Photo courtesy of Jen Nagy, Brantford CYO

The Brantford CYO Falcons pulled off a series of upsets en route to their Division I Provincial Championship at the Meridian Community Center in Pelham. The U15 girls squad capped off a 4-1 weekend with an exciting 43-40 victory over the top ranked Nepean Blue Devils in the final contest. The undersized and undermanned Falcons went into the championship ranked #6 in the province, knowing it would take a number of excellent efforts to reach the medal rounds.

The Falcons did not start their journey as they had hoped, falling 41-30 to IEM Basketball Club from Newmarket in the opening game. Knowing they would likely need to win both of their next two pool play games to advance, the girls put forth fantastic efforts at both ends of the floor to help knock off #3 ranked Team Breakdown 52-43 and #7 ranked Stoney Creek Newman Youth 41- 29 to advance to the semi finals.

Underdogs once again, the team showed their grit and toughness to upset  #5 ranked Guelph Jr. Gryphons 62-47, setting them up for a final showdown with top ranked Nepean. The Blue Devils had control for the majority of the game, stretching their lead to fourteen points heading into the fourth quarter. The Falcons would not go away however, battling back through some stifling defensive pressure to tie the game with 1:32 to play. Aided by a number of clutch plays down the stretch, the Falcons were able seal the victory and take home the gold medal.

Assistant coach Jen Nagy said that the emotion and atmosphere in the gym and by the girls was outstanding all weekend.

“The girls are extremely excited; it was an amazing weekend.”

Head coach Steve Petrella was pleased with how his team progressed throughout the season and felt that the hard work and dedication the girls put in paid off.

“We were always competitive no matter who we were playing. They knew that as long as we competed, when the fourth quarter comes anything can happen.”

The Falcons started the year in the second division of the Ontario Basketball League before getting promoted to the OBLX, the top division in the province midway through their season. With the core nucleus of the roster playing together since they were six years old, and seven of the eight players playing together at Assumption College in Brantford, Petrella says it was exciting to see the group win together.

“For me, this championship will be one of the more memorable ones.”

Members of the championship team include Audra Nagy, Molly Parker, Venecia Petrella, Madison Bennett, Carisa Tran, Talia Ronson, Arhyanna Petrella, and Jessie Biela.