The Norths Bears claimed four titles at the Basketball New South Wales State Junior Championships held at Gosford and Maitland over the weekend with the Under 14 Boys, Under 14 Girls, Under 16 Girls and Under 18 Girls all claiming gold.

The NSBA was represented in seven of the eight divisions contested on the weekend, claiming the four championships and having another team progress to the grand final and the Under 12 boys contesting a semi-final in a highly successful weekend of Bears basketball.

In Maitland, the Norths Under 14 Girls progressed to the decider with a 58-41 win over rivals Sydney Comets, before claiming gold with a hard fought 45-40 win over a talented Newcastle. The win means the young Bears finish the MJL and State Championship season with an imposing 21-0 record, a credit to the girls and their coaches Hannah Wilson and Nicole Golding.

Rising young star Shyla Heal once again led the charge all week to claim the grand final MVP, but credit must go to the whole group who worked throughout the year to maintain their unbeaten record.

The Bears Under 14 Boys were another team to round out the MJL/State Championships double, downing Bankstown 66-51 in the semi en route to a resounding 62-42 win over the previously undefeated Illawarra team in the final. Athletic young guard Hunter Madden was adjudged most valuable player of the final.

Both teams will now turn their focus to the Australian Under 14 Club Championships, with the girls headed to Brisbane and the boys competing in Albury.

The Norths Under 16 Girls produced some brilliant basketball to claim their State Championship in Gosford, downing Sutherland 91-44 in the semi-final and then surging to the gold with an impressive 95-55 win over Newcastle in the grand final.

Led by point guard and grand final MVP Elle Carroll, the young Bears produced an entertaining brand of transition basketball throughout to grab the title and add to their MJL championship from seven days previous.

The Under 18 Girls were the other team to round the MJL/State Championship double, downing traditional rivals Sydney Comets 77-62 in the semi-final before over-powering a talented Gosford team 86-58 in the grand final.

Livewire guard Lizzy Tonks made it consecutive State Championship grand final MVP’s in another startling performance from the former Coffs Harbour junior.

In other results, the previously undefeated Under 18 Boys went down in the final to Gosford 62-59, finishing the year with 20-1 record and the MJL championship. The Under 12 Boys progressed to the semi-finals in an impressive display by Sylvester Wilson’s young team, while the Under 16 Boys overcame injury and illness to win the 5 v 6 play-off 81-67 over rivals Sydney Comets.

The Northern Suburbs Basketball Association would like to congratulate all seven teams on progressing to the state championships and thank all the volunteer coaches and managers for their considerable efforts during the year.