Thunder guard glad to be back
It has been a long journey back to the basketball court for Blessed Trinity Thunder guard Lexia Poitras.
In the spring of 2017, the 16-year-old Pelham resident was playing soccer and tried to change directions.
“I pushed off my leg a little too hard and my knee snapped under me,” she said. “I tore my ACL and detached my meniscus.”
But that was only the start of the story for the Grade 11 student, who netted eight points Wednesday night to help the second-seeded Thunder defeat the E.L. Crossley Cyclones 50-38 in the championship quarter-finals of the 19th Standard Girls Basketball Tournament.
“They messed up my first surgery and I had to go for a second operation which again didn’t help,” said the Grimsby under-19 travel player. “I had to wait another few months to get a surgery in London which ended up fixing my knee completely.”
It was a tough period for the talented teen.
“It was really hard at first because it really sucks not being able to be out there with my teammates, but being able to watch them succeed and play at their best even from the sidelines was amazing.
“I went to a lot of practices and my teammates were a big part of getting me back to the game and reminding me how much I love the sport.”
Once her knee healed, she worked hard to get back on the court
“I am working towards getting back to 100 per cent,” she said.
She isn’t even thinking about her knee now.
“It’s something that happened, it’s in the past and I have to keep it out of my mind,” she said. “I believe everything happens for a reason.”
Thunder head coach John DiPasquale likes what Poitras adds to his already potent roster.
“We have six guns a blazing, but she gives us a depth from the guard position and, more importantly, she gives us a bit of poise,” he said. “I like to run and gun, but she has a way of slowing the game down in her mind and it supports the players around her. She’s cool.”
Poitras was impressed with the challenge Crossley gave the Thunder.
“Crossley played amazing and both teams really worked hard,” Poitras said. “They gave us a run for our money.”
DiPasquale wasn’t surprised.
“It goes to show that there is parity all over the place,” he said. “I expected that, I gave my team a heads up because I knew that Crossley was going to be tough.
“They are organized, they are well-coached, they are athletic and they made us fight for every square inch on the floor. I knew that, but these guys (his team) didn’t believe me.”
He felt his team won the hard way.
“Credit to them. They showed character because you have to win these things,” DiPasquale said. “We did enough and a couple of our kids stood tall.”
Coach Aaron Belding liked how his team didn’t back down from the second-seeded Thunder.
“I don’t think they were intimidated,” he said. “It was just the fast play and the girls haven’t had any competition at that speed yet.
“It was the speed that got them at the beginning, but we recovered in the second half.”
Belding likes how his team is trending.
“It was a huge improvement.”
STATS PACK
Thunder 50 Cyclones 38
Mick and Angelo’s/Johnny Rocco’s Player of the Game: BT’s Lexia Poitras with eight points and a year’s worth of persistence to get back on the basketball court.
For the Blessed Trinity Thunder: Mia DiPasquale 13; Ella Muraca 12; Lexia Poitras 8; Maddie O’Brien 7; Katrina Shields 4; Makayla Giddings 3; Olivia Iannotta 3.
For the E.L. Crossley Cyclones: Sydney Grummett 15; Hannah Nicholls 7; Jordan Wilton 7; Emma Kulik 2; Allison O’Connor 2; Mackenna Belding 2; Emily Bonisteel 2; Tess Puchalski 1.
PATRIOTS 54 COUGARS 32
Keira Federinko netted 15 points to power the Saint Paul Patriots to a 54-32 victory over the Centennial Cougars Wednesday in consolation quarter-final action at the Standard girls basketball tournament.
Also scoring for the Patriots were: Livia Piccirillo (12), Julianna Fabiano (8), Julia Garisto (7), Vivian Lee (4), Emily Semark (4), Hanna Dino (2) and Angeline Galati (2).
Scoring for Centennial were Destiny Paquin (9), Emily Babyak (8), Sarah Stayzer (4), Jessica Acaster (3), Emily Campbell (2) and Tess Rowland (2). Four points were not accounted for on the game sheet.
Saint Paul head coach Kristin McDonald was happy with how her team bounced back from Tuesday’s loss.
“We are so excited. It was a perfect win,” she said.
She described Wednesday’s game as right in her team’s wheelhouse.
“We love a good scrappy game where every single 50/50 ball is yours and when you fight and double team and pressure,” McDonald said. “Sometimes we have a hard time scoring so when it comes to games like this, we are really successful.”
The Patriots are 0-2 in Niagara Catholic Athletic Association league play this fall, but they are building as the season goes along.
“We are using the Standard and Tribune tournaments as stepping stones to show off our skill,” McDonald said. “We haven’t peaked yet as a team so I am excited about that; a lightbulb game where everything falls into place.”
