Port Augusta Junior Carnival Results

 

Port Augusta teams can hold their heads high with outstanding results at the local junior carnival held over the last weekend. The Under 12 boys and Under 14 boys were undefeated winners, whilst the Under 16 girls, Under 14 girls div 1 and Under 14 girls div 2 all played in grand final matches.

 

The Port Augusta Basketball Association would like to thank the Junior Coordinators Erin Heron and Libby Harrison for once again organising an outstanding tournament. Many volunteers also made a fantastic contribution on the day, including Carey Struck, Ben Leahy and all the coaches and officials.

 

 

Grand Final Match Reports

 

Under 12 Boys

 

Port Augusta went into this Grand Final as the clear favourites. It’s hard to believe that this team is made up of boys aged 9 to 11, such is their teamwork and individual brilliance. Whyalla found Port Augusta’s full court pressure too much, enabling transition scoring. Time and again Port Augusta players made that extra pass to an open team mate. At halftime the score was 28 to 2 in favour of Port Augusta. Hunter Press was outstanding in the final and throughout the carnival, winning MVP and Best in Final. Max Edwards, Tate Fuller and Josh Saunders regularly found Joe Clancy, Nate Harris, Deacon Pillion and Hunter Press on hand offs and as receivers. The final result was a win to Port Augusta 57 to 4. Coach Travis Rabig said he was impressed with how much they had improved and the fun they had as a team.

 

The second under 12 Port Augusta “Devils” team finished second in the pool and were unlucky not to make the Grand Final themselves. The depth across this age group bolds well for the future of Port Augusta basketball.

 

 

Under 14 Boys

 

Port Augusta also came into the contest as red hot favourites but it was Yorke Valley providing the contest in the first quarter as they led 14 to 13. As the boys worked past the pressure of the moment, their offensive structure started to create more scoring opportunities. By half time they were ahead by 9 points. Their ball movement was crisp and their use of Mitchell Searle in the post, who also won MVP for the carnival, created scoring opportunities for himself and others. Jack Waterman controlled the tempo of the game well, seeing him be awarded the Best in Final. Zac Keeler was also outstanding for Port Augusta with his shooting and athleticism.   As the game wore on the entire team made their mark and won the game 66 to 32. Coach Ryan Struck said that the carnival had demonstrated that these players had made the next step in their development and he was looking forward to continuing to work with them.

 

 

 

Under 14 Girls Div 1

 

Whyalla started strongly in this grand final contest with Port Augusta and created easy scoring opportunities as they pressed up the court. When Port Augusta did break through the press, their shots just would not fall. By half-time Port Augusta was down by 12 points. Kate Dunemann was working hard and was reading the game well and Teraleyah Coutlhard and Shalana Cox were putting a lot of pressure on Whyalla at both ends of the floor. Early in the 4^th quarter Whyalla pushed their lead to 13 points, which Port Augusta just could not reel in. This team clearly has the individual and team skills to compete and will look to prepare for their next carnival to take that next step.

 

 

Under 14 Girls Div 2

 

In a tightly contested game throughout, neither Port Augusta or Roxby Downs gave an inch. At halftime the score was 7 to 8 and by three quarter time the score was 13 to 14. Shannon Thompson, Lauren Howell and Ellyssa Myles were using their speed and tenacity to create turnovers and scoring opportunities for Port Augusta. With 4 and half minutes to go Roxby Downs lead had pushed out to 5 points. Whilst their trademark defence continued, Port Augusta was unable to take advantage of scoring opportunities with the final result; Roxby Downs 21 to Port Augusta 15. After losing by only 1 point in the Quarterfinal, this team was very close to playing off in the Div 1 final, demonstrating the depth in this age group.

 

 

Under 16 Girls

Yorke Valley showed their intent with a 3 pointer to commence the game and despite a quick reply by Abby Whitaker, the Port Augusta team finished the first quarter down 5 to 15. Yorke Valley was active at both ends, particularly on the defensive end where Port Augusta found it hard to score. Down 6 to 21 at half time, Port Augusta’s defence ensured the game did not get too far away from them, but they continued to find it difficult to score in the second and third quarters. In the last quarter, a come back look on the cards with Port Augusta scoring the first 6 points, including a great set play and a 3 pointer by Jessica Allen. Another 3 pointer from Abby Whitaker closed the gap to 8 points, but they could not get closer. The team never gave up and played well all weekend, and will look to exact revenge at the Port Pirie carnival. Final Score: Yorke Valley 30 Port Augusta 22.

 

In other grades:

 

Under 12 girls Div 1 finished Saturday well with 3 wins and 1 loss, and unfortunately had a close loss in the semi final to Whyalla. With many girls in the team playing their first carnival they will be raring to go at their next tournament.

 

Under 12 girls Div 2 had three games with margins of 2 points or less, with one being a one point win against Port Lincoln. Whilst a 2 point loss in the semi-final was heart stopping for both players and supporters, the team improved significantly over the weekend.

 

Under 16 boys were in a tough competition and whilst they were unable to register a win for the weekend, the carnival has provided an opportunity to see the standard to build towards, and for which they are determined to achieve.

 

Under 18 girls had 1 win from 3 games on the first day, putting them into a semi-final with Whyalla. Unfortunately they fell just short with a 4 point loss, narrowly missing the Grand Final.

 

Under 18 boys were positioned well to make the grand final, winning 3 out of 4 games on Saturday, however Whyalla proved too much in a shoot out in the semi finals. With a number of the players in this team playing A grade locally, they won’t let that same opportunity slip at the next carnival.