Select any pair of graduating Sudbury high-school students at random and chances are good you might encounter post-secondary mindsets that are diametrically opposite.

Some, like Sofie Lafond, are perfectly content to continue their studies in northern Ontario, availing themselves to all that home cooking, nearby parental support and such can provide.

Some, like Sarah Guignard, can't wait to expand their horizons beyond the scope of the three hour drive required to bring them south, where all but a small handful of the Ontario universities - and the majority of the community colleges - are located.

For the above noted tandem, teammates with the Lo-Ellen Prep Knights of the Ontario Scholastic Basketball League, the discussion of all of the above also includes their sport of choice, a sport that they both dearly wanted to pursue beyond grade 12/13.

"When I was 12 or 13, I would go to Laurentian with my sister (OUA all-star Emilie Lafond) and practice there," said Sofie, a 6'1" inside presence who committed last week to coach Jason Hurley and the L.U. Voyageurs.

"I just fell in love with the place."

Also a long-time resident of Valley East, Sarah Guignard will be taking her game south of the border, suiting up next fall with a St Bonaventure Bonnies internationally-flavoured roster that already features athletes from Australia and Serbia, along with a host of Americans.

"I wanted to go to a place where I am the worst player - and I can grow," said Guignard, almost set to return from a major knee injury that has kept her sidelined for much of the past year after representing Ontario at the Canada Summer Games in Newfoundland in August of 2025.

"I know that my game is not done, that it's nowhere near where I think it can be," she continued. " want to go somewhere where I will improve."

At the risk of stating the obvious, improvement has been at the forefront of the progression of both young ballers, virtually from the day they first set foot on the hardcourt.

A hockey enthusiast who was also kept busy with dance, Sofie Lafond received the very pleasant surprise of having her mom enroll her with the Sudbury Jam program back in grade two, at almost the same time that Emilie was also taking keenly to the sport.

And just like her older sister, Sofie believed strongly that her route to the university ranks would be enhanced via the Lo-Ellen Prep program. "That's when the challenge of all the different teams became so much more aggressive," she said. "That's when I decided I really wanted to do this."

Victory celebrations would have to take a backseat as the likes of Crestwood Prep, Niagara Prep and Capital Courts Academy attracted recruits from much larger bases of basketball talent. "If we were blowing teams out by 50 points, I feel I wouldn't be getting better," said Lafond.

"This is making me better. This is making me want to win the next game."

The recipe is hardly a new one - but it is one with which Lo-Ellen head coach Jennifer Bourget is very well-acquainted. "Ever since I started with coach Jenn, she has really helped me improve my ball handling and shooting, helping me be more confident."

"You just have to keep working on it. You have to learn to take care of the ball."

For Sarah Guignard, there is a whole other level of learning at play as she works her way back from behind out of game action for many, many months. "I'm doing almost everything now, but with no contact, working on my change of direction and being explosive out of my change of direction, not favouring my non-surgical leg," said the 18 year old who has also excelled in track and field while at LEP.

With her sights set on a degree in Health Sciences, Guignard could not help but to find herself attracted to some of the bonuses that the private Franciscan university with a little more than 2000 undergraduate students has to offer.

"Their student to teacher ratio is 15:1," she said. "With hard courses, having teachers that are easy to access will help me a lot."

Chat with the affable young woman for but a few minutes and it becomes obvious that the love of studies extends well beyond the classroom, sliding quite naturally over to the court. This is how she describes the next step she would like to take on the defensive side of the ball: "I would say that I am a very good defender - but I would like to be able to get steals."

"I am confident I can make sure you don't score, but I want to steal the ball before you can even try and get to the rim. That last piece is what I feel I am missing. Adding that would make me so happy."

A raw but gifted athlete upon arrival at Lo-Ellen, Guignard shared the same glowing praise of the woman who helped make this next step happen. "I would not be anywhere near where I am today if not for (coach) Jenn."

"She really saw the potential in me - and not just as a back-to-the basket player. She saw me as a three level scorer."

Rounding out the 2026-2027 edition of the Lo-Ellen Senior Prep Knights roster (the program dropped the junior squad this year) are: Ellie Sauve, Violet Humble, Sunny Dunlop Bassett, Mila Beljo, Brielle Corriveau, Mattia Mullen, Avery Smith, Harlow Cowan and Annick Gilbert.