Featuring a largely revamped roster this year, the GSBA (Greater Sudbury Basketball Association) U14 Storm boys (coach Brunet) capped off a year filled with progress recently, earning silver medals at provincial playdowns in Ottawa.

The Storm battled their way to victories over the Midland Waves (51-50), Cambridge Centaurs (45-40) and Pelham Panthers (47-28) before running into the class of the field and coming up short against the York South Silver Knights in the championship encounter.

Still, there was no denying just how far the lads had come.

"At the beginning, we would just run up and shoot and stuff - but now, we actually run our plays and got way further," noted team captain Noah Lamontagne, one of just four returnees on a team that capped off at ten at provincials.

"We had to change."

Defensively, there was likely a little less adjusting, the boys already comfortable with the notion of ball pressure right out of the gate.

"Our defense is pretty good," suggested Lamontagne, a 13 year old grade eight student at Ecole catholique Alliance St-Joseph in Chelmsford. "We have good half court pressure. We trap and then the people in back would just pick off the passes."

Having improved his shooting and willingness to drive hard to the basket in just his second year of rep basketball, Lamontagne could not have asked for a better team with which to develop.

"This team made me like basketball," he said. "We get along so well."

Joining Lamontagne on the 2024-2025 edition of the GSBA U14 Storm (Brunet) team were William McLeod, Charlie Chisholm, Colton Fairfield, Izick Boudreau, Mathis Larochelle, Noah Lamontagne, Preston Pitawanakwat, Roland Bostrom, Carter Brunet, Xavier Fenske, as well as coaches Dave Brunet and Tom Fenske.