A summer of hard work and dedication for Taylor Bamford has resulted in a gold medal at the 2012 Western Canada Junior Basketball Championships in Edmonton.
The South Delta secondary Grade 11 student, played for Team B.C. that capped the championships with an exciting 64-61 win over Saskatchewan in the final.
In late May, Bamford was chosen to the U16 provincial team from a pool of over 70 players. The team trained throughout the summer with regular daily sessions at facilities around southern B.C. As well, Team B.C. competed in elite tournaments in Lynden WA, Portland OR, and Los Angeles CA.
The road to the gold at Westerns included round-robin wins over Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba.
The perfect run qualified them for the final and a rematch against Saskatchewan.
"The obvious highlight of the round robin games was when Taylor hit a three point shot with four seconds to go in overtime to tie the game against Manitoba, allowing us to go on to double overtime and get the eventual win," said Team B.C. head coach Paul Chiarenza .
"That shot she hit really set a positive tone for our team for the rest of the championships."
Bamford was in the starting lineup for the gold medal game which saw B.C. lead for most of the game, clinching the victory with key foul shots in the final seconds.
Bamford's strong post game played a key role in the win.
In the fall, she will train in Basketball B.C.'s Elite Development Program and continue her high school career at South Delta where she looks forward to her junior season in a Sun Devil uniform.
