Falcons, Marauders look back while paying it forward at Pink Ribbon Challenge

The Pink Ribbon Challenge collective ‘team’ Oct. 3 at Woodstock St. Mary’s. (Jeff Tribe Photo)

Jeff Tribe, Echo Correspondent

London Fanshawe Falcons guard Isabella Bertucci enjoyed a look back as she continued to pay it forward at the 7th Annual Oxford Pink Ribbon Basketball Challenge Saturday, Oct. 3 at Woodstock St. Mary’s.

A Thames Valley Regional Athletics product, the Arva Medway Cowboys graduate and former London Rambler could see something of herself in the Oxford Attack U11 and U13 girls cheering in the stands and scrimmaging at halftime.

“One hundred per cent,” Bertucci smiled. “I just loved watching (older girls compete), I always wanted to play that level.”

A collaborative effort between the Attack and Oxford Basketball Officials Association, the Pink Ribbon challenge celebrates women’s basketball through an exhibition game between the Falcons and the Hamilton McMaster Marauders. Timed to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, event organizers and officials wear bright pink shirts, with proceeds supporting the Canadian Cancer Society.

“It’s just a very positive girls’ basketball weekend,” said Attack President/Treasurer Paul Cowan.

“It’s a great community event,” credited Marauders coach Isabel Ormond, happily following in a tradition established by her predecessor Theresa Burns. The Pink Ribbon challenge is well organized and run Ormond continued, playing for a worthy cause added incentive.

“It’s a great connection. We can use this game for something that matters.”

Like Bertucci, McMaster’s Teja McCormick grew up watching older players play, dreaming of being in their shoes.

“It’s cool to be on the other side of that.”

Beyond putting on a fine exhibition of top-notch post-secondary women’s basketball Attack members can aspire to, the varsity players’ buy-in included cheering on their younger counterparts and lining up in offsetting corridors of ‘high fives’ both coming onto and leaving the court.

“I couldn’t stop smiling,” said Marauder Keira Daly, a 5’10” guard from Hamilton Cathedral, studying kinesiology. “It was very cute.”

“It’s nice to see how many more leagues there are and how they all want to be involved in basketball and get better,” Bertucci added.

Growth in the women’s game from the youth level on up through the WNBA, including Toronto’s own Tempo is ‘great to see,’ agreed Daly, extending an invitation for fans to check out the compete level and entertainment value in post-secondary competition.

“Watch it and watch it courtside,” she said, hoping fans realize the commitment required including practice, conditioning and weight training in addition to learning the X’s and O’s.

“It’s a lifestyle,” Daly said. “A sisterhood. You’re doing what you love with the people you love.”

She finished with 13 points through an 88-61 Marauders victory, including a trio of three-point field goals. Teammates Tayler Scott (13), Emily Frankovic (11) and McCormick (10) also reached double digits with Sophia Urosevic adding a trio of treys. Bertucci finished with 11 in a losing cause for the Falcons with Edith Eseme leading Fanshawe’s offence with 18 points, Sidney Deleary adding 13 and Addison Deelstra seven.

An event bringing high-level women’s basketball to Oxford and financially supporting the CCS comes together as a collective effort says OBOA president and co-organizer Nino DeLuca. It’s a lengthy list including volunteers, major sponsors Honda, Home Hardware, Leon’s, Shoppers Drug Mart and Boston Pizza; ongoing commitment from the two teams and support from players young and older, along with their parents.

“All-in-all, everyone pulls together. It’s a great day and a lot of fun.”

The Pink Ribbon challenge provides an intentional female focus and early introduction to a broader Attack program featuring 11 teams this year. The girls’ program has U11, U13 and U15 squads with male counterparts in the U10, U11 and U12 through U17 divisions, and a two-year U19 entry. Although many hail from Woodstock, ‘Oxford’ recognizes those coming from rural areas and smaller centres including Ingersoll, Hickson, Norwich and Tillsonburg.

“We get players from all over,” said Cowan.

Last year, the Attack hosted over 300 Ontario Basketball Association (OBA) games in Woodstock. Seasonal highlights included the U19 Attack’s OBLX provincial championship and a Division I title for the U16 squad. In recognition of the Attack’s ongoing and expanding commitment to the sport, the organization has been awarded the U15 girls’ Ontario Cup, the division’s provincial championship Friday, April 30 through Sunday, May 2nd.

“It will be the biggest basketball event in the history of Oxford County,” said Cowan, anticipating 50-plus teams contesting titles in eight-team divisions. Based on performance during in-season tournaments, each team is seeded, beginning with the top group in OBLX level on down through Division I and so on.

“The goal is all eight teams in each division are relatively equal and the games are fun,” said Cowan.

Seven gyms will be in play in Oxford: St. Mary’s, Huron Park, Cowan Park, College Avenue, Ecole Notre Dame and Woodstock CI in Woodstock, along with Glendale in Tillsonburg. Each will feature 16 divisional games, four Friday, eight Saturday and four Sunday, including bronze and gold medal finals.

Although convenors and volunteers are anticipated to be in place for the event, sponsorship inquiries are welcomed via the email paul@hicksoncowans.ca.

The U15 championship will have significant positive financial, branding and basketball implications for Woodstock and Oxford County, as well as the opportunity to support local favourites competing among the best female Grade 9 players in the province.

“That’s going to be fun to watch,” Cowan concluded.