Gemini senior girls keep on pushing throughtough season opener

Gemini point guard Sophia Silliker drives to the basket against Parkside’s Kennedy Lawrence. (Jeff Tribe Photo).

Jeff Tribe, Echo Correspondent

The final score was what one might expect when a developing team opened its Thames Valley Regional Athletics South-East senior girls’ basketball season against one of the league’s anticipated powers.

“Can’t you come back?” Tillsonburg Gemini coach Kait Buchner smiled following a 64-12 final Thursday in favour of the St. Thomas Parkside Stampeders, Sept. 25 at Glendale’s Community Gym. “Come back later in the season.”

“It can’t get harder than this,” assessed Gemini Vivian Suderman. “I guess… we’ll see,” she added with a smile.

The game’s outcome was decided by halftime, but the broader result of Tillsonburg’s resilience played out over the full 32 minutes. The fourth quarter was the Gemini’s offensively strongest, Keona Cornish highlighting a modest three-basket run with a coast to coast run up the left side of the court with around five minutes remaining.

Pulling down the rebound, she maintained possession inside the scorer’s table, cutting back to the middle of the court into traffic near the free throw line, from where she launched a shot which found nothing but net.

“I don’t know,” Cornish smiled. “All in the moment - I was ready. First basket of the season,” she continued, “had to go - had to get it done.”

Echoing her coach’s words, Gemini point guard Sophia Silliker spoke to a ‘developmental season,’ a roster without a lot of game experience. But amidst what Suderman alluded to as ‘a positive environment’, Silliker says team members are coming, doing their best, and importantly, still having the courage and confidence to take their shots, teammate Lucie Panschow referencing the famous Wayne Gretzky comment about missing 100 per cent of those not taken.

“It’s applicable to basketball too,” smiled Panschow repurposing a hockey-based comment.

“I’m very proud of everyone,” Silliker added. “We did the best we could today.”

Panschow finished with six points to lead Tillsonburg offensively with Olivia Silliker, Suderman and Cornish adding one basket each. Parkside’s Payton Fleming led all scorers with 14, Brooklyn Pyatt added 12 and Kerris Moore 11.

Parkside is a hard team to beat admitted Tillsonburg’s Taylor Sache.

“(But) everyone gave their best, kept going, kept pushing. We still put our effort in.”

The Gemini’s TVRAA South-East season was scheduled to continue Tuesday, Sept. 30 with the Woodstock St. Mary’s Warriors coming to town, and again, Thursday, Oct. 2 on the road at Woodstock College Avenue.

“Learning as we go,” Buchner concluded. “Keep learning from every play, every game.”

TILLSONBURG GEMINI SCOREBOARD

Junior Girls Basketball

Thursday, Sept. 25

St. Thomas Parkside 25, Gemini 5

Senior Boys Volleyball

Thursday, Sept. 25

St. Thomas Parkside 3 (25, 25, 25, 26, 13); Gemini 2 (19, 9, 27, 24, 15)

Junior Boys Volleyball

St. Thomas Parkside 3 (25, 25, 25); Gemini 0 (16, 9, 18)

Senior Football

Wednesday, Sept. 24

London Saunders 36, Gemini 7

Gemini touchdown - Park-Thomas, PAT - Janzen.

Junior Football

Wednesday, Sept. 24

London Saunders 37, Gemini 14