Mount Gambier hosted a successful competition for teams from across South Australia and Victoria for the annual Mount Gambier Junior Basketball Tournament.

The Mount Gambier Under 12 teams were able to have a brilliant weekend with the loudest cheers.

Under 12 boys had an early Saturday morning start against the Portland Coasters at 8am at North Gambier Primary School.

The boys had tough competition and lost 46-34, it was an even harder loss later that morning against Hamilton, losing 61-23.

The boys then played the Bordertown Bandits, going down 48-34, but their spirits were lifted when they took on Riverland.

The team was able to fight back and get the win 41-32.

The Under 12 girls started off the tournament with a five point loss against Mildura but later won 23-18 against Port Fairy.

Neither team made it to the grand final, but both were excited with their results.

Madison Yelland was the leading scorer in the under 12 girls with 30 points, with Austin May scoring 41 points in the boys.

UNDER 14
Under 14 Division 1 boys succeeded well into the competition.

They remained undefeated throughout Pool B and competed against a tough Riverland team in Pool A in the grand final, but could not get the win.

Under 14 Division 2 boys were a standout as well in their Pool B, securing wins against Murray Bridge 30-25 and Casterton, 55-9.

They played the Bordertown Bandits in the grand final but could not get the win.

The Division 3 boys started off well with a five point win over the Portland Coasters, 30-25, but Strathalbyn proved too good, taking the game 29-19.

A tough Port Fairy side proved too good, winning 45-14 before the side bounced back to down Murray Bridge Bullets 30-22.

In their last game of the tournament, the boys were able to defeat Millicent Magic 24-20 with high intensity on the court.

Under 14 Division 1 girls had tough competition with a hard game against the Coasters, going down 35-19.

The girls quickly bounced back to secure their only win, beating Murray Bridge 46-23.

They had tough losses against Riverland and Millicent which kept them out of the grand final.

Under 14 Division 2 girls also had tough teams to face, losing to Keith 10-20, Port Fairy 8-44 and Casterton 10-44.

The leading scorers were Hallie Sealey in Division 2 girls, Lila Pearson with an outstanding 62 points in Division 1 girls, Joshua Haggett in Division 1 boys, Vincent Moore with 79 points in Division 2 boys, and Hudson Gray in Division 3 boys.

UNDER 16
Under 16 Division 1 boys continued their winning streak, being undefeated in three tournaments.

They defeated Portland 56-23, Millicent 44-34, Riverland 55-35, Naracoorte Kings 62-31, Strathalbyn Storm 64-36, before winning the tournament title against Portland, 72-28.

Under 16 Division 2 boys had a nail-biting tournament opener, beating Naracoorte – 34-32, but regained confidence winning against Portland, 48-13, and beating Strathalbyn 69-31.

The Under 16 Division 3 boys were playing their second tournament and suffered losses against Naracoorte, Bordertown, and Murray Bridge with the latter only being by three points, and Keith.

Under 16 division 1 girls started with a 37-18 win over Naracoorte but could not get another victory to their name.

Under 16 Division 2 girls faced Bordertown first after losing to them in the Millicent tournament grand final, going down 33-16.

However a big win of 40-21 later in the day helped to regain confidence, despite them going down 28-25 to Murray Bridge.

Tahnee Kemp led the scoreboard with 24 points in Division 2 girls, Shayden Russell in Division 1 girls, James Flett in Division 3 boys, Henry Pedler in Division 1 boys with 87 points, and an outstanding achievement by William Humphries putting up 112 points, averaging 22.4 points per game

UNDER 18
Under 18 Division 1 boys opened their tournament with a 48-all draw against Millicent.

They defeated Warrnambool 74-42, Riverland 47-42 and Murray Bridge, 48-21, but Portland proved too strong and beat the Lakers 45-40.

The boys had to face Millicent again in the grand final, with the Magic providing too strong and securing the tournament win.

Under 18 Division 2 boys were only able to take away one win for the tournament against Murray Bridge 35-30.

Under 18 girls had a bounce back tournament, beating Millicent 35-30, Riverland 61-21, Murray Bridge 40-37, as well as a four point loss to Portland.

The girls were able to come back and beat Portland in the grand final, getting them another tournament win.

Ambah Beveridge was the leading scorer with 32 points, Taj Brumby with 52 points in Division 1 boys, and Seth Fraser with 28 points in Division 2 boys.

As part of the tournament, Beth Searle was recognised for 50 years of voluntary service to SA Country Basketball.

Ms Searle has been a part of the SA Country circuit since the 1970s, coaching, training and inspiring many junior players.