The Inter-Sport Junior Basketball Tournament in Horsham delivered mixed results for the Ararat Redbacks junior teams last weekend.
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The under-18s finished on top of their pool with wins over Maryborough, Colac and Warracknabeal, which meant that they made it into the grand final where they took on Mildura.
The grand final was a nail biter for the Redbacks who tied the game up with seconds left but could not get the reward.
Despite the result head coach Donna Spalding said it was the highlight for the whole tournament.
“The grand final was the highlight for me,” she said.
“The boys played a sensational match and gave their all for 40 minutes.
“With only nine seconds left on the clock the scores were even 49 a piece. We had possession of the ball and were unable to convert. Mildura stole the ball, drove to the basket and scored. We simply ran out of time to force a draw.”
The under-14 boys went undefeated in Horsham and claimed the division two Horsham Junior Classic Basketball Tournament.
Co-coach Mark Dadswell said they performed at the right time.
“After a tight contest early the Redbacks found their feet and through strong defensive pressure were able to force turnovers and find the scoreboard coming away with an 18 point win,” he said.
In the under-12 division, the Redbacks could only master one win from three games but Craig Cooper said it’s all about playing more consistent basketball.
“Despite the win-loss ratio for this tournament, there has been more improvement out of the entire team and each boy continues to grow in confidence with each game and tournament they play,” he said.
The under-16s took out the division two title and went undefeated throughout out the weekend.
They started the tournament playing against last year’s winners Mildura and began with a draw then they clicked into gear with impressive wins over Hamilton, Warrnambool and Warracknabeal in the preliminary final.
The grand final was close but some good defensive pressure meant that the under-16s took out the title against Mildura.
“It was the Redback defensive pressure that caused Mildura to make panicked attempts at goal which saw the strong Ararat tall timber rebound off the board. Strong defense from Flynn Toner, Fletcher Burger and Henry Shea saw the ball sent back into offense and sharp shooters Tom Cousins and Jordan Cox converting,” Megan Shea said.
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