Encouraging Results at Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup.
Mount Gambier junior basketballers are performing particularly well at the 2011 Country Cup.
The ten junior Lakers are impressing officials in representing SA Country at Albury during this week.

Lakers Under 14 player, Rachael Hines, is having a very good week and is leading scorer for Magpies in their 4-0 win/loss record after Round 4. They defeated Tasmania 66-24,   NSW Kookaburras 61-56, WA 53-34 and New Zealand Korus 76-35. Hines is averaging 12 points per game and compiled her highest score of 18 against Tasmania

Mount Gambier’s Brad Rathjen is a member of the SA Country Magpies Under 14 team, which is currently in equal third in their pool, on a 2-2 record. Magpies began the week with an exciting one point win, 44-43, over Tasmania. They then suffered a big loss, 32-80 to NSW Kookaburras but bounced back to defeat WA 73-38. New Zealand Korus were too strong in Round 4 recording a 64-43 win. Rathjen has been consistent, scoring around 7 or 8 points per game.

Lakers under 16 player, Kane deWit and the Sharks have found the going tough. They opened with a solid win over Tasmania, 75-67, but then went down by just 10 to Kookaburras. In the double header on Wednesday Sharks defeated Albury/ Wodonga 81-77 and then lost a thriller to NZ Korus 57-60. De Wit has also been a consistent contributor for his team.

The talented four Lakers Under 16 girls are proving key players for their sides. Malinda Markiewicz and Captain Georgia Green are dominating for the Sharks while Brianna Walters is playing strongly and Morgan Amy has bounced back well from injury for Magpies.

Consistent heavy scoring by Green and Markiewicz has Sharks sitting undefeated on top of their pool. They have scored wins over Tasmania 81-54, NSW Waratahs 67-64, Albury/Wodonga 69-53 and NZ Kea 74-46.

Magpies’ one point loss to favourite Bushrangers in the opening round showed that they too are strong contenders. They were soundly beaten by NSW Kookaburras 32-61, but had a good day Wednesday, defeating WA 69-53 and NZ Korus 66-59.Walters had 20 points in their heart breaking loss to Bushrangers and 15 against Korus.

The Under 18 Lakers Boys are also playing important roles for their respective teams. Jak Ryan has impressed the coaches with his hard work and focus on team plays for the Magpies. Team-mate Jackson Trappett is a consistent scorer while Matt Markiewicz is making the most of his court time for the Sharks. Magpies have a 2-2 record in their 4 games and Sharks have lost one game, 55-73 to NSW Waratahs.

Laker Sam Loughhead is also playing well for Sharks in her first year of Under 18’s. The team boasts a 3-1 record, going down to NSW Waratahs, but then accounted for Tasmania, Oceania, and NZ Kea.

All SA Country teams are in strong positions and expected to secure finals’ berths after the last series of minor rounds on Thursday.           

The 2011 Country Cup concludes with Grand Final day on Saturday.