On the 16th of December, the Millicent Basketball Association held their seasonal junior Grand Finals with a total of 12 teams competing across the 3 age groups. Millicent’s great young basketball talent was put on display, as family members and friends from the local community attended the highly anticipated matches. 

U12 Girls

The under 12 girls Grand Final was played between the Pumas and the Saints. When these two teams met in the first Semi Final the margin was 4 points, and the Grand Final game delivered an even closer affair. The first three-quarters could not split the two sides; with the scores tied at 22 a piece. A late burst by the Saints allowed them to claim victory over the Pumas by a mere 2 points, behind solid performances from Aislinn Schultz and Portia McRae. McKenzie Job kept the Pumas in the game scoring 10 points in the last quarter and 22 points for the game.  

U12 Boys

The game of the night was played between the Demons and the Roos in the under 12 boys Grand Final. The Rebels came out of the blocks early and enjoyed a 10-5 lead after the first break, though it wasn’t long before the Demons began to find their rhythm. The first quarter break was the largest for the game, as the lead swayed between both teams for the remainder of the game. The winning team came down to a shot on the siren by Braydon Hateley from the Demons, which bounced off the backboard before passing through the hoop. The Demons came away winning by 1 point of the back of Kallan Shanks and Braydon Hateley, who had 31 points combined. 

U14 Girls

The under 14 girls Grand Final ended in a result that no one expected. The Roos took control of the game early and completely denied the Saints from all scoring options. Most predicted that the Saints would bounce back and reduce the 17-point first quarter margin, but the Roos continued to power ahead. The Saints got on the board in the second quarter but could not limit the influence of Paige Nitschke and Sophie Varcoe. The Saints managed to win the second half but had no hope of minimising the 26-point halftime margin. The Roos ran away clear 22-46 winners over the Saints.

U14 Boys

The Eagles came away winners over the Tigers by 10 points in the under 14 boys Grand Finals. The Tigers struggled to control the Eagles, as Sam Hayes and his teammates worked hard to earn a 15-5 lead after the first quarter. The remainder of the game saw back to back scoring, as both teams added another 20 points to their total score. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the 10-point deficit in the first quarter had a huge impact on the final margin, but credits to both George Whimshurt and Kynan Dunn from the Tigers who fought tirelessly in hopes of a win.  The final score in favour of the Eagles was 45-35. 

U16 Girls

As predicted, the under 16 girls Grand Final played between the Eagles and the Roos came down to the wire. At the main break, the Roos had a 1-point lead over the Eagles, thanks to Emily Winter and Macey Taylor who shared 26 points from their teams total of 28. The second half saw another dominant performance by the Roos, as they minimised the Eagles scoring to only 6 points for the quarter while enjoying 15 of their own. The Eagles lingered behind the tails of the Roos in the last quarter but it was too little too late and the Roos become 2-point winners. Paige Nitschke from the Eagles was unstoppable on the night, contributing 30 points to her team's score.

U16 Boys

In the under 16 boys Grand Final the Tigers took on the Saints in the final match of the night. The Tigers started well early and although the game was reasonably close, they managed to hold a steady lead for the entire game. It wasn’t until the third quarter that the Saints began to find ways to limit the influence of Finn Grimes, while also scoring off the back of their strong defensive team efforts. The last quarter became a chase for the Saints and what a chase it was! Matt Withers turned up the heat nailing four three points late in the last, giving his team a chance to take out the game. In end, the Tigers proved to be too strong for the Saints, as they won 49-44. Finn Grimes played exceptional for the Tigers with 24 points and a number of great defensive plays.