Rough start for Blue Bears in Turner Clarke Classic
As far as buyouts go, the start of Thursday’s game between the visiting Smithville District Christian Storm and the Port Colborne Blue Bears is one the hosts would rather forget.
Playing in their opening game of the Turner Clarke Classic basketball tournament, the Blue Bears fell behind 27-2 early before rallying to lose by a respectable 58-43 margin.
“We started slowly, but we played well the three quarters after that,” said Blue Bears player, Aidan Hawkins, who scored nine points in the loss. “We weren’t ready and we have to play harder right off the bat.”
The Grade 11 student, who also plays volleyball and ultimate Frisbee, said basketball is his favourite sport.
“I go unconscious when I play and I forget about everything else,” he said.
The 16-year-old is optimistic about the Blue Bears’ chances this season.
“If we play hard, we can beat some of the teams in our division,” he said. “We are a young team and next year is going to be our year.”
Port Colborne coach Scott Grover expects to have a few growing pains with his team this season.
“We are young and inexperienced, but we’re trying,” he said
He put his team’s slow start Thursday down to jitters.
“We had stage fright, for sure,” he said. “We were nervous.”
Grover has modest goals for his squad this season.
“We just want to improve and we will see how we do at the end of the year,” he said. “I think we could do OK.”
In Niagara Region High School Athletic Association Zone 3 action, single A Port Colborne plays against mostly AA and one AAA school. But Grover doesn’t want anyone feeling sorry for the Blue Bears.
“That (Smithville Christian) was a single A school that we just got beat by,” he said. “They did a good job and we were a little flat today and I don’t know why.”
Grover has just returned to coaching the boys program and he’s excited about the future.
“It’s going to take a few years, but we are going to be very competitive,” he said. “We have a great groups of Grade 9s and Grade 8s coming and we are going to be a force.”
Right now, Hawkins is a force for Port Colborne.
“Aidan tries really hard and once he gets his free throws going again, he’ll be good,” Grover said. “He is an impact player when he wants to be.”
And he’s not afraid to take the ball to the hoop.
“He can drive with the best of them,” Grover said.
The Turner Clarke Classic basketball tournament continues Friday at Port Colborne High School with the consolation final set for noon and the championship game scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
It is named in honour of Turner Clarke, who died in a boating accident in the summer of 2017.
“We do this as a tribute to him and a tribute to his great parents, Jason and Aleasha Ann, and what this tournament does is pay for all our programs,” Grover said. “I can put my boys in any tournament now with all the fundraising we do and we also do a scholarship in his name at the end of every year.”
Turner was a student at Oakwood Public School and was the student council prime minister and class valedictorian when he graduated in 2017. He was the winner of numerous awards, including Excellence in Education and the 2017 PC Optimists Youth Appreciation Award, and was a runner-up for the Port Colborne-Wainfleet Chamber of Commerce Youth Citizen Award.
He played piano and trombone and took part in musical productions as a member of the Port Colborne Operatic Society. In addition, he represented the District School Board of Niagara at the Provincial Heritage Fair in Toronto on two occasions and was an Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters Youth Citizen. He earned many awards from the Legion and Lions public speaking competitions.
Turner also enjoyed sports, playing travel basketball for the Port Colborne Hornets and attending golf camps at Whiskey Run.
“We get a lot of contributions from businesses and individuals who really believe in the cause and want to show their respect for the Clarke family and remember an incredible kid,” Grover said. “He was above and beyond, so great at academics and such a wonderful person.”
STATS PACK
Storm 58 Blue Bears 43
Mick and Angelo’s/Johnny Rocco’s Player of the Game: Smithville Christian’s Dolu Johnson with 14 points and double-digit rebounds.
For the Smithville District Christian Storm: Johnson 14; Zion Hoekstra 14; Jayden Talsma 11; Derek Breukelman 8; Jeremy DeBoer 4; Tyler Glasbergen 3; Tony VanRys 3.
For the Port Colborne Blue Bears: Aidan Hawkins 9; Colton Weaver 9; Jake Bruno 9; Hunter Fraser 5; Mark Youngblut 4; Dylan Culp 2; Seth Roy 2; Josh Bennett 1.
