Many a basketball game is decided in the final few seconds of play.
In their second weekend of OBL (Ontario Basketball League) play, the Sudbury U12 Storm girls experienced both sides of a dramatic finish, all while posting an impressive 3-1 record in a four game set.
The GSBA (Greater Sudbury Basketball Association) reps could not have opened play much better, drubbing the YNBA (York North Basketball Association) Avengers 44-20.
Lorelai Shonwise paced the attack with nine points for the Storm while the tone for the contest was established by Sudbury sparkplug Penny Kingsley, whose hustle was especially noticeable via an outstanding defensive effort, quickly transitioning her team with rapid ball movement.
The Storm went toe to toe with undefeated divisional leaders JCC (Jewish Community Centre) Warriors, taken down 30-29 on a buzzer beater. With Ivy Blouin in on a whole slew of assists, Lorelai Shonwise was able to add another 13 points to her stat-line.
The lessons of that tough loss were evident in game three as Ivy Blouin sank the game-winning basket with four seconds to play, lifting the Storm to a 23-21 win over the New Horizon Heat (Markham / Durham region).
Playing without injured stalwart Lennix Burgess, the locals displayed remarkable poise, their comeback sparked by a game-changing disruptive shift from Ella Zwolak in a contest that Sudbury trailed through to the final basket.
Carrying that momentum into their final outing of the weekend, the U12 Storm girls grounded the Golden Eagles from Mississauga, 57-16, with Fiona MacDonald topping the scoring charts with a 10-point game.
While the entire team played well defensively, head coach Jamie Lamontagne singled out the workmanship of Niamh McGill as the Storm stymied almost every offensive foray their GTA opponents could muster.
The team which also features Camilla Bascom, Kaiyah Contois, Mikaela Dube, Avery Langemann, Sienna Perreault, assistant coach Jeremy Zwolak and team manager Meaghan Langemann is now hoping for a bump a few divisions up the OBL ladder as play continues in early 2026.
