Within the context of the province of Ontario, Toronto is acknowledged as the land of the skyscrapers. The Sudbury Jam 15U Girls found out recently that it's apparently not only the buildings of the GTA that reach to the sky.
Participating in their first tournament of the season, the locals ran off a pair of wins before facing a tough, vertically impressive Toronto squad. Strong play from Guilia Wilson, right out of the gate, along with some great outside shooting from Arianna Ghorbani and some clutch free throws down the stretch by Aliyah Robinson spelled the difference as Sudbury defeated the York South Silver Knights 30-27.
The Jam improved to 2-0 with a 40-35 triumph over the Goulbourn Hornets as Grace Tressider led all scorers with a dozen points, and Ellie McIntyre and Darah Trembley anchored the defense.
The final round robin game would bring the Sudbury crew face to face with the towering Toronto Triple Threat, a team which had dominated their previous opponents with a tremendous combination of speed and size.
It took the locals a quarter to realize they could compete, falling behind 11-4 after one quarter of play, but hitting another level in the second. Katrina Thai would drive effectively to the basket, drawing fouls and converting free throws, while Ghorbani knocked down a quartet from beyond the arc, pulling the Jam to within three at the half.
The crowd would come to their feet in quarter three as Athena Florentis Grandmaison wowed those in attendance with a Euro step finish, in transition, as teammate Colleen Gauvreau sparked a spirited effort on defense.
Another three-point shot from Tresidder and a jump shot by Trembley lifted Sudbury to a 29-26 lead, with but one quarter to play. The Northern Ontario girls continued to battle, to the end, and although Toronto prevailed, the Jam earned the respect of those who would watch them play.
The roster for the Sudbury U15 League team includes Colleen Gauvreau, Arianna Ghorbani, Ellie McIntrye, Katrina Thai, Aliyah Robinson, Cassandra Yurich, Darah Trembley, Grace Tresidder, Giulia Wilson and Athena Florentis-Grandmaison.
