Bulldogs have two cracks at OFSAA medal
Back in 2015 and 2016, Sam Keltos and Jummy Oladipo were members of the first Sir Winston Churchill girls basketball team to make it to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations championships.
On hand to watch their big sisters play were Brooke Keltos and Yemi Oladipo.
“It was fun to be in the gym and fun to watch our sisters play,” Brooke said Thursday night, after helping the Bulldogs advance to the OFSAA AAA semifinals with a 50-40 victory over the Sudbury LaSalle Lancers. “Now as a player, this is always what I wanted to do in high school.
“They were the first (girls) team from Sir Winston to get to OFSAA and we are the second team. I don’t think they ever won a medal and tomorrow hopefully we will be the first team to win.”
On the line for Brooke is sibling bragging rights.
“Because she is that much older than me, she has been through it all and now it is our time and my time too to have the same successes and hopefully achieve more.”
It is a dream come true for the 16-year-old to get to battle for an OFSAA medal in her home gym.
“Especially because of COVID, I never thought we would be in this situation to have OFSAA,” the Grade 11 student “We had to pick it up at the last moment and it is amazing that all the volunteers are putting in the time and making this happen.”
Knowing that a win Thursday night would guarantee the team two cracks at an OFSAA medal weighed heavily on the Bulldogs.
“I think that was in our heads the whole game,” she said. “It’s hard to imagine we are playing it here at our school but we earned our spot. It’s all the work we have put into practice and winning all our games. It’s so exciting when everybody does what they are supposed to do and we have success.”
Churchill head coach Frank Keltos knew his team was feeling the pressure.
“There were a lot of nerves about what was at stake. The opportunity to get to a medal game is pretty cool and I am glad we put in together.”
It wasn’t easy against a tough LaSalle squad.
“We were a little nervous, our shots didn’t drop, we got a little bit panicked, they pressured us and then they hit a ton of shots,” Frank Keltos said. “We were overplaying and doing young things. It is that youth in us wanting to steal the ball every second and sometimes you just have to let the game come to you.”
It took a total team effort.
“We got contributions from everybody and we had some solid play from our guards, Brooke, Yemi and Reese Bolibruck came in and hit a couple of nice threes to help us relax,” he said.
His daughter Brooke played a key role, filling it at point guard when starter Kate Smyth got in foul trouble.
“Today she was a leader out there,” he said. “She had to take the role of point guard and there was a lot of pressure and she did a great job. I’m proud of her as a dad to take that on not just as a coach.
“She might not have showed up on the scoreboard as much but the points were doubled by the amount of control she had on the game.”
Brooke ended up playing the entire game.
“It is a lot and it was hard to take on the role of dribbling the ball when I am that tired but when our team makes a good play and we kick it out and hit that three, it is so great to cheer on that teammate and it gets me going,” she said. “I don’t feel how tired I am or how long I have been playing.”
Graduating Churchill senior Megan Barker also had a big game, scoring and rebounding.
“She got a lot of rebounds and I love what she does but sometimes you just want her to pick her battles but that is the learning process,” Frank Keltos said.
The bronze medal game will be Friday at 6 p.m. at Churchill followed by the gold medal game at 7:30 p.m.
Bulldogs 57 Wildcats 29
Churchill opened the tournament with a 57-29 victory over the IE Weldon Wildcats.
The Bulldogs built quarter leads of 15-6, 32-10 and 48-22 en route to the victory.
Scoring for Churchill were Keltos (16), Oladipo (15), Sarah Ben Omrane (9), Smyth (7), Barker (4), Bolibruck (4) and Sam Cormier (2).
Top scorer for the Wildcats was C. Lawrence-Kish with eight points.
STATS PACK
Bulldogs 50 Lancers 40
Cat’s Caboose Player of the Game: Churchill’s Megan Barker with 19 points and a ton of rebounds.
For the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs: Barker (19), Brooke Keltos (13), Bolibruck (7), Kate Smyth (6), Yemi Oladipo (3), Sam Cormier (2)
For the LaSalle Lancers: Madison Norman (18), Lainey Allen (10) Charlotte Eberlein (7), Taylor Prudhomme (3), Hunter Brear (1), Jasmine Sovignoc (1)
Up next: Churchill plays in the semifinals Friday at 11 at Churchill.
