U12 Girls

Starting the weekend with a tough loss to Moe, followed by a few great wins against Wangaratta and Bellarine, the tournament offered positive signs for the U12 girls after day one.

Starting day two against eventual champions, Traralgon, was a tough ask, however, the girls did a great job bouncing back and pushing Warragul for the entire game before falling to Wodonga in the afternoon as tired legs and minds started to set in.

Sitting at 2 wins and 4 losses, our girls qualified for the Division 2 finals, unfortunately, succumbing to the division 2 champions Shepparton in a tough fought game, ending our girls weekend.

Coach Andrew Hack said, “We managed to save our best performance for the team who went on to win division 1 which was a highlight for this group”.  Hack continued “We’re looking forwards to continuing to help these wonderful players improve even more in the coming months”.

Sharks 22 lost to Moe 29

Sharks 28 defeated Wangaratta 5

Sharks 23 defeated Bellarine 19

Sharks 7 lost to Traralgon 33

Sharks 19 lost to Warragul 26

Sharks 11 lost to Wodonga 33

Sharks 17 lost to Shepparton 24

U12 Boys

Taking 3 wins on day one against quality opposition in Sale, perennial powerhouse Ballarat and also Shepparton set our u12 boys up for a great weekend with plenty of confidence.

It was two tough games to start the second day of competition against Whittlesea and Warragul, both losses, however, our young boys bounced back in the evening taking a much-needed win against Mildura which qualified them for the Division 1 finals on the third day.

The quarter final of Division 1 against Ballarat unfortunately did not recapture the form that saw us defeat them on the first day of competition, eventually finishing the tournament with a 1-point loss.

Head Coach Peter Robertson saw the promise from the tournament “It was an up and down tournament this year.  We finished day 1 on the top of our pool and then our performances on day 2 secured us a place in the division 1 finals”.  Robertson continued “Disappointment struck on the first game of the division 1 finals where we went down by 1 point.  The weekend saw a number of boys improve and all learning from the experience”.

Sharks 37 defeated Sale 21

Sharks 44 defeated Ballarat 27

Sharks 32 defeated Shepparton 31

Sharks 33 lost to Whittlesea 42

Sharks 41 lost to Warragul 45

Sharks 47 defeated Mildura 20

Sharks 35 lost to Ballarat 36

U14 Girls

Day one of competition for our u14 girls was a great opportunity to spread the work load and work on many of the finer details with an average winning margin of 47 points.  Wangaratta, Swan Hill and Portland all facing heavy defeats from a Southern Peninsula team that clearly started the tournament on fire.

The momentum and hot form continued into the second day of competition, this time Geelong, Bellarine and Mildura all experiencing what our girls can achieve at full flight.  An average winning margin of 39 points.

At this stage, we had secured 6 convincing wins and provided the girls the opportunity to advance to the Division 1 finals in scintillating form.

The quarter final of the Division 1 playoffs against Traralgon and the Semi Final against Sale saw the winning margins start to gradually decrease, however, it was evident that our girls had built the chemistry, depth and confidence that was near impossible to defeat.  Progressing to the Grand Final against Wodonga.

It was Wodonga that provided the Sharks girls their biggest challenge of the tournament, with their height and great rebounding proving the difference in the end, unfortunately, the only loss for the tournament was this Gold Medal game, losing it 41-46.

Head Coach Joe Turner was full of pride for his team’s efforts on the weekend “We fell one step short of the ultimate goal, but a great weekend of competing and improving from this group” Turner continued “The group did a fantastic job of buying in, showcasing our style of play and working to get better each game”.  Joe also wanted to thank the Sharks community “Thanks to everyone in the Southern Peninsula family for their non-stop support over the weekend”.

Sharks 72 defeated Wangaratta 15

Sharks 42 defeated Swan Hill 26

Sharks 86 defeated Portland 18

Sharks 78 defeated Geelong 15

Sharks 51 defeated Bellarine 15

Sharks 52 defeated Mildura 33

Sharks 46 defeated Traralgon 26

Sharks 38 defeated Sale 21

Sharks 41 lost to Wodonga 46

U14 Boys

Day one for the u14 boys could not have gotten off to a more convincing start with the boys securing a 73-point win over Maryborough.  It was the second game of the day that proved a far greater challenge against Traralgon.  A Corey Hastings buzzer beating layup sent the game into overtime, although, Traralgon’s size was the difference in the game and sealed the 2-point win.  The day concluded with a solid win against Portland in the evening.

Hamilton was the first opponent for the second day of the championships, followed by Geelong and Seymour.  Managing to secure some tough wins against Hamilton and Seymour either side of the Geelong loss was enough for the boys to qualify for the Division 1 finals.

The two previous losses unfortunately meant that our boys drew Warrnambool in their quarter final.  Warrnambool entered the tournament as hot favorites and finishing as eventual champions.  Keeping the game close and competitive throughout gave the Sharks team plenty of hope and confidence to steal the win, however, it wasn’t to be, eventually falling by 7 points, the smallest winning margin Warrnambool had for the entire tournament.

Head Coach Lucas Allen was full of praise for the young Sharks “These boys showed great intent with our style of play for almost the entire weekend even when the outcomes of our actions weren’t what we wanted.  The shot selection was more often than not great, the defensive energy was generally outstanding, and it was obvious for the entirety of the weekend that we have a style of play that is going to be damn tough to beat as this group continues to grow in the years to come”.

Sharks 92 defeated Maryborough 19

Sharks 48 lost to Traralgon 50

Sharks 47 defeated Portland 29

Sharks 51 defeated Hamilton 42

Sharks 32 lost to Geelong 64

Sharks 65 defeated Seymour 54

Sharks 52 lost to Warrnambool 59

The Southern Peninsula Basketball Association would like to congratulate all four teams on their recent tournaments.  We would also like to thank the Coaching staffs for their time and ongoing commitment to these teams, many of which had to take time off of work to attend these events.  Our parent groups continue to be incredibly supportive, positive and welcoming and we thank them for that as well, without this, we would not have such quality teams hitting the court at these events.