MILLICENT Magic’s junior basketball teams faced many obstacles in the Naracoorte District Basketball Association tournament on the weekend.
Games were held at the Naracoorte main stadium, Naracoorte South Primary School, Naracoorte High School and Lucindale Area School.
However, the power went out on Sunday at approximately 9.40am and did not return until 1pm, with many games subsequently abandoned.
The Under 12 Girls Division 1 claimed the grand final victory over the Riverland after mixed results in the minor rounds.
They claimed a big 40-8 win over Mount Gambier, went down 17-20 to the Riverland, then bounced back in style to account for Naracoorte 37-9.
The grand final brought a rematch with the Riverland, with a renewed focus on defence.
As expected there was little in the contest throughout but foul trouble to Riverland helped the Magic to a handy lead inside the final minute of play.
In the end it was a 25-19 victory to claim the title.
Livvi Faulkner top scored for Magic for the grand final and the weekend.
The Under 12 Girls Division 2 continued the trend with a grand final victory over Casterton after a strong showing throughout the minor rounds.
The Magic defeated Keith 17-6 to open proceedings, won 29-9 over Casterton, 27-6 again against Casterton before a tight 13-12 win over Keith.
The Magic then faced off against Casterton for the title in the first grand final the team had reached.
A fast start put the Magic in a strong position, before running out convincing 26-6 winners.
The Under 14 Girls Division 1 claimed their title with a tight result against the Riverland.
They initially defeated Riverland 39-30 in the opening clash, easily accounted for Mount Gambier 36-6, then went down to Riverland 27-31, before a final win over Mount Gambier 20-10.
The grand final produced a tight game against Riverland, despite a strong half-time lead of 19-3.
The second half saw Riverland fight back, with the Magic in foul trouble.
However, they held on to claim the title 30-27.
Top scorers for the weekend were Ashlee Dean and Emily Denton.
The Under 18 Men Division 2 side added to the Magic titles, with a solid grand final victory over Keith.
In a mixed minor round, the Magic went down to Naracoorte 27-38, won over Casterton 56-24, then lost to Mount Gambier 28-57.
the final game against Keith was abandoned due to the power outage but the two sides faced off in the grand final.
Millicent held a handy lead for much of the game, with a strong defensive effort leading to a 22-13 victory.
Top scorer for the weekend was Ethan Leopold.
The Under 16 Girls Division 1 finished runners-up, going down to a strong Riverland roster.
The minor rounds saw Millicent defeat Mount Gambier 35-23, then Naracoorte 44-23, before going down to Riverland 26-33.
In a tough grand final against Riverland, the Magic worked hard but were unable to capitalise on open shots, with some inconsistent passes, which gave Riverland the title 24-34.
Top scorer for the weekend was Poppy Venn.
The final Magic side to reach the grand final was the Under 16 Boys Division 1, who finished runners-up to Mount Gambier.
The Lakers set the scene with a 47-33 win over Millicent in the opening round, before the Magic hit their straps to record a tight 32-29 victory over Naracoorte.
Millicent then accounted for the Riverland 42-34 before facing the tough Mount Gambier side in the grand final.
Unfortunately the Lakers were simply too strong and the Magic went down 17-48.
Other results for the Magic were mixed, with the whole weekend both challenging and rewarding.
