U12 and U16 SA Country Basketball Junior Country Championships

The U12 and U16 SA Country Basketball Junior Country Championships were held over the weekend of the 20^th and 21^st, the Mount Gambier Lakers were represented by eight sides at the Adelaide based tournament.

The Mount Gambier U16 Division four girls showed tremendous improvement over the journey of the season, Coach Ellen Brown was extremely proud of her side, ‘The difference between their first tournament to now is outstanding.’

The girls lost narrowly to Millicent before bouncing back with five-point win over Kangaroo Island, day two started with another close loss to rival Naracoorte before defeating Riverland to finish 2 wins two losses for the weekend.

The newest team in the Lakers was the U16 Division four boys, a side driven by Coach Tim Boxall. The boys came together quickly and grew each time they hit the court, they came away with one win and were very competitive, played the right way and should be proud of what they achieved in a short period of time.

The U16 Division one boys came into the tournament without injured big Sam Couldrey, Lachie Ray was brought up from the division 2 side and fitted in to the side well. Coach Kurt Russell using some creative line-ups to cover for his sides lack of size to get the job done in their opening game against Port Augusta. The boys suffered losses in their next two games, with size being a factor that was working against them. A scary moment occurred when Teangi Stephens suffered a concussion and required an ambulance, thanks to the help of those around the team Teangi was able to return to support (not play) his teammates the next day. In the quarter finals against Great Southern Kurt’s side found itself in a 20-point hole in the third quarter, however sparked by Mackye Baron (28 points) the Lakers team fought right back to get within a single basket before running out of steam, going down by eight points.

It was all energy for the U12 Division 5 boys who started their tournament with a one-point win over Southern Yorke Peninsula. The boys finished top of their pool after the minor rounds with two wins and one loss. In the quarter finals the Lakers side faced off with Kangaroo Island, Joel Clayfield, Taj White and Harvey Virtanen all scoring in double figures as the won by sixteen points. The semi finals were a different story as the boys faced a well-polished Keith side that made the most of their opportunities and put the game out of reach early. Kym Hammond a very proud coach of his U12 side and how far they have come from the beginning of the season.

The U12 Boys division one side battled hard against bigger opponents all weekend, although the did not come away with a win they managed to develop in areas and never lost their positive spirit always playing hard for each other. All players managed to score throughout the tournament using their improved teamwork to create opportunities for each other.

The U16 Division one Girls had a big challenge game one, facing two of the tournament favourites Riverland and Yorke Valley on day one. The girls worked hard for their opportunities however struggled to convert on some easy shots through out day to keep them in touch. Ambah Beveridge stepped up against a strong Yorkers side in the absence of Stella Mobbs (migraine) with 15 points. Day two had the Lakers side face off with rival Murray Bridge, a slow start by the Lakers had them down 5 – 16 before a Macey Griffith led 14 – 0 run had the Lakers side back in front. Macey Griffith top scoring with 16 points in the two-point win.

U16 Division 3 boys were a real success story over the Lakers season medalling in 6 out of 7 tournaments. Led by Coach Matt Ray the boys once again making it through to the Grand Final. The boys using their team work on both ends of the floor to create advantages over their opponents and setting up easy opportunities to score for themselves. The boys met Yorke Valley in the Grand final, both sides undefeated in the lead up to the Grand Final. Yorke Valley jumped out to a 13 – 3 start, although the Lakers fought hard they could not close the gap, going down by thirteen points and ending a terrific Lakers season that they should be very proud of.

Another success story over the tournament was the U12 Division one Lakers Girls, finishing the minor rounds with two wins and two losses and setting up a semi final with Port Augusta a side that defeated them by eight points in the minor rounds. The game looked all but over when the Lakers were trailing 4 – 16 in the second quarter, however a lift in defensive effort sparked a 10 – 0 Lakers run and had the girls down by 2points going into the main break. The Lakers took the lead in the third quarter and held on for a memorable five-point victory and a spot in the Grand Final. The match up with Great Southern in the Grand Final was a tough one, the girls tried hard however could not generate enough easy opportunities to score and eventually went down by twenty-four points. The growth in the Dan Collins and Sarah Ritter coached side throughout the season and tournament was seen by all.

The efforts of the Mount Gambier Lakers sides over both weekends of the Junior Country Championships saw the club finish second in the John Spooner award, an award for the club that has the most regular round division one wins. Mount Gambier Lakers had 20 wins behind winners Mildura on 21 wins.