Colac Kookas’ under-16 Division Four state champions from left, coach Matt Lucas, Dakota Murray, Braiden Ousey, Nick Anderson, Wylie Brown and squad co-ordinator Janet Fenton. Front from left, Shaun McNamara, Chaise Murray, Morgan Fenton and Alex Lamming.

COLAC junior basketballers have finished a representative season on a high after claiming a state title.

The Kookas’ under-16 boys won Division Four at Victorian country basketball championships after they beat Castlemaine, 44-34, at Bendigo Stadium.

Colac had three teams at Bendigo and might have claimed three state titles but the Kookas’ under-16 girls and under-18 boys lost in grand finals.

Kookas junior squad co-ordinator Janet Fenton said the 16s boys worked their way into the grand final after losing their first two games.

She said the players showed consistent improvement as the tournament progressed.

“They were playing better and better as they went on, and in every game they seemed to improve in the way they played,” she said.

“They seemed to get better as the day went on, they all worked pretty hard so it was a great effort.”

Fenton said Castlemaine proved a tough grand final opponent.

“They had to work hard the whole way through the game, Castlemaine played pretty good basketball so they had to work hard to win it,” she said.

“It was a real balanced effort and the more each individual lifted their effort, the better they played as a team.”

Horsham beat Colac’s under-16 girls, 41-36, in Division Three while Kyneton proved too strong for the Division Three under-18 boys, 56-16.

Fenton said the Kookas’ talented junior teams finished their season on a high note and would enjoy time off before next season’s tryouts in September.

“They’ve played all the representative tournaments we’ve had since Novemeber, that’s when we started,” she said.

“They’ve all improved and worked hard, it’s benefitted their basketball so we hope they carry on with it.”