U12

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The U12 Belleville Spirits girls kicked off their OBL season with two strong wins this past weekend in Kingston!

In the first game, they faced a skilled and fast Vaughan team that put pressure on early, leading to several turnovers. However, the girls found their rhythm in the second half, building a solid lead and securing a hard-fought, competitive 41-35 victory. Sophiya Vance led the balanced attack with 7 points, while Player of the Game June Wollenberg brought intensity on both ends and added 6 points, matched by Sammy Bentley. Eve Mitchell contributed a crucial 5 points in a single shift, helping turn the game in our favor.

In the nightcap, the team maintained strong play throughout and defeated the home team, Kingston Impact, 33-18. Player of the Game Eve and Sophiya each scored 6 points, with Norah Ladd close behind with 5 in her best game of the season so far.

Success in U12 with Fair Play and a 12-player roster requires contributions from everyone, and that’s exactly what our U12 girls delivered. Each player is an offensive threat and strong defensively, with different leaders stepping up each game. Rounding out our impressive roster are Mila Kaliaeva, Gracyn McColl, Athena Stapley, Everly Clarke, Irelyn O’Connor, Kiyon Maracle, and Reese Coughlin.

Coaches: Terri Coughlin and Sandro Palleschi
Manager extraordinaire: Natalie Wollenberg

Next up, the team will play some exhibition games before hosting a 4-game OBL weekend on Nov 30-Dec 1 at BSS.

The U12 girls got off to a good start to their season. The girls played their first two games in a tri-meet at Nicholson.

In the first game, the girls overcame some rustiness on the offensive side and defeated a big and equally strong Kingston Impact team, 34-31. Gracyn McColl and Mila Kailiaieva led the scoring with 6 points each, followed by June Wollenberg with 5.

Pitching in with 4 points and her relentless defense was Player of the Game Irelyn O’Connor.

In the second game, the Spirits were firing on all cylinders and overwhelmed our friends from the County, defeating the Clippers 53-17. Every player scored at least one basket. Sophiya Vance, the Player of the Game, led the team with 12 points, followed by Gracyn with 11 points and Mila with 8. Birthday girl Reese Coughlin pitched in with 5 points.

Our motto this year, playing like a ‘We’ team and not a ‘Me’ team, propelled us over the weekend.

We will play a controlled scrimmage with the U13 Kingston Impact this Wednesday in Kingston and return to Kingston on Saturday to play our first two OBL games.

Thanks to Geordie Mitchell, who organized the tri-meet and arranged for us to piggyback with their U13 Spirit boys, who also had a successful tri-meet of their own. A big shout-out to our parents, siblings, extended families, friends, and players from the older Spirit girl teams. We really appreciate the tremendous support!

Thank you, girls, for a strong effort and an entertaining, fast-paced brand of basketball. The rest of the team, all of whom made good contributions, included Sammy Bentley, Athena Stapley, Eve Michell, Everly Clarke, Kiyon Maracle, and Norah Lad.

Coaches: Terri Coughlin and Sandro Palleschi; Manager: Natalie Wollenberg.

Basketball tryouts for girls in grade 6 will begin on Tuesday 🏀 All skill levels are welcome!

To register or learn more about our rep program, visit the tryout page here

Our u12 team will be coached by Sandro Palleschi

The U12 team congratulates all the coaches, players, and the executive on what was likely our best year yet in terms of results! They say it takes a village to raise a child—in the case of our U12 girls, it took an entire coaching staff to work with this lively group.

First, I’d like to thank Coaches Stephanie Holoway and Terri Coughlin, not only for helping me coach and being the “nice” balance to my “mean” coach role, but for being amazing mentors and role models. Steph was also our tireless team manager, spending countless hours fundraising, transporting kids, and, perhaps most importantly, keeping me in line when it came to her daughter! Thank you, Steph and Terri—it was a pleasure working with both of you.

We also had Coach Ivan Kaliaieva, our own “Coach K,” who led skill-building drills, especially footwork, which made a real difference in the girls’ development. Ivan’s enthusiasm was infectious—he was easily the loudest, most animated parent in a team full of loud and animated parents, something Belleville Spirits parents are known for. Thank you, Ivan!

Finally, we were fortunate to have one of the most passionate coaches I’ve seen: Geordie Michell. Geordie dedicates himself wholeheartedly to creating a positive, rewarding experience for the kids across both the boys’ and girls’ Spirits basketball clubs. He fundraises, coaches, helps run practices, and organizes home tournaments and OBL weekends, all for the benefit of the kids. We are incredibly lucky to have him, even if I had to coach his daughter, Eve—who is a bit of a drama queen, so I guess we’re even! Thank you, Geordie, for everything you’ve done. It’s been a privilege working alongside you.

Our U12 team this year consisted of eight Grade 5 girls and three Grade 6 girls. Although we were somewhat young and undersized for the Grade 6 age group, our focus was on developing our skills and competing hard, hoping to hold our own in the lower ranks.

We opened the season in Pool 6 of the OBL League, which I initially thought might be a stretch. After a tough loss to East York, I thought we’d eventually move to a more suitable level. Instead, the girls impressed everyone, going 5-1 against bigger and stronger teams, winning close games that built their character and confidence. We moved up to Pool 5, where we again exceeded expectations, going 6-0 and capturing the Gold Medal. A combined 11-1 OBL league finish!

With an overall season record of 19-5, including a gold medal win in Brockville, we entered the Ontario Cup in Division 3, ranked 29th in the province and 5th in our division. We opened with an exciting two-point win over the #1 seed, Nepean. Though we narrowly lost to Durham by a single point and later to Gator Academy (who went on to win the gold in dominant fashion), we managed to put up the best fight they faced, even outscoring them in the second half.

We missed the medal round on point differential by just two points, but it didn’t feel like a loss. The girls played with heart and delivered thrilling basketball all season.

The season ended on a high note in our crossover game against Huron. In a dramatic double-overtime finish, we entered the second OT down two key players and trailing by two points with under a minute left. Then, Sammy Bentley hit a clutch three-pointer with 45 seconds left, giving us the lead and, ultimately, a two-point victory. We couldn’t have scripted a better ending to an unforgettable season.