JUNIOR LAKERS FINE TUNE FOR CHAMPIONSHIPs
The Junior Lakers squads have been working hard preparing for the SA Country Junior Basketball Country Championships being conducted in metropolitan stadiums during March. The Under 14 and 18 Championships are scheduled for next weekend, March 11th, 12th and 13th. A total of 114 teams have nominated to compete in 17 divisions of the two Boys’ and Girls’ age groups. There will be 298 games played over the weekend.
Mount Gambier has nominated 15 teams to compete in the full Championships with 8 teams making the journey for the 14’s and 18’s.
The Lakers Under 14 Girls and Boys Division 1 teams did not compete in the Naracoorte Tournament at the end of last month. The Boys, under the guidance of Robbie Young, travelled to Colac last weekend to compete in their Under 12 and 14 Junior Tournament. The Lakers met strong competition and performed well. They defeated Portland and Colac but went down to a classy Geelong line-up by 14 and lost by just 5 to Horsham. The Lakers can now look forward to a tough Championship weekend when they will meet the best in country SA and Mildura. Jake Walker, Sam Lock and Josh Holmes will be looking to continue the solid form they have shown in recent weeks. Coach Young is hopeful that Zach Nulty will be fit to suit up for the Championships.
Meanwhile the Division 1 Girls were involved in training sessions organised by Coach Morgan Amy over the weekend. Millicent, Yorke Valley and Mildura appear to be finals contenders. Australian Country Cup representatives Tara Bryant, Megan Reid and Ella Coleman are expected to lead the team’s efforts. The side will welcome the return of Chelsea Ryan from injury.
The Lakers Under 14 Division 2 Girls, coached by Sharon Adams, are showing steady improvement. They lost the Naracoorte Tournament grand final by just 2 points. Nick Thomas has the Lakers Under 14 Boys’ team well prepared for the Championships after an easy win in their grand final at Naracoorte. They face a big challenge in the Championships competing in the highly ranked Division 2 class. The Lakers Under 14 Division 3 team has also made pleasing progress under Coach Kathryn Facey. They too will be challenged in the in Division 4.
The Under 18 Division 1 competitions will be the highlight of the weekend. The Lakers Under 18 Girls Championship could go to anyone of the five teams in the Lakers, Millicent, Great Southern, Strathalbyn or Yorke Valley. Coach Bryan Green is mindful of the assignment and will be looking for top performances for the full 40 minutes of each game. Lauren Ross and Bella Stratford are currently training for the National Championships in April.
The Lakers Under 18 Boys Division 1 team has shown glimpses of the performances which reflect their potential over the season. Lapses in application to team plans have however been a little disappointing for Coach Kane deWit. Many times the team has been in positions to win but not finished off. Mason Hein, in his first year as a state player, is responding well to the demanding weekly state training program and will be keen to play well in the Country Championships. The Lakers Under 18 Division 2 Boys, with Caroline Lock as coach, is playing in the composite Divisions 3/4 competition.
The Country Championships begin on Saturday morning and continue through until Sunday afternoon when finals will begin and conclude with grand finals on Monday.
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