It was a fruitful weekend of basketball for Wangaratta’s young guns, with 10 Warriors squads hitting the courts around the North East for the Benalla Basketball Association’s junior tournament. Teams from under 10s to under 18s took on the best ballers in the region, with Wangaratta hosting a fair share of matches at the Wangaratta Sports and Aquatic Centre over the weekend, in conjunction with Benalla. The under 10 boys were extremely unlucky not to make the final, finishing third overall. After a 12-12 drawn opening match with Yarrawonga Mulwala, the Warriors didn’t drop a game, smashing Shepparton 26-9, Seymour 22-10 and Benalla 9-6, but were denied a spot in the final due to Mansfield having the superior percentage. The under 12 boys side simply dominated the division one competition, claiming glory in the grand final to cap off an unbeaten tournament. The Warriors qualified for the grand final at the top of their group, taking on the Benalla Breakers in the decider. Wangaratta shot out of the gates in the final, taking an 11-point advantage at half-time and maintaining the pressure through the second half on the way to a 45-32 triumph. The entire list played their part, with Eli Cassidy (14 points), Tex Evans (12 points) and Oscar Primmer (eight points) providing the bulk of the scoring. It was a different story entirely for the under 12 girls, who failed to record a single win from their four matches, an unfortunate result which was reflected by the under 14 boys in their division one campaign. The division two under 14 boys were also outmatched all tournament, but came within eight points of their first win on Sunday morning against Tatura Titans, 22-30. The under 16 division one boys team rebounded from an early loss to go all the way, bringing another win for Wangaratta. The Warriors were hammered by Wallan Panthers 27-56 in the opening match of their tournament, but rallied to win their next three games, including a 41-36 squeaker against Mansfield Eagles Gold. Their stunning run set the Warriors up for a rematch against Wallan for the title, and the boys were determined to improve on their output. It was a complete reversal from their earlier match, with a dominant 34-21 second half gifting the Warriors the win 49-34, with Orlando Hunkin and Jack Pople top scoring with 12 points each. The under 16 division two boys finished fourth overall – after tremendous wins 41-14 over Mansfield Eagles Blue, and 50-38 over Myrtleford Saints, the Warriors lost their next two matches to miss out on finals. Wangaratta’s division one under 16 girls squad fell short of finals by just two points in their campaign, finishing the weekend with a 2-2 record. While it was a rough weekend, it ended on a high when the Warriors defeated Wallan 21-14 in their last match. The division two squad had a more difficult weekend, losing all four of their matches without scoring more than 14 points in a match. The under 18 boys squad may have finished fourth out of five teams after the weekend, but were agonisingly close to a finals berth. The Warriors hammered Yarrawonga Mulwala 61-34 to secure their only official win, but they were only beaten by fewer than eight points in their three other outings. The junior representative basketball continues, with Wangaratta Basketball Inc hosting their fourth Under 10-14 junior tournament starting Saturday, 7 March.
