Chatham's Bridget Carleton in her old gym at John McGregor Secondary School, May 16, 2016 (Photo by Jake Kislinsky)Chatham's Bridget Carleton in her old gym at John McGregor Secondary School, May 16, 2016 (Photo by Jake Kislinsky)
Chatham

March Madness Hits Close To Home

While millions of people across North America feverishly fill out their brackets ahead of college basketball's most prestigious tournament, a couple of Chatham-natives are hoping to take part in the action first-hand.

One of them, Bridget Carleton, has already booked a spot in the women's tournament while another, Marley Blommers, still has his sights set on making it to the big dance.

Carleton, a John MacGregor Secondary School graduate, is now in her sophomore year with the Iowa State Cyclones.

She finished the 2016-2017 season tied for fifth in scoring in the Big 12 Conference with 15.2 points per game and ranked first overall in the conference in free throw percentage, making 92 of her 98 shots from the line (93.9%).

Carleton and the No. 9-ranked Iowa St. will face No. 8 Syracuse at 1:30pm EST on March 18. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

She admits she'll probably be a little nervous to start the game, but says it's all part of the experience.

"Once I get out there, I'm usually OK -- it's going to be awesome," says Carleton. "Our coaches are great, they've been at Iowa State for a long time, so they know what it takes to play at that level and at that type of tournament."

Carleton's also very proud to proud to represent both her country and her hometown at Iowa State.

"I just love the support Chatham is giving me," says Carleton. "Every time I'm on Twitter or on Facebook I get people from Chatham saying they're following me and it's a huge honour to have that from my hometown."

You can find the women's bracket here.

Marley Blommers signs letter of intent to attend Marianapolis Prep school in Connecticut. May 6 2015 (Photo by Simon Crouch) Marley Blommers signs letter of intent to attend Marianapolis Prep school in Connecticut. May 6 2015 (Photo by Simon Crouch)

In the meantime, Marley Blommers, who is currently attending Marianapolis Preparatory School in Connecticut, is working hard to crack a roster on a college team south of the border this fall.

"Right now, I have an offer for Queens College in New York, which is a Division II school, and I've had some interest from some others, too," says Blommers. "Now that the season is over, it's their big recruiting period, so I'm just waiting to hear from a lot of coaches who have been contacting me."

Blommers, who's in his senior year at Marianapolis, was also recently named to one of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council's (NEPSAC) All-New England teams.

"I think this season, I've showed that I can do more than just shoot and that I've become more of a driver and a playmaker," says Blommers. "I wasn't the highest scorer on the team, but I helped out as far as rebounds and assists and other aspects of the game."

Blommers says he's not rushing to make a decision on where he'll be heading in the fall, adding that a school's academic reputation is also a big factor in his choice.

He's hoping to take business or sports medicine.

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