Niagara hoopsters mine bronze at Games
Corrynn Parker and Sarah Hurley ended the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games with bronze medals around their necks.
Parker, a 17-year-old Fenwick resident, and Hurley, a 16-year-old Fonthill resident, were members of Team Ontario’s women’s basketball team that defeated Quebec 57-36 Saturday afternoon at the Meridian Centre to claim the bronze medal.
In the final: Parker played 17:11 and contributed three points, three rebounds and an assist, steal and block; and, Hurley played 3:13 and had three points on 1-1 shooting and added two steals.
Both relished their Canada Games experience.
“Being in my hometown was really great and I have had a lot of family come out and a lot of support from all around,” said Parker, a Niagara Prep player. “It has been a really great experience with the Opening Ceremonies and everything. It was a lot of fun.”
The highlight of the week for the 5-10 power forward was the Opening Ceremonies, especially with point guard Taija Sta Maria serving as the flag bearer.
“We were able to walk in with her and get all that energy from the fans.”
The week was a learning experience for Parker.
“I learned that it takes a lot of hard work to get here. This is a new team and we have all been kind of thrown together into training camp before this. I made a lot of new friends and I love the coaching staff and my team.”
Parker will take the Games’ experiences with her in her basketball career.
“It has shown me what it takes to get here. I am taking one last year at Niagara Prep this year and then I will be off to college,” she said. “There are a lot of big venues in college basketball, especially in the U.S., so this was a really big learning experience for me to prepare me for the next level.”
Ontario coach Jobina D’Aloisio was impressed with Parker’s play this week.
“Corrynn is tough as nails, she digs deep in big games and she comes up with big shots when we need her to. She is highly coachable, highly motivated, hard-working and an all-around great team player,” she said.
Parker showed an ability to let the game come to her and not force things.
“She is very comfortable in the role that we have given her and she is smart,” D’Aloisio said. “She watches the game unfold and she makes the right choice. She is not forcing anything and she does what she needs to do.”
Parker’s role with Team Ontario morphed into a role as a shooter coming off the bench.
“Initially, we wanted her to have more of an inside presence but once we saw what she could do around the perimeter we gave her a little bit more of a green light to shoot the ball,” D’Aloisio said. “But what I like about her is she is tough to guard and she can get to the rim because there is a lot of motion offence they (Niagara Prep) play. She is very good at both.”
Hurley, a six-foot shooting guard who will suit up for Lincoln prep in Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association play this fall, had a great time at the Canada Games.
“It was super fun playing with this team and it was great to get to know all the girls because I had never played with them before,” she said. “It was fun to play with older girls.”
Her favourite moment came late in the week.
“It’s probably right now winning a bronze. We were disappointed last night because, of course, we wanted to be in the gold medal game, but we pulled it together for today and we are super proud of ourselves.”
It was a good week of development for Hurley.
“Getting to play in the Canada Games was great because it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and not many people get a chance to play in it.”
Like Parker, she will use the experience as motivation moving forward.
“It is great for my resume to say that I played in the Canada Summer Games for a U18 team. I am proud of myself.”
D’Aloisio like what Hurley brought to the court this week.
“Sarah is young, she has lots of energy and she is really keen to learn. She came in not knowing anyone and feeling really unconfident and unsure of herself and I think she has come into her own during these Games,” she said. “She is starting to handle the ball more, she is not afraid to put some big shots up in big games which is a sign of a great player, I think there is a great future for her in this game. She is very coachable and she is also willing to be a good teammate when she needs to be.”
