Nadus came from third place in the MA competition taking out ‘The Who’ in the preliminary finals, then had to play against the strongly placed Torres team in the Grand Final. While Torres was missing some of their key players, Nadus was also down a player and the game began with five against five. Torres came out strongly, trying to put the Nadus team on the back foot, but perseverance and a strong half by Makuach Maluach, who scored 13 points in the first half (24 in total), put the team in front just before half-time with a score 22 -20. Torres lost Rhys Porter early in the second half, with a twisted ankle, leaving the team devastated. However, Liam Edmunds stepped up magnificently for the team, scoring a tremendous 18 point half (22 in total) to keep the team in the running. With two minutes to go, Torres was in front by 1 point in a very defensive game. Nadus lived up to their reputation of being a fast running team and managed to score 3 quick baskets in the dying minutes of the game to take the MA Competition 49 – 45. It was a riveting display of men’s basketball showcasing the younger players and their skills.
Gurus came out firing for the MAR Grand Final against the Blakequakers team. Great teamwork and accurate shooting by Nic Ryan gave the team a 9-point lead early on, causing the Blakequakers to regroup and change tactics. Consistent chipping away at the lead and strong defence enabled the team to get back to an even footing at half-time with a score of 23-all. The game see-sawed for the second half and tensions were running high with only two minutes to go. Zac Smith scored a sweet 3 pointer to put Blakequakers in front 40-39 with less than a minute to go. Gurus had their chance to reclaim the lead with two free shots awarded with only seconds to go, but were unable to convert possession to points. Gurus can only ponder what might have been.
Old Crocs might have gained first spot into the Grand Final for the MB competition, but the U16s Roar were not about to let them have it all their own way. With Makuach Maluach back in the team, the U16s ran the floor to outscore the Old Crocs 29-11 at half-time. There were six different scorers for the junior team, showing that all the players can step up when needed. Old Crocs regrouped in the second half to match the team, with 18 points each, but the damage was already done. Old Crocs were missing their accurate shooting at the crucial time, allowing the U16 Roar to take the prize with a 47-29 win. Strong play from Ryan Shaw and Will Pankhurst in the U16s kept the Old Crocs on their toes, while Mike Castle and Graham Cuskelly tried their best to keep Old Crocs a respected opponent.
TAS White came from 4th spot on the ladder to challenge OConnor Nek Minute in the MC grand final and, with their drastic improvement over the last few weeks, took the team head on. O’Connor were determined not to give in, despite missing three players due to school excursions and the scoreline reflected this at half-time with TAS ahead 20- 19. Sam Wang and Hong Cham were devastating in the second half, hitting all shots attempted. O’Connor tired in the second half and this enabled the TAS team to claim victory 39-26. Vic Mutuota was strong both offence and defence for the O’Connor team, as was Jacob Osborne.
In junior boys, AHS Lightning had an easy run to the winner’s circle as several of the Duval Saos failed to turn up for their Grand Final which was very disappointing for their teammates. Niam Watson, Clarry Barker and Denis Cutmore were devastating for the Lightning team, as they have been all year.
WA was the best of three games for the Fiikl and Sistas teams this year. The first game was a hard fought game, with Fiikl having a 14-8 lead at half-time. Sistas made a significant comeback in the second half, but it was not enough and the team went down 24-22. The second game was more one sided as Sistas were off balance to begin with, as one of their players was late and the team was struggling to put things together. While the game was a cordial one, the Fiikl team proved their dominance this year with a resounding 47-27 win for the second game. Sistas had dominated the WA over the last few years, and it is hoped that they can regroup and coopt some new players for the next year.
The junior girls’ Grand Finals proved to be an intense experience as four teams battled for supremacy. In the Years 7/8 grade, Duval Teamcake took on the PLC Suns in a fast and furious game that was intense to the end. While not much scoring was achieved in the game, the girls all played their hearts out with great team-work and defence. Hannah Mallice and Courtney Sim in the Teamcake team have both come out of their shell to take on confident roles in their team while PLC’s Hannah Van Roy played above her age to keep the team strong. There were five different scorers for PLC Suns in their 12-9 win over Duval Teamcake.
PLC was always going to be a winner in the Year 9/10 grade as PLC Jazz defended its first place position against the PLC Heat team. Anthea Powell proved to be a consistent scorer for the PLC Heat team, scoring 14 of their 23 points while Steph Darley for PLC Jazz also scored 14 points for her team. The games have always been close between the two teams, but this time, extra time was needed to get a result after a 22-all draw was the score at the end of the second half. With an intense five minute period needed to decide a winner, it was nearly into extra time again, until Gabbie Holmes for Jazz managed a well placed basket.
In the WC Grand Final, Hooperstars were favourites to take out the trophy until school excursions and surgery got in the way of two players. Sista Gals made the most of this situation and hammered the team in the first half, with a 22-12 score. Hooperstars never gave up and made a serious comeback with the team outscoring Sista Gals in the second half. Ali Walker and Tarryn Walker both contributed to the comeback significantly, but the team was seriously missing its two tallest players, allowing the Sista Gals to collect more rebounds than they normally would. Amanda Tighe for Sista Gals continues to improve her individual skills and leadership role, with a 12-point score towards the team’s 37-28 win.
The WB Grand Final between Funkhair and Tiddas was always going to be a blockbuster, as the two teams were separated by twp points or less in their last two encounters. Funkhair came out strongly with a 12-8 lead at half-time, while Tiddas tried to go through players to the basket, without result. Frustration led to cheap fouls for the Tiddas team and it wasn’t until they were able to settle down and get their ‘eye in’ that they were able to chip away at the lead held by Funkhair. Uncontested long shots proved to be the winner for the Tiddas, while Funkhair failed to capitalise on their usually successful set shots and screens. Foul trouble again plagued the Tiddas, but their luck was in, with Funkhair missing the bonus shots. Final score was a fiercely contested 25-23. Melissa Darmanin and Lesley McLean were the main scorers for Funkhair, while Lisa Hoskins and Gaylene Hoskins have proved to be valuable additions to the Tiddas team.
Term 4 activities will begin on Monday, October 15 with nomination forms currently available from Struddys and Sportspower.
Rex Nottage, one of Australia’s leading shooting coaches and Chairman of the Australian Basketball Coaches, will be running a Coaches Seminar in Armidale on Sunday, October 14 beginning at 10am at The Den.
Term 4 will also see a Level 0 Referees course held at a time to be organised.
