It was a match fit for a pendulum, but the final swing took the Crossroads Tornadoes Bantam girls’ volleyball team all the way to the top.
The Tornadoes overcame a second-set meltdown to earn a 2-1 win over Atikokan in the best-of-three girls’ final of the 20th-annual Region 1 Bantam championships at the Couchiching Rec Centre on Saturday afternoon.
“It was a real nail-biter,” said Crossroads coach Brian Love. “The quality of play continues to improve at this level. Even the referees commented on it.
“I’ve been organizing this tournament since 1988, and this year was the best quality of Bantam volleyball I’ve seen,” he added.
After winning the first set 25-14, the Tornadoes struggled in the second one as Atikokan coasted to a 25-12 victory.
But Crossroads fought off the charge and hung on for a 15-11 triumph in the third set to clinch the 12-team event that featured schools from across Rainy River District.
The bronze medal was garnered by Our Lady of the Way School from Stratton, who swept the St. Francis Sentinels 2-0. Game scores were 25-15 and 25-19.
The boys’ portion of the tournament saw the Riverview Royals (Rainy River) rise to the occasion to claim the gold with a 2-0 sweep over the St. Francis Sentinels.
Both games ended with identical 25-17 scores.
Atikokan took the bronze medal with a 2-1 victory over Crossroads. Game scores were 20-25, 25-20 and 15-13.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
