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I «Turner tops pre-teens across the continent By STEVE LeBLANC The Champion lisha Turner recently gave a lesson at Boston's Harvard University - only it didn't corne in the classroorn, or even from a textbook. Instead the local youngster offered a crash course in the finer points of squash en route to a gold medal performance ai the United States Junior Olympic Open. Her Ivy League triumph, in the under- 12 girls division, came during the third week- end of December when she beat a field of nearly two dozen top flight competitors from across North America and abroad. "I was ranked number one going into the tournament and really thought I could win," recalled the 1 1-year-old Miltonian. "It (capturing the championship) felt great." The title match featured an all-Halton showdown, with Alisha downing Burlington's Neha Kumar 3-0 (9-2, 10-8, 9-3). Brief lapse With the exception of a brief game two lapse she dominated the championship with superior footwork and positioning on her shots. Said father Ken, "Alisha's very smart on the court. She almost always knows just where to hit the bail." A similar shutout was earned in the semifinals against Neha Chawla of Oakville. Before that opponents from Hartford and Philadelphia succumbed to the local player's fierce, well-balanced attack. One week earlier she came up with her first of two consecutive unblemished tour- nament efforts and prevailed ai the Canadian Jr. Open in Newmarket. An upstaging of Kumar in the under-12 finale was seen here as well, although not nearly with the same kind of dominance she enjoyed in Boston. Alisha - battling seasonal illness as much as her provincial rival - needed a 10-9 squeaker in the fifth and deciding game after being pushed to the brink throughout the marathon contest. "I had the flu and was not at 100 per cent mentally," explained Alisha, whose broth- ers Jonathan and Richard each finished in the top 20 ai both tournaments last month. "That was probably the closest finals match I'd ever been in." Few challengers With the exception of these top-level events, genuine challengers in her age group have been few and far between for the local youngster. Since striking silver at last spring's Canadian Junior Squash Championship at Niagara on the Lake, she's had to play against girls at least two years her senior in order to enjoy real competition. This experience - plus the obvious con- fidence acquired from a breakthrough sea- son - should serve her well come April, when she tums 12 and has to move up an age class just prior to this year's nationals in Ottawa. "Alisha has ail the tools to succeed at the next level, she just has to leam not to get down on herself and stay focused on the task at-hand," suggested her father. Alisha and her squash siblings have been competing for five years now. They train ai both the Milton Optimist Centre and Club Meadowvale. Photo by GRAHAM PAINE Alisha Turner recently won this cup in the U.S. Junior Squash Open et Boston's Harvard University. Warriors are no match for the Drury Spartans E.C. Drury's senior boys basketball team As always, Ross Smith made a definite impact stretched their unbeaten streak to three games with tremendous hustle and 13 points in the first with a 78-32 annihilation of the White Oaks half to help establish an early cushion. Waniors Wednesday. Sinking a pair of field goals and 14 total points With the issue already resolved by half time, was fellow spark plug Bobby MacDonald. local skipper Kevin Houldcroft spen the balance * * of the contest liberally rotating his lineup and W a g eri g is still didn't lose any ground against his vastly inferior guests. Wagering at Mohawk Raceway and other In fact, the Spartans surrendered just a single Ontario Jockey Club outiets around the Greater basket in the third quarter and only a dozen Toronto Area (GTA) increased significantly in points through the entire second half. 1998 from the previous year. Bobby Hicks dominated under the boards In fact, when figures from the rest of Canada while up-and-coming rookie Cam Ivens led and the United States are included, wagering offensively with 20 points, including a handful through Woodbine's pari-mutuel system reached from the foui line where collectively the team a record $1.24 billion, exceeding the 1997 total was quite proficient. by $90 million, or 7.8 per cent. Drury's supporting cast also showed strongly, who pumped in half a dozen points during the particularly Ryan Brooks and Bryan Gent who second quarter but was held off the scoreboard each grabbed a defensive rebound in the dying from then on - as was 6'5" centre Rick TeaL minutes of play and combined for a few baskets. Drury will compete in the Aldershot Invitational The Warriors' top shooter was Boss Reynard, Toumrnament this weekend. up at ail the race tracks A total of $752,719,000 was wagered at -49.3percentor$152,365,000-wasdonea Mohawk, Woodbine, Greenwood and approxi- Mohawk and Woodbine. mately 25 Champions teletheatres in the GTA, "It was a remarkable year," said OJC President an increase of three per cent over the David Willmot. "h appears that good horse rac- $731,160,000 recorded a year earlier Toronto-based fans bet $443,445,000 on thor- oughbred racing and $309,274,000 on standard- yca - stili attracta people in large numbers. bred racing. Almo-t a billion and a quarter dollars going Nearly half of all GTA standardbred wagering through our tote system is testimony to that."