Canada’s longest, continuously running high-school basketball tournament will once again take centre court in Orillia this weekend.
The 73rd annual Orillia Blackball Classic tips off Friday morning with games in both junior and senior boys’ divisions. Teams representing each of Orillia’s three high schools – Orillia Secondary School, Twin Lakes Secondary School and Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School – will compete in the event; games will be played at all three local high schools.
The championship games will be played at Orillia Secondary School on Saturday starting at 6 p.m. with the junior title game followed by the championship contest for the top two senior squads.
Sixteen teams will vie for the coveted Blackball trophy in the senior boys’ draw. Participants include Saltfleet District High School (Hamilton), which has a dominant basketball program, La Salle Secondary School from Sudbury, which has a young team that includes a pair of Grade 10s and local hopeful, Orillia Secondary School. OSS sports a very strong senior team this year; the Nighthawks are undefeated in league play and have been competitive in the tournament circuit this year, said Sarah Hagman, who organizes the annual event alongside April Davidson.
There are only eight teams in the junior division this year. Hagman said three teams to watch for are Saltfleet District High School, which comes into the tournament with an impressive record after dominating the competition this year, Frontenac Secondary School from Kingston, which features three returning players and a very strong contingent of Grade 9 players, and Huntsville High School, who enters Blackball play with an undefeated record.
“There is no admission cost and there will be some great basketball played at all three local high-school gyms,” said Hagman. “We’d love to see lots of people in the stands to cheer on our athletes.”
Drop by OrilliaMatters.com Friday and Saturday for photos and results or follow along on Twitter: @BlackballBBall.
