On April 25 and 26, the Bracebridge Breakers major bantam boys basketball team wrapped up a successful season with a visit to the Ontario Cup Provincial Championships in London.

The Breakers knew they had to beat the Peterborough Power, their opponents in the first game of the tournament, if they hoped to advance beyond round-robin play.

This seemed to give the Bracebridge players a case of the jitters, and combined with the Powers’ good defensive coverage of key Bracebridge shooters, kept Bracebridge off the scoreboard for several minutes.

Finally, Greg Doiron broke through, scoring two baskets in a row and the Breakers were back in the game. From this point on, they continued to move the ball well and trailed Peterborough by only eight points at half-time.

Mitchell McNair started things off for Bracebridge in the second half, and Wyatt Ratkowsky and Justin Dellandrea combined for some pretty plays and a few much-needed points.

Scott Larson and Alex Crawford withstood the physical punishment under the basket, snaring rebounds and setting up their teammates.

Zoe Onley’s flying steals provided several opportunities for the Breakers, but they were unable to capitalize on these and could not close the gap, losing 52-45 in the end.

Putting the loss behind them, the Breakers played like they had nothing to lose when they faced the highest seeded team in their pool, the Strathroy Jammers, on Saturday morning.

Strathroy opened the scoring early with a three-pointer, but Dave Bush quickly answered with a shifty move through the Jammers’ defence to get the Breakers on the scoreboard.

Although the Jammers were a much taller team, the Breakers dominated in almost every aspect of the game.

Blair Wismer, Onley and McNair outhustled their opponents, forcing many turnovers. Dan New worked the ball inside for several points and added two baskets of his own.

Throughout the first three quarters, the Breakers and the Jammers stayed within one point of each other, but the Bracebridge players continued to show patience under pressure and look for the right shot.

Early in the fourth quarter, Bracebridge led 45-42, but two quick three-pointers from Strathroy seemed to change the momentum and give the Jammers the edge.

In the final minutes of the game, a great defensive effort from Dellandrea, Crawford and Onley gave the Breakers many chances, but the ball could not seem to drop, and the Jammers went on to win 60-50.

The Breakers’ shooting woes continued in their third game against the Blessed Sacrament Yellow Jackets, as it seemed they needed several shots in order to earn each basket.

Once again Larson, Ratkowsky and Doiron fought it out with their opponents under the basket, while great defence from Bush and Allan Wismer kept the Yellow Jackets from getting into good shooting position.

Three pointers from McNair and Dellandrea rallied the troops and Blair Wismer’s long ball passes found their marks, keeping the game close for the first half.

The Yellow Jackets pulled away in the third quarter as Bracebridge failed to convert despite many chances.

To their credit, the Breakers never gave up, with New setting up a mini rally in the final minutes of the game.

All players are to be commended for their great play all season and the exemplary manner with which they represented their community.