Intermediate basketball teams win through to finals

SCHOOL SPORT VICTORIA – SANDHURST DIVISION

BASKETBALL

Intermediate Boys

The Intermediate Boys basketball team arrived at the Bendigo Stadium for the Sandhurst competition full of enthusiasm. Apart from the tryout process, the team consisting of students from both Year 9 and Year 10, had not trained together due to the logistics of having a cross-campus team.

The fixture was kind to CMCB, landing them in the easier of the two pools. The first game was against Creek Street Christian College, where the boys dominated from the beginning to run out easy winners 57-5.

The next match was against Girton Grammar School, the most competitive team in the pool. Fouls were rare for the first fifteen minutes of the game, and going into the last five minutes, the teams were tied. The boys then steadied themselves and began to dominate the boards and fouls started to rain down at the offensive end. In a hectic finish, CMCB ran out winners 29-23.

The last two pool games were against Weeroona College and East Loddon P-12 College. CMCB easily disposed of both teams 41-15 and 43-22 respectively. The boys from East Loddon were enthusiastically supportive of their teammates, and the CMCB boys showed great sportsmanship by giving their opposing players some space to get their game going. These two wins saw the boys finish top of their pool and hence qualify for the final.

In the final, CMCB faced off against Bendigo South East College. The game was tight for the first seven minutes, but then the starting five really began to assert their dominance and played some quality basketball. This was a great spectacle for those in attendance.

The game was played in great spirt by both teams. Once CMCB pulled ahead, they were not challenged for the remainder of the match, it was a great win by the boys 42-24.

The teamwork was to be commended, with all players contributing to a successful day at Red Energy Arena. The boys should be proud of the way they held themselves, which was supported by several opposition parents who sought us out to commend the team’s sportsmanship and respect for their opposition.

A big thank you to Holly Speed and Maree Pearce for all the organisation around the Intermediate Boys Basketball Team.

Mr David Mitchell, Teacher

TEAM: Mr David Mitchell (Coach), Jake Schubert, Max Connick, Gil Neilson, Ryan Brown, Seamus Doherty, Will Petersen, Nicholas Harvey, Jake Gribble

Intermediate Girls

After just one session together prior to the tournament, the first half of Game 1 against Girton ‘blew out the cobwebs’ as the girls were narrowly in front at half time thanks to four 3-pointers from star guard – Mia Harvey. After regrouping at the break and going back to basics, the girls produced a strong victory, and it was great to see them bring some vigour in the second half.

Game 2 against Castlemaine Secondary College saw the girls really begin to gel and every player was able to hit the scoreboard. It was really uplifting to see Rhylee Pollock, Alannah Prowse and Mia Morris come off the bench and have a positive impact. A testament to the depth of the squad, giving all the girls confidence as they banked another victory.

Game 3 versus Eaglehawk Secondary College produced another powerful display, with Charlize Pinder and Lacey Nihill flexing their muscles to hit the scoreboard on multiple occasions. The focus for this match was on ensuring that the team defence remained consistent throughout the entire game. This tactic was executed perfectly, and it was pleasingly to see the girls defend at a very consistent level off the back of some strong communication from Lexie Fennell and Rhylie Jones, who set up the team structure beautifully.

After two significant victories, in terms of margin, the focus was on not getting ahead of ourselves and taking things one game at a time. The final pool match was against Weeroona, and a victory would see the girls into the grand final which was to be played immediately after, with only a five minute changeover. The girls knew that it was crucial to continue playing team-first basketball and hopefully carry that momentum through to the final. Pleasingly, the girls continued their dominant offensive display, coupled with a will to work hard defensively, thereby booking a spot in the Grand Final against Marist College Bendigo.

The girls were calm in the build-up and were focussed on the message of the day ‘teamwork and humility’. Right from the start it was clear that the girls had lifted to another gear, and they played uncompromising basketball. The barometer was set early by Lacey Nihill, hustling for steals and intercepts and her work was finished off with class by Mia Harvey and Charlize Pinder.

A 17-2 lead at halftime was their biggest goal difference at this point of a match for the day and was testament to the level of intensity the girls had brought to the match. Marist were very competitive in the second half, demonstrating the skills they’d displayed to get to the Grand Final, however the CMCB girls’ effort in the first half was the difference between the two teams. The girls played out a highly skilled game as they went on to win 39-18.

This win has secured the teams entry into the Loddon Mallee Regional Finals which are to be played in Bendigo in Term 4. A big thank you to Lila Kelly and Ciarah McDermott for their assistance throughout the day. The girls did the school incredibly proud, conducting themselves with humility and respect against their peers.

Well done girls.

Mr Joshua Hann, Teacher

TEAM: Mr Joshua Hann (Coach), Mia Morris, Rhylie Jones, Rhylee Pollock, Lexie Fennell, Ciarah McDermott (Assistant Coach), Lila Kelly (Manager), Alannah Prowse, Charlize Pinder, Mia Harvey, Lacey Nihill