Our basketball teams competed in the Australian Schools Basketball Championships this week.
The boys met some very tough competition in their first rounds and went down to Cabra Dominican College and Scotch College Adelaide, but the Girls were unbeaten in their first matches.
On day two, both teams continued their great efforts with wins against quality opposition. The boys won a close game against Point Cook Senior 51 – 48, and our girls continued their unbeaten run to the semi-finals with a comfortable 87 – 14 win against Damascus College.
Day three saw the boys lose two very hard-fought games, first against Concordia College, Adelaide, 68 – 58, then against Tenison Woods College 43 – 38. They trailed by 13 at half-time but gradually fought their way back into the game to get within a point midway through the last quarter. Unfortunately they couldn’t quite get over the line.
The girls secured a place in the gold medal round after defeating Willetton Senior High (Perth) 49 – 38 in the semi-final. They led by six at quarter time, four at half-time, six at three-quarter time, eventually winning by 11.
Sadly, sport provides its share of heartache, and our girls lost the final by just two points to St Paul’s Anglican Grammar. The girls trailed for most of the game, but came close to stealing it in the final minutes.
A silver medal in the Australian Championships is an incredible achievement!
Congratulations to both teams; you did us proud against the best young basketballers in the land.
Girls team:
Brooke Mangan, Rachelle Mangan, Carly Scholes, Lucinda Smythe, Taylor Stibbe, Alex Strawhorn, Keisha Tonzing, Milly Wicks, Teesha Smedley (Scorer), Maddy White (Manager), and Jane Chalmers (Coach)
Boys team:
Sam Brynhildsen, Lachlan Dillon, Simon Dundas, Brandon Etherington, Brock Harvey, Keo Payne, Lachie Ratcliffe, Mark Swiney, Ben Wickens, Dean Sheldrick (Manager), and Jonathan Goodman (Coach)