Carleton Among Provincial Elite For Second Straight Season

Chatham’s Bridget Carleton, who is a grade 9 student at John McGregor Secondary School, has been selected to represent the Team Ontario U-15 basketball team at the Canada National Basketball Championships for the second straight season.

Last year as an underager on the team, Carleton played a key role in helping her team capture gold, playing 27 minutes, scoring 9-points, and adding 5 rebounds in the championship game against Quebec.

This year however, as a veteran player, Carleton will be expected to take on an even larger role with the team.

“Because I have more experience than many of the players on my team, I am hoping to become more of a leader on the team, both on and off the court,” explained Carleton.

Carleton who plays club basketball for the Chatham-Kent Wildcats, says gold is again the goal for her team, and each of the Ontario Basketball team’s that will be competing in National Championships this summer,

“Ontario Basketball sets a goal for all of its teams to do well, and compete for the gold. Last year, all four Ontario teams won nationals, and this year we are hoping to do the same.”

As a grade 9 playing on the Senior Girls basketball team at JMSS, Carleton was the team scoring leader, vaulting her Panthers to a points tie for first place with eventual champions Wallaceburg.

For Carleton, the opportunity to play with older girls at the high school level is one she feels will benefit her this summer,

“Playing with and against older girls this season was a challenge and helped me improve as a player,” Carleton said about her season with the John McGregor Panthers.

Her U15 Ontario Team will travel to Chicago and Washington D.C. this summer in preparation for the National Championships this August 6-11 in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

“As a team we hope that pre-tournaments will help us learn how to work together as a team, and understand team concepts that have been set while in a game situations.”