The Belleville Spirits U16 Shakell team showed remarkable growth throughout the 2025–2026 EOBA regular season, culminating in an undefeated EOBA Championship weekend and a gold medal finish.
What makes the accomplishment especially notable is how dramatically the team evolved from January through May. Early in the season, the girls were adjusting not only to stronger competition, but also to a completely different game format. EOBA league play consists of four 10-minute quarters — a significant jump from the four 8-minute quarters the players had previously experienced. The longer games demanded greater conditioning, discipline, and mental focus.
The season opened against strong opponents such as Nepean Blue Devils and Brockville Blazers. While those early games resulted in losses, they became important learning opportunities that helped shape the team’s development over the course of the year.
By March and April, the progress became increasingly visible. The team began finding offensive rhythm while also developing into a strong defensive group. A 61–38 win over Arnprior Valley Pride and a 46–39 win over GCBA Wolverines highlighted the team’s growing ability to control games defensively while still generating efficient offense.
One of the biggest factors behind the team’s improvement was the commitment to film review. Head Coach Justin Shakell regularly organized Zoom screening sessions where the girls watched game film together as a team.
The group reviewed both successes and mistakes in detail, often not wanting to stop until every minute of the game had been analyzed. The sessions became an important part of the team’s growth and basketball IQ development over the season.
By championship weekend, the team was playing its best basketball of the year.
The Belleville Spirits went undefeated during EOBA Championships:
– 54–36 vs Arnprior Valley Pride
– 29–23 vs GCBA Wolverines
– 54–30 vs Prescott Rockets
– 35–30 vs GCBA Wolverines (Gold Medal Game)
Defensively, the numbers were especially impressive. Across four championship games, the team allowed only 119 total points — an average of under 30 points against per game.
Next up for the Spirits is the OBL Ontario Cup championships in Niagara. The team is ranked first in division 4.
