Major Atom Girls Team Win Gold Medals in Kingston!

The Goulbourn Hornets Major Atom #1 girl’s basketball team won Division C gold medals at the Kingston Cats Basketball Tournament held in Kingston the weekend of February 6th-February 8th, 2009.

The Hornets opened the tournament with a Friday night draw versus local rivals, the Russell Rockets. An undermanned Rockets squad couldn’t keep pace and the Hornets took the game 39-18.

On the Saturday morning, the second game of pool play saw the Hornets take on the Belleville Spirits. The Hornets jumped to a 25-14 halftime lead and finished with a 47-23 victory. Madi Graves was selected as the Hornets player of the game.

The next game in pool action, pitted the Hornets against the Cornwall Lions. The Hornets led by 11 at the half and emerged with a 42-21 victory. Katie Kennedy was named the Hornets player of the game.

The final game of round robin action featured a match versus the Barrie Royals. The Hornets pressed and got off to a quick start from which Barrie could not recover and went on to win 59-35. Kylea Galipeau-Wilson was chosen the Hornets player of the game.

After going 4-0 in pool play, an unusual draw set-up had the Hornets face a tie breaker with the Hull Dragons who had also gone 4-0 in pool action. The Hornets were granted first place in the pool based in the tie-breaker formula of points for/points against and advanced directly to the tournament championship on the Sunday.

The tournament championship featured a rematch with the Barrie Royals. The Royals were prepared for the Hornet press this time and the teams went into the half time break deadlocked at 20. In the second half, the Royals tired as the Hornets continued to run the court. The Hornets emerged with a 46-32 victory and were awarded the Division C tournament gold medals. Adrianna Nystedt was selected as the Hornets player of the game.

The Hornets are coached by Scott Nystedt, Tony Wilson, Kevin Kennedy and Kristin Petruska and are managed by Lorena-Del Nystedt.

Gold for Major Atom Hornets

The Goulbourn Hornets Major Atom girls basketball team travelled to Scarborough on the weekend of January 30th - February 1st, 2009 to participate in the Scarborough Basketball Association Rep Team tournament at the HoopDome.

The Hornets first game in round robin action was the Saturday morning versus the London Ramblers. The Hornets pressed from the opening tip-off and got off to a very strong start, from which the Ramblers could not recover, and went on to post a 39-15 win.

The Hornets then adjourned to the Rainforest Café for lunch as the scheduled dictated a long wait until the next game. The Hornets returned to the HoopDome in time for their next game only to discover the tournament was running very late. The overheated facility made the wait uncomfortable for players and parents alike. The game finally began almost an hour late. The team started strong, but wilted in the second half to go down by a single point to the St. Catherines Rebels 25-24.

Early Sunday morning the team returned to the HoopDome for their third game of round robin play only to discover it had been cancelled by the tournament organizers. The Hornets once again faced a long wait before their next game. The Hornets finally resumed play just after lunch in a semi-final game versus a tough squad from Etobicoke. The Hornets played a solid game and earned the victory 37-28.

Late Sunday afternoon, the Hornets faced the Caledon Cougars for the tournament championship. The game was a battle from start to finish. The Hornets faced the Cougars aggressive style of play without intimidation. At the end of the third quarter the teams were deadlocked at 27. The Hornets broke the game open in the fourth quarter and went on to win 48-40 for the tournament championship. Madison Graves was awarded the tournament MVP for her outstanding play during the weekend.

The Hornets are coached by Scott Nystedt, Tony Wilson, Kevin Kennedy and Kristin Petruska and are managed by Lorena-Del Nystedt.

Boy and Girls Hornets Head South of the Border ... but not very far South!!

 Both the girls and boys major atom Goulbourn Hornets medaled in the Dave Shea Classic Basketball Tournament in Ogdensburg, New York on the weekend of January 10th-11th, 2009. Dave Shea is a local sports reporter and advocate for youth in the community who is honoured annually with this tournament.

 The Goulbourn teams were initially forced to contend with the rougher style of play that is common in upper New York State. Adjustments were made quickly however, as both Goulbourn teams swept their respective pools in round robin play. The boys defeated Waddington, Hammond and Massena while the girls beat Heuvelton, and Ogdensburg.

 In semi-final action the boys took on the host Ogdensburg team and emerged with a 26-24 victory to advance to the tournament championship. On the girl’s side, the Hornets advanced with a 39-4 win over Canton.

 Late Sunday afternoon, the girls took the floor in the gold medal game against the host Ogdensburg team. At half-time, the Hornets were up by only a single point against the hot shooting locals. In the second half, the Hornets pulled away as they continued to roll lines while the starters from Ogdensburg tired. The Hornets took the game 46-27 for the tournament championship.

