U14 and U18 SA Country Basketball Junior Country Championships

March 6 – 8 2021

The U14 and U18 SA Country Basketball Junior Country Championships were held over the weekend with the Mount Gambier Lakers being represented by nine sides.

The U14 Division one girls got their tournament off to a great start with a convincing win over Barossa Valley, they backed it up with a gutsy 2-point victory over Whyalla on their way to 4 straight victories and top of their pool before the crossover games. This would set up a knock out final with a familiar opponent in Millicent. Both teams left it out on the court however it would be Millicent who would come a way with a gritty 2 point victory and would eventually go on to win the whole division. A tough result for the U14 girls to accept after some fantastic basketball during the minor rounds.

The U18 Division one boys got off to a similar great start on their way to five straight wins and a spot in the grand final, the form of the side especially pleasing considering they were without injured Jake Walker for the tournament. Ben Young was having a tournament to remember averaging a shade under 20 points per contest. Disaster would strike for the side in the warmup of the grand final with team leader Zach Nulty breaking his leg in the warmup, another blow for Zach who has had his fair share of serious injuries. The team would stay strong together and give themselves a chance at victory, however it would be Mildura who would come out on top by four points in Over Time.

It was all energy and excitement for the U14 Division 3 and 5 girls teams, both sides playing well enough to get through to the grand final of their divisions. The Division 3 girls doing the hard way with four out of their seven games decided by 6 or less points, including an over time thriller against Great Southern. They would meet a familiar foe in Naracoorte in the Grand Final, I side that would once again prove too much for the Lakers side to handle going down by 17 points. The Division 5 team went undefeated on their way to the grand final, using a fast paced team first style of play. They were challenged in the final by a tough Eastern Hills team, however Gracie Dalton backed up her fantastic tournament with 15 points in the final to give her side the edge and the championship!

The U18 Division 2 boys side made the decision to step up to the challenge of the division 2 grade at the Country Championships where some of their regular opponents opted for the more comfortable division 3 grade. Although they did not win any games the side battled hard and stuck to their game plans, Nelson Forbes top scoring for his side averaging just under 8 points per contest.

It was a tough opening day for the U18 Girls starting 0 – 2 before finding their form against Port Augusta and Millicent to set up a semi final game against Riverland, a side that boasts some of the top talent in the state. The Lakers worked hard to give themselves a chance at victory however could not overcome the class of the Riverland side, going down by 6 points.

The U14 Division 3 side made it through to the quarter finals falling short to Great Southern. Their biggest moment coming against the Mildura Heat, down by 1 in the dying seconds a desperate defensive deflection by Copper Clayfield that landed in the hands of the Lakers number one energy man Luke Allen who headed straight for the hoop, Luke was fouled on his layup attempt sending him to the free throw line. As cool as a cucumber Luke made both free throws and set up a memorable win. The division 5 U14 side went into the tournament undermanned with injured Hunter Higgins unable to play. The side was fearless as they went undefeated through the minor rounds setting up a semi final contest with ‘Light’, unfortunately the boys would run out of steam going down by 1 point.

After splitting their first two games the U14 division one boys found their mojo winning their next three games by an average of 24 points. The contest between the Mount Gambier side and the eventual champions Mildura in the Semi Finals was one of the highest standard and intense games of the weekend, players from both sides were continually willing to take the game on and make big plays. Mildura would finish five-point victors.

The Focus now switches to the U12 and U16s who will play their final tournament in Adelaide on March 20^th and 21^st.