RESULTS: Wheelchair Basketball - Varsity Division
The Turnstone Flyers varsity division wheelchair basketball team capped off back-to-back weekends in Grand Rapids, MI November 6-7 with another 3rd place finish and 2-2 record to extend their season record to 4-4.
Turnstone started the weekend with a tight battle against the Synergy Jr. Bulls (Chicago, IL). Both teams started sluggishly. Some might call it tight defense, others might reference that the refs swallowed their whistles. Either way, both teams struggled on offense. In the 2nd half, Turnstone found their groove but couldn't hold off the firepower from the Bulls in a 39-28 loss.
In game two, the Flyers took charge with an 18-2 run in the first 12 minutes as they cruised vs the host team, Jr. Pacers in a 40-20 victory. To end day one, the team took advantage of the extra hour from daylight savings to have a pizza party at the hotel where all the parents and players played games and socialized.
Day two: Turnstone took on the largest mountain of the season. The #7 Nationally Ranked Jr. Racers (Indianapolis, IN). In the 42-49 loss the kids looked their best as the lead constantly flipped between both teams. It was that high-intensity game that everyone was locked in, including the fans. The Flyers laid it all out there with the opportunity in their sight. This chess match will surely continue throughout the season.
Our final game to finish 3rd was vs the host team, Jr. Pacers again. With just a 30 minute break between games, Turnstone was quite tired. The Jr. Pacers were on their A-game as they had 5 starting seniors playing in their last home game. These same seniors ended the game almost scripted like a Disney movie. Luckily Turnstone had 2 seniors of their own and just enough to hold off for a 32-29 victory and a much-needed nap.
The Flyers next home game will be when they host the Midwest Regional on January 29-30. There's a possibility of the team traveling to another tournament before then. As the season goes on ... one this is for certain ... this team can compete with the top teams in the nation. Go Flyers!!!