The Sudbury U14 Storm girls were already understandably proud of a season which saw them capture top spot in OBL (Ontario Basketball League) Division 2 play this winter, bumping up one level to the #6 seed heading into provincial championships last weekend.

A competitive showing there would allow the local crew to walk away happy and call it a very good year.

Led by coaches Steve Dunlop and Ghislain Roy, the team went from happy to ecstatic in a span of three days.

The Storm captured gold following a four-game run that culminated with a 47-41 overtime win over the Pelham Panthers in the final.

The girls showed little sign of being intimidated facing new and higher caliber opponents, stifling the London Ramblers 42-35 behind the one-two punch of Ellie Sauve (19 pts - 11 rebounds) and Mattia Mullen (17 pts - 7 rebounds) in their opening match.

Kyra Lefebvre (6 rebounds, 10 deflections) was a monster defensively while the active hands of Sunny Dunlop were in fine form, yet again, the youngster recording no less than six steals in the contest.

With Sauve matching her 19-point output from game one, the GSBA reps made it two straight thanks to a 52-41 decision over Brantford CYO, with Mila Beljo draining three clutch baskets from beyond the arc as part of a 12-point performance.

Mattia Mullen also contributed an even dozen with Kyra Lefebvre (7 rebounds) and Sophie Roy (5 points, three rebounds) coming up big in supporting roles.

A complete team effort propelled the Storm to the gold medal game thanks to a 51-32 win over the Etobicoke Thunder.

Yes, the team received their expected production from the likes of Ellie Sauve (21 pts, 10 steals), Sunny Dunlop (8 points, 4 rebounds), Mila Beljo (8 pts), Kyra Lefebvre (7 rebounds, 6 blocks) and Sophie Roy (7 rebounds).

But it was the bench strength of Avery Smith (6 rebounds, 5 deflections), Sophie Zubert (4 assists, two deflections) and Sophie Loiselle (2 points, a steal and an on-the-ground recovery) that truthfully allowed the northern girls to cruise to victory, even when starters were rested.

As every team knows, your best players need to play their best when it matters the most and Ellie Sauve clearly brought her "A" game to the final, posting a final stat line of 22 points, 8 rebounds and 7 steals as Sudbury went slightly beyond the final buzzer to subdue Pelham in the end.

Sunny Dunlop and Mattia Mullen chipped in with eight and seven points respectively, Sophie Zubert added three rebounds and a steal and Beatrice Moulton made her presence felt in the form of a two rebound/one assist/one steal encounter.

Coach Dunlop suggested that achieving the agreed upon team goals of: 1) solid teamwork; 2) outworking opponents; 3) plenty of communication and 4) developing skills in practice that would allow the team to win games was ultimately what pushed the U14 Storm girls over the top.

Joining the players and coaches above in this memorable championship run was team manager, Vanessa Bassett.