Desjardins still alive despite loss

At the high end of the athletic scale, experience can make a world of difference.
The Muskie senior girls’ doubles team of Simone and Natalie Desjardins rode their youth and talent to a pair of early wins at the all- Ontarios yesterday in Milton yesterday.
But they couldn’t withstand another sister tandem that put their big-city training to good use.
The second-seeded team of Jennifer and Lorraine Lepere, from St. Paul High School (Toronto), blanked the Desjardins 2-0 in their ‘A’-side quarter-final match this morning by scores of 15-2 and 15- 6.
“The Toronto team was really strong and very experienced,” said Muskie coach Manami Alexander, whose charges have done remarkably well so far considering both Simone (Grade 10) and Natalie (Grade 9) technically are still junior aged.
“The first set the girls didn’t know what to do. They couldn’t place the bird where they wanted to. The other team was really fast,” Alexander noted.
“Before the second game, we talked about getting to the bird quicker,” she added. “They played better, and had a lot more long rallies in the game.”^The deciding factor was not only the age advantage the Lepere sisters had, but also the fact that, unlike in Fort Frances, the Toronto area provides year-long training opportunities for badminton players.
The Muskie duo still is in the running for an OFSAA medal, though there is no room for error as one more loss will eliminate them from further contention.
The Desjardins faced the thirdseeded team of Bonnie Lam and Janica Chan from Riverdale Collegiate Institute (Toronto), who were upset by Amanda and Jody Carruthers of Lorne Park Secondary School (Mississisauga), at 12:30 p.m.
The outcome was not available by press time today.
But if they prevailed, the Desjardins would play again later today and then have to win once tomorrow to earn a berth in the silver- medal final.
The sizzling siblings exploded out of the gate yesterday in Milton, crushing the duo of Lynne Flegel and Brooke Gardhouse (Barrie Central High School) by scores of 15-3 and 15-3.
“[Flegel and Gardhouse] weren’t a very strong team,” said Alexander. “The girls used that match to try and get used to playing in a different place.
“Their legs were a little slow because it was their first match, but they kept attacking throughout the match and made some good clearing plays.”^The Desjardins had the heat turned up on them in their second outing against Alex Harden and Kiera O’Shea from Ashbury College (Ottawa) before coming away with a 2-0 victory by scores of 15-12 and 15-5.
“The first game was pretty intense, with lots of long rallies and the two teams looking like they were on the same level,” said Alexander.
“But after the first game, Simone and Natalie realized they had some weaknesses on [their opposition’s] backhand and down low, and that if they kept hitting it to back to them, the other team was going to be the first to make mistakes.”