THE weekend’s state under 16 state championships were massively successful for Wangaratta’s junior sides, with the boys emerging division four champions and the girls coming second in division three.

The under 16 boys had a mixed day one with last quarter fade-outs in losses to Melton and Bacchus Marsh, turned around by a surging last quarter in their win against Leongatha.

The Warriors finished day one with a 1-2 win-loss record, which had them qualify for division four.

Day two saw the Warriors play their best and most consistent basketball of the whole season, as the boys registered a dominant 41-point win over Poowong in the quarter final followed by a 24-point semi-final win over a strong Bellarine outfit, setting up a grand final meeting with Phillip Island.

A back and forth start to the game saw the Warriors down by one point at quarter time with the early stages of the second much the same.

The Warriors turned up their defensive pressure in the final few minutes of the half, which included a buzzer-beater three pointer securing the Warriors a seven-point half time lead.

The third quarter was an arm wrestle, but the Warriors had done enough to hold a five-point lead at three-quarter time.

With six minutes to go in the last quarter, the Warriors led 43-39 lead, but from that point there was no looking back.

The Warriors defence lifted a level and, along with a 15-6 scoring blitz, allowed Wangaratta to run out winners and division four state champions with a 58-45 win.

On day one of the tournament, the under 16 girls had strong wins against Wonthaggi and Southern Peninsula.

A slow start was too much to overcome in an eight-point loss to Surf Coast.

Finishing the day with two wins and one loss, the Warriors qualified for division three.

The Warriors strong second half had them secure a four-point win against Colac in the quarter-final, which they backed up with a 22-point win over Warragul, setting up a rematch in the grand final against Surf Coast.

The Warriors battled hard but were not able to claw back a seven-point three quarter time deficit, eventually going down 20-33.