MILLICENT Basketball Association held its 19th annual junior tournament last week, with 86 teams and a total of 204 games played over the weekend.
Teams travelled from as far as Adelaide and Terang, with games played at the Millicent stadium and school venues.
Two Millicent Magic teams won their respective grand finals, with the Under 12 girls Division 3 side and the Under 14 boys Division 1 side claiming the honours.
UNDER 12 GIRLS DIVISION 3
THE Under 12 girls defeated Portland 31-19 in a strong showing.
The Magic girls got off to a great start, applied pressure early and finished off their shots to take a 16-4 quarter-time lead.
The scoring load was shared around, with some great team work, which saw Emily Denton finish off under the basket.
Piper Paul and Alex Haines applied pressure to Portland’s ball carriers in the second quarter and Kalani Dunn took some great intercepts as the Magic continued the pressure and scored another 10 points, with Matti Fauchelle the top scorer.
The half time score was 26-10 and all players contributed well.
The third term was an even affair and both teams found it difficult to score.
Ruby Shepherd and Meg Schubert worked hard defensively to turn the ball over for the Magic and they held onto a 15-point lead.
The final quarter was Portland’s best as they scored some early baskets.
Foul shots from Mylee Lynch and a long range shot from Sarah Sigston settled the Magic and they went on to win 31-19.
It was a great result after losing to Portland on the Saturday in the round game.
The girls now look forward to playing in Warrnambool next weekend.
UNDER 14 BOYS DIVISION 1
THE Millicent Under 14 boys also defeated Portland, but in a tighter contest, 39-33.
The boys won their way through to the grand final by winning both of their round games on Saturday.
The Magic got off to a narrow lead in the grand final, with Portland close behind.
The scoring was end-to-end with no secure lead established.
This was another tough game but the Magic boys managed to keep it together and play a smart game, holding onto the win by just four points.
Top scorers were Jackson Bowden with 12 points, Kobe Gibson 10 and Jack Haggett with eight.
UNDER 18 WOMEN DIVISION 1
THE Millicent Under 18 women made the grand final but were defeated by a tough Warrnambool outfit 42-24.
The Magic’s centre Madi Haggett was substituted off early in the game due to foul trouble, contributing to their minimal scoring ability.
Warrnambool gained a strong and effective lead in the first quarter.
Hannah Nitschke led the Magic with strong defensive pressure, rebounding and scoring.
All the girls fought hard and applied plenty of pressure, but after a slow start, could not peg back the margin.
UNDER 12 BOYS DIVISION 3
THE Under 14 boys faced another tough side in Bordertown, going down it the grand final 36-11.
After losing significantly to Bordertown by 23 points in the minor rounds, the Magic boys new they were in for a tough game.
They came out strong and scored the initial points for the game, giving the Bordertown boys a shock.
With a quick time out from the opposition they adjusted their game, settled their offence and tightened up their defense, picking off many passes.
The Magic boys crumbled under the pressure and could not stop Bordertown from scoring.
The margin gradually increased as the match continued and the Magic went down by 25 points.
UNDER 16 GIRLS DIVISION 2
THE Under 16 girls also finished runners-up for the tournament, defeated by a relentless Terang 49-12.
Terang applied a trap defence which the Magic struggled to break, causing turnovers and many scoring opportunities for the visitors.
The Magic girls tried their best and battled against bigger and stronger opponents, unable to contain the Tornadoes.
