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Thursday, M arch 19, 2015 - The IFP - H alton H ills - w w w .theifp.ca Page 33 312 GUELPH ST., GEORGETOWN 905-877-2296 www.georgetowntoyota.com Game 5 of Round 2 - only if needed Sat. March 21, 2015 7:30 pm at Mold-Masters SportsPlex Georgetown Raiders vs. Toronto Jr. Canadiens SPORTS With the Canadian university men's basketball champion- ship tournament unfolding at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto last weekend, local resident Owen Martel didn't have to travel far to see some of his future teammates. The Grade 12 Georgetown District High School student has committed to Bishop's University in Sherbrooke, Que- bec, beginning in September to study business and play for the men's varsity basketball team. Martel took in last Thursday's opening game for the sixth- ranked Gaiters, who nearly pulled off a huge upset over the third-seeded Ottawa Gee Gees, but lost 91-85. A 6-foot-6 forward with a 40-inch vertical jump who can play on the wing or inside, Martel says he's looking forward to training during the off-season in order to land a spot on the team as a rookie. "Owen is a high-level athlete and a great kid. He is some- one who will represent our program very well in the com- munity, in the classroom and on the basketball court," said Gaiters' head coach Rod Gilpin. "I believe that Owen will have an impact on our program in his first year and has the chance to be a very special player at Bishop's." Martel considered a few schools but first and foremost wanted to be on a smaller-sized campus surrounded by the French language wherever he went. "It's such a great fit because I'm used to the community there. My dad (Jean-Francois) is French, my mom (Stepha- nie) is from PEI and my grandmother only lives about 20 to 30 minutes away from the school," said Martel, who'll enroll in the business program. "Basketball is kind of like the luxurious part about going to school. You're a student first and then a student athlete. (Bishop's) have nice entrepreneurship and co-op options that I'm excited about." At the club level, Martel plays for the Burlington-based International Basketball & Sports Academy team under coach Zelimir Stevanovich and said he's learned a great deal playing alongside current national team members and NCAA Division I recruits. Martel has also received some helpful advice from GDHS grad Sebastian Beckett, who recently finished up his third year with the McGill Redmen who lost 68-63 to Bishop's in the Quebec league final. "Seb told me that the RSEQ is a tough league. They're all men," said the 215-pound Martel. "They're coming out of CGEP at 22 years old. I'm 18 and have a lot of work to do to get bigger and stronger. It'll be a challenge, but I'm up for it." In his Grade 11 year, Martel was a key member of the GDHS senior boys' volleyball that earned silver medals at the OFSAA 'AAAA championship tournament in Mississau- ga. On the basketball court, Martel was a force at both ends of the floor for GDHS, able to break up a play on defence and deliver a thunderous dunk on the attack. The senior Rebels got off to a promising 3-1 start this sea- son under longtime head coach Steve Pettit before losing by one point to T.A. Blakelock and ended up missing the play- offs, which Martel shook off with a shrug of his wide shoul- ders. "Mr. P has taught me since Grade 7 about the importance of becoming a man and that not everything is about win- ning," he said. "Sometimes it's how we deal with losing that prepares us better for life." Six-foot-six Owen Martel made for an imposing presence for the Georgetown Rebels this past season and he's getting ready to move on to Bishop's University in the fall. Photo by Eamonn Maher GDHS's Owen Martel is off to Bishop's University By Eamonn Maher emaher@theifp.ca The Georgetown Raiders find themselves in dangerous ter- ritory for the second-straight playoff series after dropping a 4-3 decision Sunday evening to the host Toronto Jr. Cana- diens. Now trailing their best-of-7 Ontario Junior Hockey League South/West Conference semifinal matchup 2-0, the first- place Raiders are in the same spot of trouble as they were in the opening round against the Buffalo Jr. Sabres, having to win four of the next five games to advance. But the circumstances are a little different against the fourth-seeded Jr. Canadiens, who outshot Georgetown again 36-32 and have limited the Raiders' dynamic duo of league- leading-scorer Steve Hladin and linemate Anthony Marra to just one assist in two games. The Toronto squad has some veteran marksmen up front, including Anthony Repaci, who had a three-point effort Sun- day, while the Raiders have also yet to hold the lead at any time in the series following a game one 5-0 drubbing Satur- day on home ice. Toronto opened the scoring five minutes into game two and Justin Maolino, earning first-star honours for the second night in a row, potted the clinching marker midway through the final frame. Scott Emerson, John Adams and Thomas Welsh had the Raider goals and rookie Jack LaFontaine took the loss in goal. In game one, conference-leading Georgetown wasn't able to generate many scoring chances on its home rink and fourth-place Toronto netminder Nathan Colitto had to make just 21 stops for the 5-0 shutout in the best-of-7 South/West Conference semifinal matchup, while the Jr. Canadiens fired 36 shots on goal. Raider starter Jack LaFontaine was relieved after 40 minutes as the Jr. Canadiens held leads of 1-0 and 4-0 at the intermis- sions, which included a pair of late second-period markers. Justin Maolino led the visitors with a goal and two assists in front of more than 400 spectators at the Alcott Arena. Game three of the series came back to the Alcott Arena on Wednesday, March 18 for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop (details were not available before press time), with game four Friday at the Buckingham Downsview Arena at 7:30 p.m. Favoured Raiders fall behind 2-0 to Jr. Canadiens By Eamonn Maher emaher@theifp.ca