A massive week in Moreton Bay has culminated with three teams rising at the Foot Locker U18 & National Junior Wheelchair Championships.
South Australia have claimed their first ever Kevin Coombs Cup with an impressive 86 – 51 win over Queensland, Victoria Metro blitzed SA Metro out of the gate to a 111 – 79 victory and Victoria Country rounded out Championship Sunday with a 83 – 74 win over NSW Metro.
U18 Men – National Championship
VICTORIA COUNTRY 83 – 74 NSW METRO
In a gripping encounter that featured multiple lead changes and standout individual performances, Victoria Country emerged victorious over New South Wales Metro, 83-74 to take home the Foot Locker U18 Men’s National Championship.
The first half was a hard-fought affair with both teams trading blows and neither team able to take a clear advantage on the scoresheet. VIC Country leaned on the interior presence of Will Hamilton, who dominated the boards and provided consistent scoring.
However, NSW Metro’s Antonio Browne lit up the court with a dazzling display, dropping 19 points by halftime and sparking his side with a momentum-shifting three pointer late in the first half. Browne’s two-way impact, including three blocks helped NSW enter the break with a slender 38-39 lead.
The third quarter continued the back-and-forth duel as both sides jostled for the lead. Neither team gave an inch until VIC Country eventually found some breathing room by finding consistent good looks to take a seven-point lead by three quarter time 60-53.
NSW Metro responded early in the fourth, closing the gap to just one point (67-66), but VIC Country answered the challenge with poise. Hamilton continued to lead from the front, while Alex Gray’s clutch and-one play gave VIC Country a vital seven-point cushion heading into the final minutes. A desperate NSW Metro team couldn’t find the answers to cut the margin down as VIC Country surged ahead with a late run, ultimately sealing the championship with a nine-point win, 83-74.
VIC COUNTRY
Hamilton 17 points, 8/20 field goals, 13 rebounds, 5 assists
Maxwell 18 points, 8/14 field goals, 3 rebounds
Byrne 17 points, 7/11 field goals, 10 rebounds
Gray 15 points, 4/8 field goals, 9 rebounds, 3 assists
NEW METRO
Browne 26 points, 10/25 field goals, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks
Diing 16 points, 5/16 field goals, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals
U18 Women’s – National Championship
VIC METRO 111 – 79 SA METRO
Victoria Metro were heavy favourites entering the grand final matchup against South Australia and they proved why from the opening tip till the final buzzer, powering their way to a commanding 114 - 79 victory.
Victoria came out of the gates strong, with relentless defence being crucial to powering their fast-paced offense. Within the opening minutes they held a double-digit lead, with a full court press tactic that smothered SA’s ball handlers and forced a string of low-percentage shots, while their hustle on the offensive glass generated pivotal second chance point opportunities. VIC Metro held a 19-point lead heading into quarter time 36-17.
South Australia bounced back in patches throughout the second quarter to cut the lead down, however VIC re-asserted their dominance in the matchup, to hold onto a 60-45 lead at the half. South Australia showed signs of a fightback early in the third quarter, cutting the margin to 11, but VIC Metro responded with ruthless precision on both ends of the court. A decisive 23-3 run ballooned the margin to 88-57 at three-quarter time as Victoria’s Madison Ryan led the way.
With the result beyond doubt, Victoria cruised through the fourth quarter to grasp the gold medals. Their rebounding dominance (+21) and suffocating defense led them to a massive 114-79 win, capping off a brilliant all-round team performance.
VIC METRO
Ryan 22 points, 8/12 field goals, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 6 steals
Angus 17 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals
Trout 14 points, 6/7 field goals, 11 rebounds, 3 steals
SA METRO
Hardin 16 pts, 5/7 field goals, 4 rebounds, 5 assists
Crase 14 pts, 6/12 field goals, 11 rebounds, 3 steals
Elliott 15 pts, 4/9 field goals
National Junior Wheelchair Championship
SA 86 – 51 QLD
South Australia have won their first ever Kevin Coombs Cup on the back off a high-powered offensive performance. It was the perfect redemption for SA with their only loss coming at the hands of QLD 62 – 61 in the pool rounds.
In the most important game of the week, SA turned the tables.
QLD established a familiar advantage of game style early, however the tides turned with South Australia recovering in the second and charging to a insurmountable buffer.
Cooper Spillane was unstoppable when he got in rhythm, with the U23 Spinners representative finishing with 31 points.
Kane Downie was damaging across the court recording a triple double, Isobella Nitschke was integral to the first half turnaround and SA found an aggressive defensive balance with Alex Blackmore’s support play.
Victoria captain Zach Binns deserves an honourable mention. The young star left it all on the court with 31 points.
SA
Spillane - 31 points, 13/25 field goals, 10 assists
Downie - 26 points, 11/25 field goals, 13 rebounds, 10 assists
Nitschke – 19 points, 9/19 field goals, 9 rebounds
Blackmore – 10 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists
QLD
Binns – 31 points, 14/22 field goals, 5 rebounds
Uhr – 14 points, 7/19 field goals, 14 rebounds
