After being left on the shelf for two years, the Orillia Blackball trophy has been dusted off for this weekend’s action.
The tournament, which dates to 1945, kicked off Friday afternoon and is taking place at all three high schools in town.
Sarah Hagman, a health and physical education teacher at Twin Lakes Secondary School, is one of the organizers of this year’s tournament. She says high school sporting events were “dearly” missed during the pandemic.
“The energy in the gym these days is fantastic,” she said. “Even last year, having games without spectators was really hard. It’s fun to see the fans who have come back with a ton of energy.”
Hagman hopes local sports fans will continue their support of high school sports this weekend and pack local gyms.
“Teams are very excited to come here to play,” she said. “We have teams here from all over Ontario.”
This weekend,16 senior and eight junior teams are competing for the Blackball championship.
“We in Orillia enjoy hosting it,” Hagman said. “It’s always fun entering into the gyms and seeing young players, Lakers players, high school students, and Orillians who have played in the tournament.”
The Blackball tournament is an opportunity to showcase Orillia and the sport of basketball, she says.
“Orillia is a really nice city,” she said. “It’s nice when visiting teams come to explore. We’ve always received good feedback.”
What makes the Blackball championship special is tradition, Hagman says.
“There are coaches who come who have played in the tournament,” she said. “There is a special history with this tournament, and the coveted trophy is sort of like our Stanley Cup.”
This year, an Orillia team has a chance to keep the trophy in its home city. The Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School senior boys’ basketball team was undefeated in league and tournament play coming into this weekend’s tournament.
“They have some competitive players on their team, for sure,” Hagman said. “They are definitely one team to watch.”
She says it’s important for fans to support all three Orillia high schools this weekend.
“Basketball was on hiatus there for a couple of years,” she said. “It’s a lot of rebuilding for programs, so it will be nice to see them get some games in and get back to where we were pre-COVID.”
The junior boys’ final is Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The senior boys’ final will follow at 4 p.m. Both games are at Twin Lakes.
The full schedule and game results can be found here.
