NEWS RELASE
ORILLIA LAKERS
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This past weekend the Orillia Lakers U17 boys team successfully competed in the Barrie Royals tournament.
The Lakers opened the tournament with a game against the Grimsby Grizzlies. They competed hard but were outplayed by the Grizzlies, who ended up winning gold in the end.
Game number two was a much different story, with the Orillia squad getting an early lead on the Toronto Golden Eagles and winning the game with a score of 67-48.
It was a bright and early start on Sunday morning, with the Orillia Lakers facing a familiar opponent in the Midland Waves. Recently, the Lakers and Waves had a double overtime thriller, and this game was much the same. The Lakers surged ahead early, but Midland battled back, and the lead changed many times right up until the final buzzer, with the teams tied. Orillia pulled ahead on some clutch free throws late in overtime, and their defence got a final stop to secure the win 67-66.
The win secured the Lakers a spot in the bronze medal game against the Collingwood Trailblazers. Collingwood kept the game close, taking the lead at one point, but in the third quarter, the Lakers defence came alive, and they were able to overcome the Trailblazers in the end with a 54-48 victory to secure the bronze medal.
The Orillia Lakers would like to thank the Barrie Royals for hosting the tournament and the parents and fans that came out to support the boys. The U17 Lakers look to resume action in April, where they will participate in the IEM tournament in Aurora.
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