Never say die

As the mercury soared over the weekend, the only thing hotter than the outside temperature was the intense and spirited basketball being played at the junior tournament in Wodonga. The weekend’s Big River Roofing Wodonga Wolves U16/U18 Junior Tournament brought together the most talented top-age junior basketballers from across the region, and local Wangaratta Warriors teams were in the thick of it. Taking to the courts across Saturday and Sunday, the Warriors fielded four under 16s sides and three under 18s, with a wide range of results coming after the dust had settled. The standout performers were the under 18 boys competing in the top division, who made it all the way to the grand final. After a shaky start to the tournament saw them defeated 40-43 by hosts Wodonga, the Warriors went on a tear, winning their next three matches by an average of 30 points to book a spot in the semi-finals. Up against Bendigo Braves, always a challenging opposition, the Warriors took them to task, sailing through to the grand final 50-28. Harvey Lyster was exceptional, scoring a game-high 16 points for Wangaratta. The grand final was against Wodonga, the only team to defeat the Warriors all tournament and ultimately history repeated itself, with Wangaratta defeated 34-49. Other grades had a tougher run through the tournament. In the top level of the under 16 boys division, the Warriors were unable to record a single victory from their four pool matches. Their closet battle was in their opening round, where they came within four points of the Shepparton Gators, 28-32. The division three under 16 boys had a better weekend, winning three pool matches and only just missing out on a spot in the finals. The Warriors smashed Echuca 67-22 to start the ball rolling before edging out Shepparton by six points. Flying high, Wangaratta were brought back to earth by Wagga Heat Orange, who handed them a 20-point loss to put a pin through their finals aspirations, but a 47-33 win over Corryong was a nice consolation prize. It was a tournament of growth for the division one under 16 girls, who went from losing matches by 47 points in their opening match to just a two-point margin by Sunday. A similar story played out for the division two squad, who bounced back from an 8-40 opening round loss to win their last two matches and end on a high, including a thrilling one-point stunner against Yarrawonga Mulwala to close out the tournament. The under 18 girls had a tough start to their tournament, suffering back-to-back losses at the hands of hosts Wodonga, but the Warriors pulled it back with a win over Echuca before a narrow eight-point loss to Albury. Finally, the under 18 boys division two squad were one of the teams to beat in their bracket, and the contest was fierce, with each of their regular pool matches decided by less than 10 points. The Warriors took down Shepparton by four points before losing to Wallan by just two, but consecutive victories over Bendigo (61-55) and Wodonga (36-77) saw Wangaratta advance to the semis. It was a local showdown between the Warriors and Myrtleford Saints, with the Saints saluting to defeat Wangaratta 31-45. Attention now turns to the Benalla Basketball Association’s junior tournament, set for the weekend of 21-22 February, before Wangaratta hosts their fourth U10/U12/U14 junior tournament in early March.

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