WANGARATTA’S Under 16 D1 girls’ side had the most successful weekend out of the 15 Warriors teams who travelled to Bendigo on the weekend for the annual Bendigo Junior Classic. The girls finished day one with a comfortable win over Horsham, followed by a thrilling one-point win over Sunbury. Sunday saw another tight game with the young Warriors defeating Ballarat by two and then had a comfortable win against Maryborough by 27. Monday saw the team’s final pool game kick off at 2.40pm and the six-point win over Geelong had the girls finish on top of their pool and qualifying for the semi-finals and a game against Colac, which saw the Warriors run out winners by 10 points, sending them to a grand final against home side Bendigo. The girls suited up for their third game in four hours in extreme heat conditions and while they gave it their all, they fell short to the home team 31-17. The Under 12 D1 boys played against Echuca, Swan Hill, Ballarat, Geelong and were able to register a strong 20-point win against Bacchus Marsh. The Under 12 D2 boys had a mixed weekend, having strong wins against Echuca and Geelong, but losses to Ballarat and Melton meant they just missed out on a finals spot. Wangaratta’s Under 12 girls started off their campaign slowly with a 10-point loss to Echuca, but went on to defeat Bacchus Marsh, Horsham, Ballarat and Melton, seeing them finish third in their pool and just miss out on a semi-final appearance. The Under 14 D1 boys were up against tough opponents in Wodonga, Bacchus Marsh, Colac, Shepparton, but were able to finish their weekend off with a strong 15-point win against Hamilton. Meanwhile, the Under 14 D2 boys went through their weekend undefeated beating, Maryborough, Warrnambool, Bacchus Marsh and Colac, but missed out on a finals spot by percentage. The Under 14 D1 girls defeated Wodonga, Sunbury and Myrtleford, but fell short against Bendigo and Colac. Wangaratta’s Under 14 D2 girls had a tough start to the weekend losing to Horsham, Ballarat, Swan Hill and Shepparton, but were able to finish off their weekend on a high with a six-point win against Rochester. The Under 16 D1 boys lost to Echuca, Sunbury and perennial powerhouse Ballarat, but finished off their weekend in style with a nail-biting three-point win over Shepparton. The Under 16 D2 White boys side battled hard against strong opponents in Ararat, Wodonga, Sunbury, Ballarat and Myrtleford and, while not able to register a win, they improved in each game they played. Wangaratta’s Under 16 D2 Green boys defeated Sunbury and fell just short against Melton, Bendigo, Moe and Bacchus Marsh, with all results within nine points. The Under 16 D2 girls started the weekend on fire defeating Melton, Warrnambool, Sunbury and Ballarat, but a last round loss to Yarrawonga saw them just miss out on a semi-final place. Wangaratta’s Under 18 D1 boys couldn’t get past Bendigo, Shepparton and Sunbury, but finished the weekend with a seven-point win against Warrnambool. The Under 18 D2 boys played some of their best basketball of the season defeating Swan Hill, Koroit and Bacchus Marsh, however losses to Warrnambool and Geelong saw them miss out on a semi-final berth. The Under 18 D1 girls lost their first two games to Horsham and Bendigo, but finished the weekend strongly with wins over Melton and Traralgon.
