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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, August 20, 2015 | 36 HALTON TRANSMISSION 559 SPEERS RD., #UNIT 3 905-842-0725 www.haltontransmission.com Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports "Connected to your Community" Parapan Am silver medallist already eager for Rio 2016 by Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver Staff I t wasn't hard for Melanie Hawtin and her Canadian teammates to envision a victory, cutting down the net, having gold medals draped around their necks. After all, it was just 14 months ago that they won the Women's World Wheelchair Basketball Championship on the very same court where they played the United States for the Parapan Am Games gold medal Friday night. Those visions began to fade as the Americans opened up their biggest lead of the game, 12 points, with just two minutes to play. Then, spurred on by a loud, enthusiastic home crowd, the Canadians rallied. Janet McLachlan hit two three-pointers and two free throws. In just 54 seconds, the Americans' lead had shrunk from 12 to four, 74-70, and the near-capacity crowd at the Ryerson Athletic Centre was roaring. But even the crowd couldn't lift the Canadians past Rose Hollermann. At just 19 years old, the American secured her second Parapan gold medal by hitting four free throws in the final minute to cap a 37-point game. For a Canadian team that was hoping for a repeat performance of worlds, the 80-72 loss was tough to take. A few tears were shed. Though the medal wasn't the colour she hoped for, Hawtin can appreciate that setbacks sometimes lead to opportunities. Just three years ago, she was training for the London Paralympics, aiming to reach the pinnacle of her sport -- track. She had won national titles and competed at the world junior championships, but her Paralympic dream was derailed by back surgery. While she was recovering, she was encouraged to play wheelchair basketball. She had played occasionally, joining local games when players were needed, but had devoted her time training for track. That first year, she played at the Ontario Games, catching the eye of national team personnel and earning her an invitation to the team's training camp. Oakville's Melanie Hawtin (right) guards United States player Gail Gaeng during Friday's Parapan Am women's wheelchair basketball final in Toronto. | photo by Graham Paine -- Oakville Beaver -- @Halton_Photog Three years later, she is a world champion and a Parapan Am silver medallist. "Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be here," the 27-year-old said, her voice trembling slightly. "I've had the most awesome coaches; I wouldn't be where I am without them. I'm so grateful." It can't be easy to give up a sport after dedicating close to 20 years to it. But that's the choice Hawtin had to make. "It wasn't that hard for her," said her mom, Marsha, one of about a dozen family members cheering her on Friday night. "She had a knack for (basketball). Once she made the (national) development team, she didn't want to turn back at all." Hawtin prefers to look at her years in track as the development of a skill that sets her apart on the court. "I can still use my speed," said the former national 100-metre champion. In Friday's gold-medal game it was the Americans' shooting that set them apart. The U.S. made 58 per cent of its shots, compared to 47 per cent for Canada. That was enough to make the difference in a game that came down to the final minute. "They're very talented ladies," Hawtin said. "They're amazing shooters and we have to be fully aware of that. It was an amazing experience to be back here and we left everything on the floor tonight." And though the Canadians looked defeated as they awaited the presentation of their silver medals, there are bigger opportunities ahead. Rio is a little more than a year away. A Canadian team that once won three straight Paralympic golds between 1992 and 2000 has been kept off the podium since 2004. Hawtin would like to help bring that drought to an end. "I absolutely want to be on that team," she said, "and I'm going to continue to work hard to make sure I am." World Series `everything, and more' for Jr. 'Caps When it comes to wins and losses, Nick Rigato might have hoped for a better start to the Junior League Baseball World Series. But as he sat in the Heritage Park stands Tuesday morning in Taylor, Mi., and watched Chinese Taipei's Chung Shan play Puerto Rico's Villa Blanca, the Oakville Whitecaps head coach couldn't dare complain. "It's amazing. It's incredible. It's fast-paced and very scheduled and whatnot, and you have to take time to breathe sometimes," he said of the World Series, which will have its championship game televised on ESPN this Sunday. "It's everything that you see on TV about Little League (World Series). It's everything, and more." Rigato's 14-under squad is the first team in the Oakville Little League's 25-year history to represent Canada in World Series competition, earning that right with a dominant performance at last week's national championships in Lethbridge, Alta. Oakville lost its opening game of that tournament, 2-1 to defending champion Whalley (British Columbia), before winning its next seven contests by a combined score of 99-15. That included a 15-3 romp over the Glace Bay Logistec Jr. Miners in last Thursday's final, when Steven Hospital's three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth invoked the 10-run mercy rule and locked up the Whitecaps' first national title. "The run we went on at nationals was typical of our summer," Rigato said. "We've always been able to put up big innings once or twice a game." The sailing hasn't been quite as smooth at the see Junior on p.37 The Oakville Whitecaps junior team, pictured outside Heritage Park in Taylor, Mi. | photo submitted