Millicent Magic had 12 teams take part in the Mount Gambier Junior Basketball tournament.
The under 12 Division 1 girls, coached by Lillie Paul and Olivia Dean won their way into the grand final, where they defeated Hamilton 12-11.
The girls started off slowly with a tough loss first up to Hamilton, going down 16-27.
However, they were able to bounce back from this and play as a team in order to win the rest of their games, defeating Strathalbyn 48-17, Riverland 27-18 and Bordertown 32-2.
The girls came into the grand final ready to come back from their loss to Hamilton earlier in the weekend.
Both teams applied great defensive pressure, which made it difficult for either team to get up on the scoreboard.
Asha Dinnison was able to score Millicent’s first points for the game late in the first quarter, leaving her side down by one point at quarter time.
The girls’ defensive pressure and physicality made it challenging for Hamilton to score in the second and third quarters, and with many crucial turnovers, Millicent was able to get up by four points at three-quarter time.
Both teams were determined to get the win and with 30 seconds to go, Millicent was up by one point.
The girls were able to control the play at the end of the game and take the win by one point.
It was a great team effort and all the girls improved over the weekend.
Top scorers were Ruby Hackwill, Hazel Hamilton, Asha Dinnison
The under 16 Division 1 boys were coached by Dave Hurley and managed by Erica Hurley.
The side had a mixed result, defeating Naracoorte – 36-25 and Riverland 60-59, but went down to Mount Gambier 35-44, Portland 34-44 and Strathalbyn 30-33.
Overall the teams in the division were very evenly matched and to win games Millicent needed to play all four quarters in every game.
The weekend started with a win over Naracoorte, with Beau Douglas the top scorer.
Unfortunately the team did not put in four solid quarters against Mount Gambier, but after being down by 20 in the third the boys kept their heads up and finished with just a nine point loss.
Top scorer was Ollie Braun.
In the third game against Portland the team lost by 10 points, with Douglas again the top scorer.
The fourth game against Strathalbyn the boys were up bright and early and to be on call at 7.30am.
The side stepped up the defensive pressure to keep Millicent in the game but unfortunately came away with a three point loss.
The final game came down to the wire and the team relied on defensive pressure, with three seconds to go a massive three-pointer from Douglas saw a great win by one point.
The under 16 Division 3 girls had a clean sweep at the tournament, coached by Andrew Thorne with Jess Ellis as manager.
The side defeated Port Fairy 32-2, Keith 26-22, Strathalbyn 34-7 and Port Fairy 40-5 in the semi final, before facing off against Keith in the grand final.
It was a great team effort with all round improvement made by all teammates.
Top point scorers for the tournament were Jetta Hibbard with a total of 56 points and Asher Ginzberg with 32.
The Magic’s defence and turnovers were great to watch, particularly in the grand final.
Keith fought hard to come back in the last quarter but the Magic held strong, winning 21-17.
The under 12 Division 3 girls also had a clean sweep at the tournament, with coach Amy Mason at the held and Kate Stratford as manager.
The team downed Hamilton 26-25, Keith 19-18, Casterton 32-12, Mount Gambier – 23-13 in the semi final, before defeating Keith 23-15 in the grand final.
The girls started off slowly but came away with a couple of one point wins.
All girls played well as a team, each playing their role in the side, despite being bottom aged facing much older and taller players.
Top scorers were Shelby with 39 points, including 10 in the grand final, and Kaia with 40.
The under 18 Division 1 boys had a tough road but managed to win their way into the grand final.
The side, coached by Darren Dean with Allanah Bowden as manager, started the tournament with a draw against Mount Gambier – 48-all.
They then defeated Murray Bridge 51-42, before losing to Portland 41-44 and then going on to defeat Riverland 58-35 and Warrnambool 58-38.
The side faced Mount Gambier again in the grand final, this time taking the win 59-34.
The young Millicent men certainly saved their best performance for the last game of the weekend.
The team battled their way through the minor rounds with a new look lineup for the Magic as they welcomed back Brody Scott from illness and the inclusion of local competition talent Fletcher Leopold, Harry Gibbs and Cade Kelly.
Led by the talented duo of Jackson Bowden and Jack Haggett it was an explosive effort by Millicent.
Three-pointers were dropping like the rain on the tin roof and the Mount Gambier boys looked a little shellshocked by the end of the first quarter with the scoreline 22-3.
Kelly was involved in everything, shooting the first seven of Millicent’s nine points.
The boys refused to take their foot off the pedal and continue to play great basketball throughout the game with Mount Gambier struggling to adjust and find ways to score.
Jackson Dean was like a brick wall in defence and the Mount boys were unable to adjust to shooting over the likes of Bowden and Haggett who dominated the boards.
The coach was able to give the five boys on the bench a great run in the fourth and it was amazing to see the entire team involved in the win.
Bowden finished the game with 19, Kelly with an impressive 18 and Haggett chipped in for 16 points.
There is a great team feeling with this group and although there were standout performances and players over the weekend, every player contributed.
The under 16 Division 1 girls went through the tournament undefeated, until they suffered a narrow loss to Riverland in the grand final, going down 33-36.
The side, coached by Peter Seebohm with Nicole Dean as manager, defeated Riverland 47-33, Strathalbyn 30-29, Mount Gambier – 35-25 and Naracoorte 34-30 in the run to the final.
The girls started well with Magic playing a great game against Riverland.
The girls continued their winning streak for the three games on Saturday, including a close game against the strong Strathalbyn team, taking the win by one point.
All players worked well together as a team.
Sunday saw a slower start to the day but the side took the win by four points over Naracoorte.
In the grand final the Riverland team came out strong and led all game.
Despite the loss, Piper played a tough game and top scored with 15 points.
