The GSBA (Greater Sudbury Basketball Association) Sudbury U13 Storm have got that winning feel back again after competing at the St Catharines CYO Rebels Bob Miller Annual Basketball Tournament last weekend.

Then a U11 squad, the locals captured gold at this same event in 2023 but found it a tougher go last year, posting a record of two wins and two losses.

This time around, the U13 Storm left little to chance, winning four straight games with 15 points the closest any opponent would come to toppling the Sudbury reps.

Defense is the hallmark of this unit and they wasted little time showcasing that trait, limiting the Pelham Panthers to just 21 points in a game one win (41-21). Ridge Maskevich led the attack with 11 points while defensive standouts Tejada Gieselman and Mérick Nadeau combined forces in registering an even dozen steals.

An early timeout was needed in game two, the Sudbury crew swarmed early by the Ancaster Blitz. More concerning, according to head coach Martin Nadeau, was the fact that the energy of the Storm was very simply nowhere close to that of their opponents.

The lads responded and would cruise their way to a 53-34 victory as a well-balanced offense featured Sawyer Kerr and Niyam Patel at the top of the charts with eight points each. Additionally, the defensive relentlessness of the Storm was rewarded as David Olili and Nehemiah Esmie recorded the dirty dozen (combined steals) in game two.

With the offense firing on all cylinders (Medric Raymond went 4/6 from beyond the arc and every single player in the lineup hit the scoresheet), the Storm upended the Niagara Falls Red Raiders 65-26 to book their spot in the championship final.

Rohan Saidi-Smith netted nine points in the first quarter alone and the inside the paint tandem of Reid Manella and Sawyer Kerr dominated both the offensive and defensive rebound statistical category.

There might have been a little up and down in the final from the Storm but a great start (26-8 lead at the half) and a strong finish were enough to register a 45-30 win over the St Catharines CYO Rebels, giving the GSBA entry a second gold medal performance on the year.

A key for any successful team is to receive contributions right across the roster and the U13 Storm boys are no different.

In the final, Mason Kumuntu was a force defensively, rallying his team with back to back baskets that prompted a Sudbury surge. And with their lead intact, it was the calm and cool demeanour of Logan Martikkala who took charge, slowing the pace and finding teammates for open baskets that put this game out of reach.