Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
Over the November 21st and 22nd weekend in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, the Algoma Thunderbird women’s and men’s OUA basketball programs returned to the hardcourt at the George Leach Centre looking for their first victories of the 2025 – 2026 season. The Thunderbirds opened the weekend on Friday hosting the U of T Blues before wrapping up their homestand Saturday evening against the TMU Bold.
In Friday’s opener, the Thunderbird women fell 67 – 27 to the visiting Blues. Veteran Riya Donnelly finished with five points in 29 minutes of action. Garden River’s Sadie Grawbarger turned in a strong performance, leading Algoma with 14 points and eight rebounds while logging 36 minutes. Sault Ste Marie’s own Mercedes Mazzuca added six points and two rebounds in 20 minutes of play.
The following night, the TMU Bold proved to be another tough test as Algoma dropped a 67 – 27 decision. Grawbarger added 11 more points to close out her weekend, while brooke gruhn contributed four points and one rebound in 31 minutes on the floor. Bernadette Maranan and Mazzuca chipped in three points each as the Thunderbirds moved to 0 – 8 on the OUA season.
On the men’s side, Kal-El Aljeo led Algoma in Friday’s matchup with U of T, scoring 16 points while collecting four rebounds in 28 minutes during an 83 – 54 loss. Rookie Elliot Caron continued his steady debut season with 10 points and one rebound in 19 minutes of play. Logan Whitmell rounded out the top performers, adding eight points, four rebounds, and 27 minutes of court time.
Saturday night against TMU, the Thunderbirds dropped a 99 – 46 decision. Whitmell paced Algoma with 17 points and four rebounds in 26 minutes, while Elijah Quissua scored nine points in 14 minutes off the bench. Aljeo added five points and one rebound in 24 minutes of action.
Check out Freeze Frame Photos by Bob Davies photo galleries of the U of T Blues versus Algoma Thunderbirds in OUA women and men’s basketball action.
With the homestand behind them, both Thunderbird programs now shift their attention to the road. Algoma travels south for two OUA matchups, beginning with the York Lions on November 28th, followed by a visit to St Catharines on November 29th to take on the Brock Badgers.
