The 2018 City of Mount Gambier Junior Basketball Tournament maintained its record of being one of the most successful sporting events staged in Mount Gambier for the year.

One hundred and sixteen teams from Country SA and the Western Districts of Victoria converged on the Blue Lake City to compete in 22 divisions and 278 games of competitions from Under 12 through to Under 18 age groups. Organisers turned away seven teams due to capacity numbers on the eleven available courts, thus maintaining its reputation as a popular event within country regions.

There were many highlights for the 2018 Tournament but none more than the magnificent efforts of the dedicated volunteers of our basketball community. The exceptional work done in preparation for and during the Tournament, set the scene for well organised basketball competitions and second to none hospitality extended to the many hundreds of visitors. Junior basketballers added to the colour and success of the Christmas Pageant on Saturday, while a number of business houses reported record sales for the weekend.

The standards of play were impressive, especially in the first division competitions, complemented by an overall pleasing level of refereeing. The primary aims of the Tournament in giving players the chance to gain experience beyond local competitions and to have fun were achieved.

The weekend was rewarding too, in terms of healthy competitions played in good spirit and new friendships being formed.

The grand final results in the Division 1 saw Eastern Hills and Strathalbyn victorious in Under 12’s, Millicent and Terang in Under 14’s and Mount Gambier in Under 16’s.

Koroit won four titles, Under 18 Women Division 2, Under 14, 16 and 18 Boys Division 3.    

The Under 18 Division 1 Classics resulted in wins to the Lakers Women and Portland Men. Emily Close led the Lakers Women to a comfortable 57-28 final win against Portland. Close and bottom age player, Emily Dawe, led the scoring for Lakers.

The Lakers won the two Division 1 competitions of the Under 16 age group. The Lakers boys defeated arch rival Eastern Hills in a cliff-hanger final, 39-36.  The win came from a strong team effort in which all members contributed. First year Ben Young and Aaron Ramsey, promoted to Division 1, turned in impressive performances over the weekend.

Lakers Under 16 Girls Division 1 team was successful against Portland in the final, 27-15. The game developed into a dour defensive contest in which baskets were hard to come by. The Lakers players all contributed in their respective roles to their successes over the weekend with Sarah Ritter and Alyssa Duncan consistently finishing off team-mates’ efforts.

Over the next few weeks quite a few of the Lakers players will be directing their attention to trials and trainings for the SA Country teams to compete in the 2019 Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup and the Southern Cross Challenge in January.

The next Tournament for the Lakers teams will be Portland South West Classic in early February.