Mount Gambier’s Under 14 Girls under the guidance of Coach Rohan Harrap, continues to enjoy success at Junior Tournaments this season.

Last weekend they played in the annual HamiltonHamilton Junior Tournament undefeated Junior and finished the weekend with a perfect record of five wins from five games.

The Grand Final 27-16 win against the strong Millicent line-up, which includes four state players, was a most impressive effort. Leading scorers in the final were Tenille Gray, Brenna McKay and Olivia Dukalskis.The key to their success in Hamilton and earlier Tournaments is their discipline and commitment to play team and structured basketball.

The Lakers scored comfortable wins in their four minor round games to secure a place in the title game. Winning scores were 49-9 against Portland, 29-14 against Horsham, 40-15 against Warrnambool and 30-26 against Colac.

The Lakers Under 16 Boys and Girls were also undefeated after their minor rounds and played off in their respective grand finals. The Lakers Girls defeated Ballarat 27-15, Colac 26-15, Timboon 33-17, Warrnambool 34-21 and Bellarine 24-11.

They were again unlucky not to snare a win over Millicent in an exciting final. These two sides have met in the title games of several junior tournaments and the final result has been not decided until the closing seconds or a shot on the buzzer. This time the margin was 4 points in Millicent’s favour, 20-16.Rachael Hines, Tahlia Earl and Teagan Gray did well in the final.

It was again a terrific effort over the weekend by the Lakers Under 16 Boys, who continue to respond well to Coach Bryan Green.

Their Grand Final game was a huge challenge against a talented and well drilled Horsham. The task was made even more demanding when State player Stephen Sochacki was unable to suit up because of illness. Horsham scored easily over a plucky Lakers side.

The Lakers Under 12 Girls bowed out of the Tournament in their semi-final against Hamilton.           

The Under 14 Boys Div. 1 side returned with two wins and two losses. They defeated Ballarat 40-18 and Horsham 44-25 but lost to Portland 21-46 and Colac 19-35.

The Under 14 Boys Div. 2 team showed a marked improvement over the Tournament. They lost their first two games to Terang 26-41 and 31-56 to Ararat. They then bounced back with some strong team plays to defeat Port Fairy 23-15 and Timboon 43-41 in the Consolation Final.

The Lakers Under 12 Boys finished the weekend with a 2/3 win/loss record. They defeated Portland and Colac but lost to Horsham, Ballarat and Hamilton.