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Oxford Attack Win Gold At Provincials

The Oxford Attack Under 14 Boys Basketball Team are the Provincial Champions after winning gold in Ottawa.

OXFORD COUNTY - The Oxford Attack Under-14 Boys basketball team won Gold at their Provincial finals this past weekend in Ottawa.

The Attack finished first in Division 9 of 19 at the Ontario Basketball Association's Ontario Cup in Ottawa, April 26 to 28. They went 3-0 in the round robin to qualify for the gold medal game, ultimately defeating the Sudbury Jam in overtime 64-61.

In an email, Coach Colin Halward said the team showed great teamwork throughout the season:

"All season long we won and lost as a team. Injuries to several key players through the year forced new players to step up, and in true team fashion they battled through the adversity together. Balancing playing time and teaching moments as coaches is tricky. This was especially true this year with three new players being added to our Attack family. These boys understood and worked with the philosophy ‘just do your job for the benefit of the team’ throughout the season."

The Attack opened their Provincials with a challenging game versus the IEM Durham team. After a gruelling 32 min test the final score was Attack 63 – IEM 56. Their second game was against another difficult opponent in Canadian Basketball Academy, but they were able to come out with a 65-52 victory. In their final round robin match, Oxford faced off against the highest ranked opponent they had seen so far in the tournament, the #4 seeded Peterborough Power. After three quarters the Attack found themselves down by 3 points with 1 quarter to go. It all changed at that moment, said coach Colin: “I told the boys if you want a gold medal you have 8 min's left to earn your right to play for it, but

they are not going to give it to you. You have to take it! Eight minutes later the Attack had what they had traveled six hours to get, the opportunity to play for a Gold Medal, with a 47-44 win over Peterborough.

The final game of the year would be their toughest contest of the weekend, against a great opponent in the Sudbury Jam. The Attack opened the game with the confidence that had carried over from their previous victories, and the first quarter ended with the Attack up by a score of 18-9. The Jam were not going away though, and ended the second quarter with a barrage of three point shots to go ahead 31-30 heading into the half.

In his half time speech Coach Colin stated: "You travelled six hours to play in this gold medal game. You have played with heart this weekend and earned the right to call yourselves champions. Look at each other, trust each other, and believe in each other. If you can walk away saying you gave everything you had and the guys to your right and left can say the same, I promise you we will be champions." 

The third quarter started and ended with no team having a decided advantage. The same could be said about the fourth quarter. What would a championship game be without overtime? Down by 2 points with 1:25 left in overtime, Attack called a timeout. “I did not really have a play in mind, or anything really that I needed to say. I just wanted the boys to catch their breath and relish the moment.” says Coach Colin. “Remember it is just a game, and win or lose you still get a medal… but the six hour car ride home will be so much better with a gold medal than a silver!” When the final buzzer sounded all doubt was put to rest and the Attack were victorious with a 64-61 win.

"Special recognition must be made for the boys on the bench during the gold medal game. Their energy and constant cheering energized the entire gym, and when it was their turn to enter the game, they were ready!"

Halward thanked Assistant Coaches Mark Parolin, Quinn Gibson and Rob Duivenvoorde, as well as Team Managers Rick Charters and Rachel Duivenvoorde. He also voiced his appreciation to the team’s parents for their dedication and support throughout the season: "none of our accomplishments would have been possible this year without our amazing parent group!"

"Understand that basketball is more than a game. It is a mirror to life in so many ways: the ups the downs and all the mistakes and fun in between. The game has taught us to be humble in victory, and that we build character in defeat. Mistakes are a normal part of our lives and young people need to understand that character is defined not by how many times you win, but by how many times you lose and choose to try again." This weekend at the Ontario Cup and all year long these boys made it very clear that they understood that concept through their attitude and perseverance, and thus earned the right to call themselves champions.

Article submitted by Coach Colin 

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