Local basketball player earns provincial silver
Posted Apr 19, 2012 By Rosanne Lake
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EMC Sports - Blythe Talbot-Cadue went to school like any other Grade 8 student on Monday morning, but her weekend was anything but ordinary.
Rosanne Lake, Smiths Falls EMC
Blythe Talbot-Cadue holds up her silver medal earned at the Ontario Basketball Association championships over the weekend. The intermediate student at St. John Catholic High School hails from Newboro.
The St. John Catholic High School intermediate student was part of the Kingston basketball team that earned silver at the Ontario Cup provincial championships held April 13 to 15 in Ottawa.
The Kingston Impact U14 major bantam girls team finished its season with a lot to be proud of.
Not only did Talbot-Cadue help to solidify her squad as the 12th ranked team in the province, but did so in a traditionally Toronto-dominated competition.
The point guard who comes from Newboro was sporting her Ontario Basketball sweatshirt Monday morning and had her silver medal tucked away in her locker at St. John, eager to show anyone who asked about her recent success.
"It was an intense weekend, but we did well," she said. "We ran some teams hard, but for others we had to get our heads in the game."
Talbot-Cadue said it was a milestone year for the Impact team, having never gone this far before in competition.
She said last year, the team was ranked 22 in Division 3. This year, the team moved up a division, so was playing at a higher level in Division 2, and still finished the season ranked 12th in the province.
At the start of the season in September, the team was ranked 20th. Moving up the ladder has been hard work, but also rewarding, Talbot-Cadue said.
The Kingston team showcased its skills at the Ontario championships over the weekend. The Impact won its two initial games downing the Windsor Valiants, 31-23 and winning over IEM Newmarket 39-22.
The locals then lost 26-20 against first-seeded Scarborough Basketball-Warwick. That put the Kingston girls up against the St. Catharine's CYO Rebels, who they narrowly defeated 27-24.
That win placed the Impact in the gold medal game Sunday afternoon, tipping off against Scarborough Basketball-Warwick again. Try as they may, the Kingston Impact fell short of the gold medal by just a few baskets, getting defeated 27-24.
Talbot-Cadue said earning a medal at the provincial level was an experience to remember.
She says her ultimate dream is to play in the Women's National Basketball Association, but quickly laughs to add her more realistic goal is to play university ball.
"I'm aiming to get a scholarship for basketball," she said, noting she eats, sleeps and breathes the sport, even planning to attend numerous camps this summer, as far away as Windsor, Ont.
"There's something about this sport that attracts me," she said.
"When I'm shooting it just feels right, it feels great to play and I love everything about basketball."
rosanne.lake@perthcourier.com
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