Breakers on the scoreboard first and never looked back. He and Blair Wismer took turns stealing the ball and scoring, while Dellandrea kept Bracebridge in the race with four three-point baskets.

The two teams were very evenly matched and stayed within three points of each other throughout the game.

The spectators were treated to the ultimate in suspense with some tense moments at both foul lines in the dying seconds of the game. However, when the final buzzer sounded, the score was tied at 55-55.

Despite a great effort from the Breakers players, Kingston managed to win the overtime period and advance to the gold-medal game.

Playing their fifth game in just over 24 hours finally caught up with the Bracebridge players as they faced a more rested Guelph Phoenix team for the final game of the tournament.

The Breakers found themselves on the losing end of a one-sided score early in the game, but they maintained an admirable intensity and displayed great teamwork and sportsmanship through to the final seconds.