On basketball triple-header Saturday at Sudbury Arena, the Sudbury Five were batting clean-up – and in keeping with the baseball vernacular, the local Basketball Super League franchise knocked this one right out of the park.
A 117-86 victory over a Montreal Toundra crew that earned a split at home two weeks ago against Logan Stutz and company, losing by three and winning in overtime, left a whole lot of people feeling good as a very long day on the hardcourt drew to a close.
“I would say that’s our most compete game of the year, for sure – hats off to the guys,” said Stutz.
A very even opening quarter would see the teams exchange the lead on a few different occasions, with Sudbury up 27-24 after twelve minutes of play and returning veteran A.J. Mosby Jr already hitting for 12 of his 22 points on the night.
“I am one of the main leaders so a lot of guys go off my energy,” said the 27 year-old native of Georgia. “If I come out aggressive, it gives everyone else confidence.”
That confidence seemingly grew with every passing minute of play, in large part due to a Five attack that featured so many different weapons. A total of seven different players hit for double digits: Mosby Jr (22); Cody John (22 – 12 in the 4th quarter); Landon Kirkwood (15); Samuel Daniel (13); Andrew Whitsett (12); Jalen Hayes (11); Lance Adams (10).
“Depth was an area that we had to improve on this year,” admitted coach Stutz. “It’s definitely tougher on the guys because there are more roles to define, but the guys are settling in. I think guys are starting to see their roles and I’m getting more confident as a coach in what certain guys can do.”
“We’re slowly getting to where we need to be.”
Certainly a myriad of give and go’s and no look passes and highlight reel alley-oops and such gave credence to the notion that the critical element of chemistry for a squad that welcomed so many new faces is beginning to take shape just seven games into the 2023-2024 season.
“It’s just a matter of playing together,” said Mosby Jr. “It’s a new team and it’s still early in the season. We’re still figuring guys out. It’s not going to happen overnight and we know that as pros. Once we get better at that, watch out.”
Where the Toundra put up 111 and 126 points at home in early January, the return matchup in northern Ontario saw Sudbury hold an opponent under the century mark for the first time this year, with Marcus Ottey (13 pts), Antoine Mason (12) and Antonio Davis (11) leading the way for the visitors.
“The old saying is that defense wins championships and the whole week, we locked into the scouting report,” noted Mosby Jr. “When you do that, you get the stops that you need and the offense will come – and that’s what happened tonight.”
Leading 56-47 at the half and 84-69 heading into the final period, the Five asserted themselves inside with the likes of Andrew Whitsett and Jalen Hayes but mixed in a very efficient perimeter game as well, shooting better than 40% (12-29) from beyond the arc.
“We put some stuff in and showed a little bit of that tonight, but not too much because we’re still gaining confidence in the stuff we put in at the beginning,” said Stutz. “We’re starting to get there and we’ll see how it goes and just keep working.”
The win salvaged a victory on the day for the homeside with the Laurentian Voyageurs in tough against both the Western Mustangs women’s (76-38 loss) and men’s teams (102-71 loss). Still, the arena buzzed through all three games, with players from all three local teams thankful for the chance to enjoy a special day in their sport.
“I just want to thank Sudbury,” said Stutz. “Our organization, Laurentian and the community all came together and did something pretty special. As a coach and individual in this community, I love it and want to keep doing this stuff.”
