The Millicent Magic Under 12 boys teams had a very successful weekend at the SA Country Championships held in Adelaide on the 26th and 27th March 2011.

The Uner 12 Division 1 team had a hugely successful weekend, winning all 6 games they played. The team played their first game against Whyalla. They had a slow start, but eventually started to finish their shots, winning the game 60 -22.

The boys had another convincing win in their second game against Yorke Valley with a score of 69 - 23. The third game for the weekend was against eastern Hills. Again the boys were victorious, with a score of 69 - 21. The 3 wins on the Saturday saw the team finish first in their section and cross over against Port Lincoln for the Sunday morning Quarter Final.

The early Sunday morning was a close match, with the Millicent boys having to fight right to the final siren to shake off a very determined Port Lincoln. The final score was Millicent 48 defeated Port Lincoln 39. This saw the team progress to the semi final against Murray Bridge.

The semi final game was another hard fought battle with the Magic boys having a 4 point win to advance to the grand final. Final score 42 - 38.

The grad final game saw the Millicent boys give Mt Gambier an early lead in the game. The boys then steadied and began to hit their shots clawing their way back into the game. The great passing and team work by the Magic boys found gaps in the Mt Gambier defence and opportunities to penetrate to the basket. The final score was Millicent 57 defeated Mt Gambier 36.

Coach Clint Gallio was extremely pleased with the efforts of all members of the team. Saying 'The boys have won 6 out of 8 tournaments attended this town team season, which is a fantastic effort. In their total of 41 games played, they have won 35, lost 5 and drawn 1. Their success has been due to them being true team players, listening and putting into practice everything they have been taught at trainings."

 

Millicent Basketball's junior under 12 boy's team has capped off a great season being crowned SA Country Division 4 champions. The team started as a development team, yet by the end of the season that had exceeded everyone's expectations by beating second teams from larger towns such as Murray Bridge and older boys from towns such as Keith and Adelaide Plains.

After a tight first game which saw the Magic boys lose by 2 points in overtime, they finished off Saturday with strong wins over Adelaide Plains and Murray Bridge. On Sunday morning their semi final win against Murray Bridge was a great performance with the bench giving a rest to some of the teams leaders. The grad final against Keith was a tight affair with the boys fighting all the way and breaking clear in the last quarter to win 28 - 15.

All 9 players were instrumental in the team, with all scoring points over the weekend and having valuable court time. Coach Michael Schultz said, "The boys were every bit a team".

Results

Game 1  Keith    21   def  Millicent    19

Game 2  Millicent  28   def  Adelaide Plains  17

Game 3  Millicent  45  def Murray Bridge  12

Semi Final  Millicent 30  def Murray Bridge  12

Grand Final  Millicent 28  def Keith 15

 

Millicent also had the under 12 Girls participate in the Country champs. The girls were unlucky to miss out on the Grand final, losing by 4 points to Murray Bridge in their last game. Coach Leah Puiatti was extrememly pleased with the way all the girls played.

The under 16 boys and girls also had some success over the weekend. Bothe teams won 2 of their 3 games on the Saturday which saw them finish in the division 1 section of the tournament. Unfortunately neither team was able to advance to the semi finals.

The under 16 girls division 4 team played some tough games on the Saturday, but saved their best performance for the final game of the tournament against Mt Gambier. The girls were unable to secure a win for the weekend, but coach Melinda Todd was plased with the way the team improved over the weekend.

This is the last event for the Magic teams for the 2010/2011 season. The new season will begin late August/early September.