HIGH ACHIEVERS: Parapan gold & Paris Paralympics berth for Canadian women’s goalball team

By Martin Cleary

Ottawa’s Emma Reinke scored a pair of penalty-throw goals in a 24-second span in the second half to spark Canada to a 4-3 win over the United States in the women’s goalball gold-medal game Friday at the Parapan-American Games in Santiago, Chile.

The victory also allowed Canada, which won the bronze medal for the third consecutive time at the 2019 Lima Parapan-Am Games, to qualify for the 2024 Paralympic Summer Games in Paris.

“Those were pressure situations,” Reinke said about her penalty shots. “I’m keeping focused on where my feet are, how I’m angled and how I shoot too, to hit the right spot.”

Amy Burk of Ottawa scored the opening goal and Reinke gave Canada a 2-0 advantage before the Americans counted a matching two goals to close out the scoring in the first half.

Reinke, who made 55 of Canada’s 101 throws in the championship game, notched her final two goals off penalty throws at 3:34 and 3:58 of the second half. The United States came within one goal with its third marker at 6:25. Each half was 12 minutes.

The Americans were penalized for illegal coaching and delay of game.

“This is what we came here to do,” four-time Paralympian Burk said. “We’ve been working so hard over these past couple of years and to finally have it all come together is amazing.

“Today’s game was the calmest our team has been.”

Burk also had 22 throws, while Ottawa’s Whitney Bogart made a game-high 42 shot blocks.

UNDEFEATED ARNPRIOR DISTRICT REACHES OFSAA GIRLS’ AA BASKETBALL SEMIFINALS

Top-seeded Arnprior District has advanced to the semifinals at the OFSAA girls’ AA basketball championship in Guelph.

Arnprior District defeated East Elgin of Aylmer 50-25 in the quarterfinals Friday as Naomi Daley led her team with 21 points, while Anna Hirst added 12 points and Camryn Buffam contributed 10 points.

In its second-round game, Arnprior District moved into the playoff round with a 53-32 decision over Anderson of Whitby.

Béatrice-Desloges, the National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association rep, lost to Lo-Ellen Park of Sudbury 54-23 and dropped to the consolation quarterfinals.

At the OFSAA girls’ A basketball championship in Belleville, Osgoode Township outscored L’horizon of Val Caron 55-17 for its second straight win and a berth in Friday night’s late quarter-final game against O’Gorman of Timmins.

St. Mother Teresa of Ottawa defeated Eastview of Barrie 47-37 in the consolation round quarterfinals at the OFSAA girls’ AAA basketball championship in Hamilton. By losing its second-round game 49-44 to Hamilton’s St. John Henry Newman, St. Mother Teresa fell to the consolation bracket.

Undefeated Franco-Cité finished its OFSAA boys’ AAA volleyball championship round-robin in Belle River with a 25-17, 26-24 win over Lo-Ellen Park of Sudbury. Franco-Cité was slated to play its championship bracket quarterfinal against Upper Canada College on Friday night.

At the OFSAA boys’ AA volleyball championship, undefeated Béatrice-Desloges placed first in its preliminary pool at 4-0, following a 25-14, 25-7 win over Aurora. B-D was scheduled to play its championship bracket quarterfinal Friday night against Sir Winston Churchill of Hamilton.

For the second time in as many days, Garneau split its two round-robin games, losing to top-seeded LaSalle of Sudbury 27-25, 25-20, but defeating Kings Christian 25-13, 25-16. Garneau, however, was eliminated from the championship, after losing its consolation bracket quarterfinal 3-0 to Hammarskjold of Thunder Bay.

Ottawa’s Notre Dame defeated Red Lake District 25-22, 25-18, but lost to Almaguin Highlands of South River to finish its OFSAA boys’ A volleyball championship preliminary round in fourth place at 1-3. Notre Dame was slated to play its consolation bracket quarterfinal Friday night against Académie catholique Mère-Teresa.

Related