Written By BRIAN LOCKHART

It was an opportunity for Centre Dufferin District High School (CDDHS) Royals boys' basketball teams to compete outside of their regular District 4 loop when they went to Orangeville to compete for the Dufferin Cup against the Scarlett Bears teams from Orangeville District Secondary School (ODSS) on Friday, Jan. 31.

The event was held in the gym at the Athlete Institute in front of a good-sized crowd of fans from both towns.

The Junior teams took the floor for the first game.

At the final buzzer, the team from ODSS came out on top with a 46-40 win.

It was a well-played game by both teams in a match that was close for most of the game.

The second game of the evening had the senior teams taking the floor.

The squad from ODSS jumped out to an aggressive early lead to go ahead 22-9 at the end of the first quarter.

By the half, the Royals had rallied and closed the score to one point and were trailing 26-25.

The Bears started pulling away in the third quarter and were leading 59-34.

At the final buzzer, the ODSS left the court with a 76-50 win.

The Royals team enjoyed the experience of having some competition outside of their regular District 4 schedule.

“I think tonight was more about going through with what we practiced,” said Royals senior point guard Keymar Lewis, after the game. “We had a game plan going into this game. We should have executed it, but we didn't. But I do think if we play another team in their district it will be better because this game was about learning.”

Playing against a team they hadn't met before was a good experience for the Royals in an exhibition game setting.

“The intensity was definitely different,” Lewis said. “They came out more composed and because we haven't played a team like this before, we were new to this and their intensity. We can't take this as a loss, the season is still going and there's many more games to come and more challenges. I really enjoyed this experience and I enjoyed watching these players. I'm a senior so I won't be here next year to play in this game again. It was just good to see the potential we have at Centre Dufferin with both juniors and seniors.”

The Dufferin Cup is an annual friendly rivalry between two neighbouring towns with a chance to have some fun and show their skills on the basketball court.