saultsports 
Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
Over the February 14th and 15th weekend, the Algoma Thunderbird women’s and men’s basketball programs hosted the Guelph Gryphons in their final OUA regular season games of the 2024-2025 season at the George Leach Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The Thunderbirds honored four graduating players—Kaila Fong, Sage Steadman, Johan Germain, and Austin Nzige-Nyambok—who played their final games in an Algoma uniform.
On Friday, February 14th, the Thunderbird women faced off against the Gryphons, falling 65-41. Nadia Singh led the Thunderbirds in scoring with 16 points in 31 minutes while also adding eight rebounds. Brooke Gruhn contributed 15 points and eight rebounds in 40 minutes of play. Graduating senior Kaila Fong played a full 40 minutes, tallying five points and an impressive 13 rebounds. Algoma managed 13 points in the paint and scored 12 points off turnovers in the loss.
In the second and final game of the season on Saturday, February 15th, Fong shined in her farewell performance, leading the Thunderbirds with 25 points and securing eight rebounds in 40 minutes. Gruhn followed up with 10 points and three rebounds in another full-game effort, while Sadie Grawbarger contributed 10 points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes. Despite their efforts, Algoma came up short but put up a strong fight, finishing with nine points in the paint and nine points off turnovers.
The Algoma men’s team opened their final weekend of play with an 80-69 loss to Guelph on Friday. Graduating senior Johan Germain had a standout performance, scoring 27 points in just 26 minutes of action and adding one rebound. Ibrahima Yansane recorded 13 points and four rebounds in 30 minutes, while Alex Semenov contributed 10 points and four rebounds in 23 minutes. The Thunderbirds tallied 12 points in the paint and capitalized on turnovers with 26 points.
In their season finale on Saturday, February 15th, the Thunderbirds fell 77-67. Germain once again led the team with 18 points and two rebounds in 29 minutes of action. Semenov followed with 13 points and one rebound in 22 minutes, while Jean Michael Senatus added 12 points and two rebounds in 15 minutes. Algoma finished their final game with 12 points in the paint and 14 points off turnovers.
Looking ahead as the 2024-2025 OUA season comes to a close, the Thunderbirds bid farewell to their graduating players and look to build upon their experiences for the next campaign. Despite the season-ending losses, the dedication and performances of the seniors, particularly Kaila Fong and Johan Germain, left a lasting impact on the program. The Thunderbirds will now shift their focus to offseason development in preparation for the next OUA season.
Women’s coach Katie Hamilton told Saultsports that “We were a little disappointed with our performance on Friday night. We felt like Guelph was a good match up for us, but unfortunately shots weren’t falling and it led to some long offensive droughts. Saturday’s game was much more reflective of what we thought we could show versus them. We knocked down a lot more open looks, shot the ball confidently and second half really locked in defensively. We wanted the win, but were very pleased with our performance and effort. We are really thankful and appreciative for both Sage and Kaila’s work and dedication to our program. They both went out playing their best basketball which is what you want for your seniors.”
Visit Freeze Frame Photos by Bob Davies photo galleries of the women and men’s Thunderbirds versus the Gryphons in OUA action at the George Leach Centre.
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