MILLICENT and District Basketball Association tasted success in its first tournament for the season in Murray Bridge over the long weekend.
The Magic put up a solid fight to have five of their eight sides make the grand finals in their respective age groups.
Murray Bridge Bullets hosted the competitive tournament, which saw the Under 18 men and Under 16 boys claim the Division 2 victories.
The competition marks the first of many that Millicent will contest in the lead up to the South Australian Country Championships next year.
The Under 18 Millicent men led the way all weekend to defeat Eastern Hills in the grand final.
Coached by Michael Shultz, the group of talented basketballers progressed through the weekend’s games and made the grand final to take a two-point victory.
The Under 16 side managed to claim the tournament honours also, but it did not come easy.
Magic played their first game against Woodville and were outsized, but managed to come away with a 28-10 win.
In their second match they tackled Mount Gambier.
It was a tough game, which saw a 39-all draw.
Murray Bridge was Millicent’s next opponent and it played impressive basketball to defeat the host’s 46-31 due to a solid game from Nick Joy.
The boys came out strong against Eastern Hills with the likes of Josh Werchon, Billy Shanks and Austin Fuller playing at their best to record a comfortable 42-point win.
Millicent finished the minor round on top to set up a semi-final bout against Woodville.
Youngsters Tom Tranter, Cody Radford and Riley Shanks played a good team game to set up a grand final showdown against Mount Gambier.
Prepared for a tough game, Magic came out firing to come away with a comfortable win.
The Under 14 boys also played in Division 2 and were forced to pull up from the Under 12 team due to lack of player availability.
Magic defeated the Mount Gambier Lakers by 20 in the semi-final to face the Ninja’s in the grand final.
They lost 34-39, but showed great determination all weekend.
The fresh-faced Under 12 boys gave their all in what was the first basketball tournament for many.
A slow start to the weekend against a tall and strong Centrals side saw Millicent go down by 30.
Magic recovered against a more evenly matched Yorke Valley and listened to coach Jenny Herbert to win by four.
Game three against Murray Bridge saw the Magic come out firing.
Brayden Rowe created many turnovers, while Dylan Sigston and William Wimshurst played at their best to set up a nine-point win.
The youngsters ran out of legs in their last game against Mount Gambier and went down.
The Under 16 girls also filled a mixed team and competed in Division 2 in what was a much-needed hit out.
A strong start against the Lakers saw Cody Lucas and Claudia Pratt lead Magic to a five-point win.
Game two against Eastern Hills saw all players on the scoreboard and a definitive 50-point victory.
Sunday saw Millicent play a physical Murray Bridge and Millicent caught off guard.
The loss saw Magic bounced back with a three-point win over Strathalbyn.
A wiser Millicent team took on Strathalbyn in the semi-final Monday and improved on the winning margin.
A grand final against the tournament host’s Murray Bridge was always going to be a tough task.
Makinlee Futcher played a controlled game and Georgia Winter worked hard in the key.
Magic stuck with the Bullets, but in the end lost by four.
Two teams represented the Magic in the Under 14 girls competition.
Playing in a two-pool Division 1 competition the girls showed they are more than capable against tough opposition.
Millicent’s Under 12 Girls played well together, in what was many player first tournament experience.
With 5five games spread over three days the young Magic showed determination and great support for their team mates.
With a couple of players missing, the team played well and applied good defensive pressure throughout the weekend.
As the team develops, their passion and determination will see them as a team to watch and grow over the season.
The weekend started with comfortable wins over Yorke Valley and Great Southern.
Sunday brought a tough game against Murray Bridge where they went down by 10 points.
Eastern Hills came up against a fired up Magic, which took out a solid 22-point win.
Monday morning against Strathalbyn, Millicent started well, but its opponent bounced back.
In the fourth quarter Magic managed to get up by three points, but Strathalbyn’s intensity did not stop.
The last 30 seconds of the game lasted almost five intense minutes.
The girls took home the win by five points, which allowed them a position in the grand final against Murray Bridge.
A tough ask in the grand final saw Murray bridge quick to score the first couple of goals which rattled Millicent.
Magic tried to slow down the play and apply pressure on all shots taken, however the Bullets were too good and took the win by 25 points.
Despite the loss it was an impressive start to the season for coach Damien Venn’s newest Magic players.
The association now looks to a busy October, hosting South Australian Country talent identification camps and southern state selection trials.
Its tournament will also be played on October 22 and 23.
