THE Mount Gambier Junior Lakers had 12 teams travel to Portland last weekend to play in the 2018 South West Junior Basketball Classic.
With 101 teams participating across 19 divisions, the Division 1 competitions witnessed high standards of basketball.
But this did not stop the Lakers Under 14 girls, as they took out the Division 1 title for their age group.
The Under 16 and Under 14 boys, along with the Under 12 girls also made the Division 1 finals, but finished in the runner-up positions.
For the Under 14 girls Alyssa Duncan and Siobhan Adams were consistent scorers for their team.
With the side defeating Terang 48-17 in its first game, it went on to claim another convincing victory over Hamilton, 45-19.
In the semi-final Rori Perryman led the Lakers to a comfortable 57-26 win against Warrnambool.
This result set up a grand final match with rival Millicent Magic.
Despite not showing their best form, the Lakers girls ran out winners 31-23.
Duncan did well to finish off the efforts of teammates, while coach Sharon Adams praised the manner in which the players worked together and applied themselves against the aggressive opponents.
The Lakers Under 16 boys chances of a win took a hit when key player Oscar Adams was ruled out of the final because of a leg injury on Sunday.
The team scored easy wins over Naracoorte (50-20) and Hamilton (52-15) in the minor rounds and then accounted for Warrnambool 48-34 in the semi-final.
Setting up a grand final berth against Portland, the host team proved too strong for the Lakers, with a 31-45 loss the result.
It was a similar story for the Under 14 boys, who won comfortably to make it through to the final.
The team defeated Hamilton 53-16, Naracoorte 52-23 and Portland 34-16 in the semi-final.
The title match saw Mount Gambier up against rival Warrnambool, which saw the Lakers unable to match the height and strength of their opponent, despite valiant efforts.
The final score of 29-44 reflects the improvement they are making in each contest.
The Under 12 girls Lakers team also found itself against Warrnambool in the grand final.
Convincing wins over Millicent (31-16) and Horsham (43-12) were followed by a narrow 22-21 point victory over Naracoorte.
The girls lost to Warrnambool 21-22 in their minor round clash, but the final was not this close, as the polished Warrnambool side claimed a 39-16 win.
The Lakers are now working hard in preparation for the Naracoorte Tournament at the end of the month and the SA Country Under 12, 14 and 16 Championships in March.
