GRAND final day was the highlight for the Basketball Mount Gambier Junior 2017-18 summer competition.
The event was deemed a success and large crowds were in attendance, while positive spirit and good sportsmanship was displayed throughout the finals.
At the conclusion of the finals, basketball development manager Matt Sutton congratulated all grand finalists and thanked the dedicated volunteer coaches and umpires.
He also acknowledged the support of the many committed parents, all of which contributed to the success of the 2017-18 season.
Under 18 Men
Bulldogs 81 d Roos 49
THE last grand final for the day saw the anticipated Under 18 Men’s clash, which saw the Bulldogs easily account for Roos by a solid 32 points.
State Under 18 player and Bulldogs’ star Mitchell Hunter played an outstanding game which saw him dominate both ends of the court and record a personal tally of 35.
State teammates Bulldog’s Matt Black scored 16 and Roos’ Malok Makuer finished with a total of 21.
Junior Men
Panthers 49 d Roos 41
THE Junior Men grand final saw Panthers meet the Roos, who had come from fourth to make their way into the big game.
It was a close and entertaining contest, but in the end the depth of the Panthers was the deciding factor, as the side claimed an eight-point victory.
Tom Nieuwerkerk scored 13 points for Panthers and he was joined by Kyron Salter with 10 and Liam McEvoy with eight.
For Roos, Jeht Branstone led the scoring with 16, followed by Sam Potts with eight and Callan Vaughan on 6.
The encouragement awards for the match went to Roos’ Max Crook and Panthers’ Owen Antonio.
Under 16 Boys Division 1
Panthers 55 d Cougars 48
PANTHERS’ Under 16 Boys Division 1 team maintained its unbeaten record for the season, but this was not without a high-intensity clash with Cougars.
Cougars applied heavy pressure in the closing minutes of the game, with some accurate shooting from Harry McInnes.
However, the Panthers steadied to get home by seven points.
McInnes scored a game-high 20 points for the Cougars, while Jaidyn Lawrence (14), Jack Domaschenz (13) and Ollie Thomson (11) led the scoring for Panthers.
Under 16 Boys Division 2
Panthers 48 d Bulldogs 28
IN the Under 16 Boys Division 2 competition, Panthers team responded well to the coaching of Mark Vinko during the season, which saw them finish the summer series with a comfortable 48-28 win over Bulldogs.
Panthers’ Ethan Norman was strong in the keyway to score 21 points and he was well supported by Connor Barry and Ethan Sims, who bagged 11 and six points respectively.
Sam McTaggart was once again Bulldogs’ consistent contributor and finished with 12 for the match, while the hardworking Adam Black had nine.
Encouragement awards went to Sam McTaggart and Connor Barry.
Under 16 Girls
Cougars 47 d Bulldogs 44
COUGARS’ Under 16 Girls set the benchmark in the competition this season.
And the team backed up this form in the grand final, as it claimed a three-point victory over the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs fought valiantly, but in the end it was the Cougars who proved too strong.
Bulldogs’ Claire Hunter, with a game-high 21 points, was joined by teammates Jordy Freeman with 13 and Megan Reid on six.
For the Cougars it was Emily Dawe with 16 points and Mikaela Horrigan on 15 who were the main scorers for their side.
Under 14 Boys Gold Division
Jets 51 d Kings 48
THE upset of the day came in the Under 14 Boys Gold Division when underdog Jets toppled the Kings, who led the competition throughout the season.
With a final margin of three points, the junior Lakers players were key in the decider, with Jetts’ Billy Barton and Mitchell Harrold in fine form, along with Kings’ Ben Young and Lachlan Thiele.
Under 14 Boys Blue Division
Sixers 44 d Giants 43
EXCITEMENT was at an all-time high in the closing minutes of the Under 14 Boys Blue Division grand final between pre-match favourite the Sixers and the Giants.
Sixers finished the regular rounds as the minor premiers, while Giants won their first game for the season in the semi-final.
However, the Giants found form when it counted, going on to win the preliminary final by a slight margin to earn a grand final berth.
Despite a nail-biting match, it was the Sixers who eventually hung on to win by a single point.
Lachlan Ray and Cayde Watson were named as the encouragement award recipients.
Under 14 Girls
Capitals 52 d Opals 48
IN a closely contested Under 14 Girls grand final, Capitals was able to claim the title over its Opals opponent.
Alyssa Duncan led her side well to this win, with a monstrous 44 points for the game.
This saw her with the encouragement award, while Siobhan Adams received the award for the Opals team.
Under 12 Boys Gold Division
Hunters 45 d Celtics 35
HUNTERS, under the guidance of Jason Humphries, defeated Ben Brumby’s Celtics by 10 points in the Under 12 Boys Gold Division grand final clash.
With Hunters missing junior Laker Harvey Croker, this result was a solid team effort for the side.
Hunters’ Kade Allen and Celtic’s Marshall Hill were the encouragement award winners.
Under 12 Boys Blue Division
Nuggets 28 d Phoenix 23
NUGGETS defeated Phoenix by a narrow five points in the Under 12 Boys Blue Division final.
Despite a semi-final victory seeing Phoenix with an early grand final berth, Nuggets turned the tables in this meeting.
The encouragement awards for the match went to Nugget’s Finn O’Reilly and Phoenix’s Angus Heesemens.
Under 12 Girls
Hot Shots 40 d Diamonds 39
THE Junior grand final day was opened by the Under 12 girls decider, which saw a match between Hot Shots and Diamonds.
Close scores were on the cards and the end result was decided in the last eight seconds when Cara Nulty scored to give Hot Shots a one-point win.
Top scorer for the match was Hot Shots’ Cara Nulty with 32, while Diamonds’ Ava Collins finished with 22 and teammate Chloe Peacock scored nine.
Nulty and Collins were presented with encouragement awards for their efforts.
