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30 * WATERLOO CHRONICLE * Wednesday, May 7, 2008 he Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo Lightâ€" I ning is hoping that a trip down south will give the team an edge in the upcoming Ontario Basketball Association championships. Bob Urosevic, who coaches the junior girls division one team, thinks the Lightning‘s experiences playing in the United States have given them a different perspective on their competition â€" and themâ€" selves. Host Lightning hoping for a shot at a provincial title "They now realize that they ASK YOUR BANK TO REDUCE THE PROFIT IT MAKES ON YOUR MORTGAGE. THEN ASK LIBRO THE SAME QUESTION. Libro wants to show you how to reduce the cost of paying for your home â€" even if it means reducing the profit we make on your mortgage. All you have to do is spend a few minutes with a Libro Coach at the branch nearest you. Thousands of dollars in savings â€" for a few minutes of time. Now that‘s liberated banking! By Grec MacDonaLp Chronicle Staff _ have to compete both physically and mentally," Urosevic said. . The Lightning travelled to a couple of American tournaments, in locales such as Michigan and South Carolina. They even got the opportunity to get on the court and shoot a few balls on the hallowed Cameron Court at Duke University. Through their travels, the Lightâ€" ning discovered that American teams play a different style of ball than their Canadian counterparts, he added. ‘"It was a real buzz for the kids," Urosevic said. "Every team down there really comes at you and guns for the ball," Urosevic said. It‘s a far cry from the more funâ€" damentalsâ€"andâ€"finesse game the "Every team down there really comes at you and guns for the ball." â€" Bob Urosevic Kâ€"W Lightning junior girls coach Un tm The edge and tenacity the girls witnessed in the United States has rubbed off on his team, which is made up of highâ€"school students from across Kitchener and Waterloo. team sees in their regular play. "I think they‘ve got better because of those experiences (in America)," he said. The Lightning played in 11 tournaments this season and won three. They‘re currently the No. 2 seed in Ontario and are hoping to get a boost from the homeâ€"town crowd at a provincial tournament in Kâ€"W Lightning forward Jordan Tomas, front, does a dribbling drill during pracâ€" tice last week. Waterloo this weekend. Along with homeâ€"court advantage, the Lightning is also hoping to get a boost from the use of a 24â€"second shot clock at the tournament. The team got some experience playing with a shot clock while playing in the United States. The shot clock is not always used in regular OBA play and will speed up the play of the game, Urosevic said. . _ _ But it‘s not an alteration that the Lightning fears, he added. _"A shot clock means you have to make the play, you have to make deciâ€" sions," Urosevic said. And the makeup of the Lightning team is tailored for such quick play, he "We like playing with the shot clock because we‘ve got depth," said the coach. "We have 11 kids and when you go to the bench there‘s very little drop off." That means the starters can play their hardest without worrying about the game slipping away while they‘re riding the pine. "When you have only five or six good players, a shot clock can be a problem, but for us it‘s fantastic," Uroâ€" sevic said. "We‘re going to have to play really well if all the teams are as strong as we‘ve seen this season," said forward Jordan Tomas, a 16â€"yearâ€"old student from Sir John A. Macdonald school. Even with the scales seemingly tipped their way, the Lightning know that it will take a few lucky breaks if they are to win the tournament. "Everyone needs to play collectively and be on their best game," added point guard Rachael Urosevic, a 17 yearâ€"old Kitchener collegiate institute student. * And even if the team plays at its peak, another squad could play even better, she conceded. "We like playing with the shot clock because _we‘ve got depth. We have 11 kids and when you go to the bench there‘s very little drop off." "It‘s anyone‘s game." â€" Bob Urosevic on playing at the provincials GREG MACDONALD PHOTO