 Immediately following the girls championship, the boys faced Massena for the tournament championship on the boy’s side of the draw. The boys battled hard but came up short 24-28 to claim well deserved silver medals in their fourth game of the day.

 Both Hornets teams thoroughly enjoyed the chance to play against our US neighbours and experience a little bit of life on the other side of the border. There is already talk of this becoming an annual event.

Gold in Kanata for Major Atom Hornets (girls)

 The Goulbourn Hornets Major Atom girls won gold medals at the 15 Annual Chris Paulin Memorial Basketball Tournament the weekend of December 5th-7th, 2008 in Kanata.

 The Hornets tipped off in an early draw on the Friday afternoon versus the Barrhaven Blue Devils. Excellent team play led the Hornets to a 44-30 victory. Chloe Brownlee was selected as the Hornet’s player of the game.

 The Hornets second game in pool play was the Saturday morning versus local rival, the Russell Rockets. The Rockets and Hornets battled hard with the Rockets prevailing by only six points, 39-25. Julia Blais was named the Hornets player of the game.

 The Hornets third and final game of pool play on the Saturday afternoon was against the Kanata Cavaliers. The Hornets secured a 24-18 victory to advance to Sunday’s semi-final play. Devon Kedrosky was selected as the Hornets player of the game.

 On the Sunday morning, the Hornets faced a tough semi-final match-up versus an intense Cornwall Lions squad. Furious end to end action ensued with the Hornets being ahead by 16 points at the half. Unfortunately, the Hornets went ice cold from the floor during the second half and managed to score only three points. However, the combination of the large halftime lead and stingy defence helped the Hornets hang on to win the game 29-25 and advance to the tournament championship.

 The gold medal game on the Sunday afternoon featured a rematch versus the Russell Rockets. The Hornets were anxious to avenge the previous day’s defeat. Despite having a shortened bench due to ongoing injuries, the Hornets never let up and at the buzzer led by a single point to secure the tournament championship! Final score was 41-40 for the Hornets. Chloe Brownlee was named tournament MVP for her outstanding play throughout the weekend.

 The Hornets are coached by Scott Nystedt, Tony Wilson and Kevin Kennedy and are managed by Lorena-Del Nystedt.

  Major Atom Hornets Girls Win Gold in Barrhaven!

The Goulbourn Hornets Major Atom #1 girls basketball team began their tournament season on a high note with a win at the Barrhaven 7th Annual Fall Classic basketball tournament on the weekend of November 14th-16th, 2008.

Friday evening, the first game in pool play pitted the Hornets against the host Barrhaven Blue Devils. The Hornets won the game 29-10 with Katie Kennedy selected as the Hornets player of the game. Saturday morning, the Hornets took on the Osgoode-Rideau Bedrock. The Hornets won the contest 36-12 with Alexe Galipeau-Wilson receiving player of the game honours. Saturday afternoon, the Hornets met the Gloucester Wolverines in their last game of round robin play. The Hornets won 36-6 with Madi Graves named the Hornets player of the game. The Hornets 3-0 record in pool play advanced the team to semi-final action on Sunday.

Sunday morning, the Hornets took on a very strong squad from Cornwall in semi-final play. The Cornwall Lions had handed the Hornets their only loss of a very young season a few weeks previously. The Hornets were looking forward to the rematch. The Hornets started strong and jumped to an early lead. Then things started to unravel. Kylea Galipeau-Wilson re-aggravated a nagging knee injury and was forced to the bench. Seconds later, Alexe Galipeau-Wilson went down with what eventually turned out to be a broken wrist. The Hornets had a hard time focusing on the task at hand after watching two of their own go down in considerable pain and eventually trailed the Lions 17-14 at the half time break. The Hornets regrouped at half and returned to the hardwood re-energized and re-focused. The team pulled together and prevailed 34-25. Chloe Brownlee was selected as the Hornets player of the game. The win put the Hornets into the championship game versus the Russell Rockets.

On Sunday afternoon, the Hornets met the Russell Rockets for the tournament championship. Superstition dictates that bad things come in threes. Four minutes into the championship game the third injury of the tournament occurred. Katie Kennedy was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury. The Hornets were now down to 9 players of whom only three were returnees from last year. The remaining Hornets never faltered and kept working hard to lead 12-10 at the half. The Hornets continued their determined, team-oriented play for the second half and won the gold medal game 27-21. Adrianna Nystedt was selected as the Hornets players of the game, while Katie Kennedy, despite seeing limited action in the final game due to injury, was named the tournament MVP.

The Hornets are coached by Scott Nystedt, Tony Wilson, Kevin Kennedy and Kristen Petruska and are managed by Lorena-Del Nystedt.