MILLICENT was well represented last weekend at the Naracoorte Kings junior basketball tournament, with four titles from the 12 teams which participated.
The Millicent Magic teams competed against the likes of Horsham, Mount Gambier, Great Southern and Portland.
The Under 18 women, Under 16 Division 1 girls, Under 12 Division 1 girls and Under 14 girls Division 2 all claimed titles in a tough weekend of basketball in extreme heat.
In addition to the four titles, another four Millicent teams finished runners-up in their respective grades to cap off a successful weekend.
UNDER 18 WOMEN
THE Under 18 women experienced an impressive tournament after they won every game.
In the absence of regular coach Kerry Smith, Tamara Haggett stepped up to take over the role.
The return of Madi Haggett boosted the team with her strength and leadership, while Rosie Nettle filled in to cover for injuries and also played a terrific tournament.
A tough grand final against Naracoorte saw Millicent come out on top by six points in hot conditions.
UNDER 16 GIRLS
DIVISION 1
HE Under 16 girls started their campaign with an intense win against Horsham after a slow start.Saturday night saw a huge 20-point win against Mount Gambier, which was also the Magic’s opponents in the grand final.
A Millicent victory was never in doubt, with Georgia Winter strong under the basket, Lucy Denton shooting well and Lacey Haines quick up the court set up a title winning campaign.
UNDER 14 GIRLS DIVISION 1
DESPITE experiencing an up-and-down weekend, the Magic girls scrambled their way into the grand final.
After suffering six losses to Portland this season, a two-point win over their nemesis opposition was a highlight.
Millicent met Portland again in the grand final, where they came out firing to force the Magic onto the back-foot.
Down by 16 points at last break, the Magic did well to peg the margin back to three at one stage, but Portland remained to strong and were able to secure the win.
UNDER 12 GIRLS DIVISION 1
BIG wins over Mount Gambier and Great Southern gave the Magic girls an ideal start to their campaign.
A tense 19-14 win against Naracoorte set up a grand final date with Bordertown which was played hard from the tip-off.
Some effective defensive pressure in the second quarter saw Millicent push its lead out to seven points, but foul trouble saw the lead evaporated in the third after just one point was scored in the entire quarter.
In a tight final term, Bordertown shot accurately, but hit foul trouble and the Magic girls managed to hang on by one point.
UNDER 14 BOYS DIVISION 1
A SOLID performance from the Under 14 Division 1 boys saw them finish runners-up to Portland by two points in an entertaining grand final.
The most impressive performance however, was a minor-round win against Naracoorte, after the Magic were down by 13 points at half time.
After conceding 39 points in the first half, the Millicent defence turned the tables in the second-half to hold Naracoorte to just six points and run away with the game.
UNDER 12 BOYS DIVISION 3
THE Magic Under 12 boys recovered from a loss against Keith to win their next two games and set up a rematch in the grand final.
The decider started off as an even affair, with both teams making the most of scoring opportunities.
However, Keith’s tight defence and accurate shooting in the last half extended the gap, but relentless defence from Ryder Lindner and Curtis Shanks kept the Magic in the touch.
Ten points from Millicent’s top scorer Kaden Bell was not enough as the Magic lost by 11 points.
UNDER 16 BOYS DIVISION 2
THE Under 16 Magic boys raced out of the blocks, thanks to an unexpected six-point win over Portland.
The Millicent team carried the momentum into its next game against Bordertown, to score a comfortable win by 25 points.
The win saw the Magic advance through to a qualifying-final against Keith and despite a slow start, the side was able to scrape out a four-point half-time advantage.
But with two starters in foul trouble, the lead seemed short-lived.
However, the rest of the team lifted to win by eight points.
The victory ensured a place in the semi-final’s against Naracoorte where Millicent struggled early, but quarter by quarter clawed back the margin to eventually tie the scores with two minutes to go.
In the end, Millicent could not sustain the pressure and lost by six points to end the most successful campaign by an Under 16 boys Magic side in the competition.
The Magic’s successful Naracoorte Kings junior tournament provided the ideal preparation for the country championships in Adelaide next month.
