Millicent hosted the SA Country Basketball junior tournament on the weekend, with a strong display of competition taking to the courts.
The Mount Gambier Lakers Division 1 under 12 boys showed big improvements in the season so far, with the side taking the fight to Bordertown in a tough game which had the Mount Gambier supporters on their seats.
The boys stayed in the hunt for the entire game, but in the final minutes Bordertown found a way to dig deep and find their way back into the game to win by two points.
Under 12 boys Division 2 players endured their first tournament and were able to show the teams in their division what they were capable of.
Unfortunately the Under 12 Lakers girls lost all their games for the tournament, but the side was able to gain confidence and experience when it faced a tough Millicent side and only recorded a two-point loss.
Under 14 Division 1 boys had quite the impressive tournament, securing their spot into the grand final where they shot their way to a three-point win to secure the title.
Both Under 16 boys Division 1 and 2 outfits made the grand final, with the Division 1 side continuing its success beating Eltham 53-27.
Coach Kurt Russell said the team was starting to click and did not mind the 3-point attempts from some players.
Division 2 defeated Naracoorte 64-28 and became familiar with team structure, while the Lakers Division 3 Under 16 boys competed in its first tournament for the season and showed improvement on the court.
The Under 16 Division 1 girls did not make the grand final but proved themselves to be tough competitors for the rest of the season following a solid tournament display, while the Division 2 girls made it straight through to the grand final with just the one loss on their record to a tough Bordertown outfit.
The Under 18 boys left the tournament with a mixed bag of results, unable to progress to the grand final after claiming three wins and two losses, with coach Matt Berkefeld saying the boys had a solid performance for the weekend.
Under 18 Division 2 boys made it into the semi finals but could not scrape into the grand final, while the Under 18 girls side had a exceptional performance for the weekend and coach Bryan Green said the girls played well, but suffered a heartbreaking nine-point loss to Warrnambool in a physical match.
Mount Gambier will host the next tournament in mid-November.
