The buckets might not have always dropped as much as they would have liked but the smiles remained from start to finish as the GSBA (Greater Sudbury Basketball Association) U10 Storm Boys took part in their first tournament of the season last month in Newmarket.
Recognizing that they would be in tough as they put themselves out there against their provincial counterparts, the coaching staff establishing more tangible in game goals - including breaking each and every outing into smaller components.
Down 23-7 at the half of their first encounter with the New Horizon Heat from Markham, the Storm outscored their opponents 16-13 in the second half, dropping a 36-23 decision as Aiden Presello and Xavier Johnson paced the Sudbury attack with ten and six points respectively.
"For their first competitive game ever, our group proved that they were not out of their element, showing great resiliciency," noted head coach Adam Lafond.
A 28-16 loss in game two to TCYBA would see the likes of Tommi Bogomaz, Kai Suprunov and Maks Lafond all joining Presello and Johnson on the scoresheet as the northern lads played a very solid game, right through to the final buzzer.
The offensive floodgates opened in game three, unfortunately for both teams as the IEM Spartans defeated the Storm 50-36 as Maks Lafond led the scoring parade for the locals. Despite being notably out-matched in height defensively, Lucas Legault injected a spark to the Sudbury lineup, creating a number of turnovers that resulted in offensive opportunities for the GSBA lads.
Game four would test the resolve of the U10 boys as they tangled with the class of the tournament, beaten 59-9 by the JCC Warriors from Toronto.
In spite of the final score, the likes of Ivy Blouin, Eyas Hussam Eddin and Jacob Poirier all ensured that the cheering and energy would be non-stop as Félix Gervais showed the way offensively.
"Many friendships were made with our first out of town tournament," said coach Lafond, who was aided by assistant coach Tom Bogomaz and team manager J.S. Presello. "They continue to grow as a group and will get ready for our next tournament in Barrie at the end of January."
