They won two out of the three games on Saturday to put them on top by percentage. 

Sunday's semi against Bendigo 3 was a near flawless game with captain Scotty Cocking strong under the basket taking impressive rebounds.

Big boy Jayden Wright used his strength to penetrate the ball into attack. DJ Woods and Rhiley McKinnis were able to finish it off for the team, winning by 30 points.

Grand final against Kyneton was their most impressive game for the tournament winning by 38 points. All 10 players contributed and played their role for the team.

Redbacks were able to capitalize on this by running a fast break game. Jayden Wright was voted MVP for the game

The under-16 boys black team faced Bendigo 4 in the first game and battled very hard defensively, grabbing rebounds and causing turnovers for its taller opponents.

The boys showed significant improvement from their last tournament, but the went down by 13 points.

Going into the second game against Warracknabeal the boys showed real confidence because they had beaten this team last month.

The boys were able to put pressure on both ends of the caught, and all nine boys were able to put in a good team effort and showed improvement to come away with a comfortable win.

They then played Kyneton in a bid to progress through to the finals.

With all the hard work they put in, they went into the halftime break eight points down.

In the second half, Kyenton applied pressure at the half court and were able to cause multiple turnovers and capitalise and score, eventually winning by 35 points. 

The result was enough to qualify for the semi-final, facing Bendigo 4.

The boys fought really hard during the game, but fell 10 points short.

The under-16 boys Red team had a mixed weekend but still earned a spot in a semi-final after winning through in the round robin games. 

The boys were playing in the top division and came up against some unfamiliar and strong teams.  Hence, this experience will make the squad better and more determined.  

They lost to Bendigo 2 18-42, beat Bendigo 3 51-3, beat Maryborough 55-18 then lost to Terang 43 to 56.  

The boys faced Bendigo 2 in the semi final and lost 25 to 32. 

Consistent players for the tournament were Tom Cousins and Jordan Cox.  

The squad will now take this experience back to their trainings and prepare for their next tournament in Bendigo in January.

The under-14 girls team started off slow against Bendigo in the first game, going down by 47 points.

The girls learnt very quickly and improved in every game winning the next three games to make it through to the grand final to set up a rematch against Bendigo.

This time around we had them worked out and with hard work and determination kept up with them to be only 12 down at half time before eventually losing by 20.

Under 16 Girls - Div 2

The under-16 girls team took a reduced squad of six players to Castlemaine and it proved to be the difference, as the Redbacks fell just short in the opening game against Maryborough.

The girls bounced back against the host team to get a comfortable victory, playing some patient defence and solid offence in the process.

Terang was their next opponent with the Tornadoes getting the best of the Ararat team before losing to Bendigo in the final game on Saturday.

With a 1-3 record, Ararat managed to sneak in to the semi-final against Maryborough and got the initial jump with an intense full court press.

The girls, clearly fatigued from the weekend, went on a number of gutsy scoring runs, twice bringing the deficit back from more than ten points to within just a few. 

The team put in a brave performance but fell short in the semi-final.

The Ararat under-12 boys team came away with their second premiers trophyafter knocking off Ballarat in the grand final.

The team won its opening two games against Bendigo and Ballarat before winning through to the final.

All eight boys played their roles and displayed exceptional team work and skill which was rewarded with another Premiers title.

The under-14 Boys team continued the winning formula, holding off Bendigo to win the division two grand final 52-36.

Fletcher Burger was awarded MVP in the final after he dominated the rebounds, defended strongly and topped the scoring.

The Redbacks qualified for the finals after wins against Bendigo and Warracknabeal.

The first game against Bendigo came down to the wire with scores tied at 41-41 with five seconds remaining.

A strong drive from Hugh Toner scored the winning goal on the final siren. 

Toner defended well and set up many attacking plays, as Brad Carter controlled the ball well and had good support from Will Cairns and Xavier McLoughlan.

Alec Carthew defended well with many blocked shots to add to his dominant rebounding. Versatile players Kaiden Cooper, Harry McLaren and Aaron Chaplin all were strong contributors to the Redbacks team.

Country Basketball League

The Ararat Redbacks will host a CBL double header with the squad to host Colac Kookas on Saturday.

It will be the final game for 2017 for both teams with the men’s team still searching for its first points of the season.

With warm conditions expected, it will be tough conditions for both teams but a big crowd is expected for the games at Ararat Fitness Centre.

The women’s team will start proceedings with tip-off scheduled for 4pm with the men’s team to follow at 6pm.

Tickets will be available at the door.

For more information, contact 5352 1064.