The NSW Kookaburras under-18s denied Victoria a clean sweep of titles at this year’s Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup on the Border.
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An undefeated run to the gold medal match was capped off with an impressive 89-65 victory against the Victoria Goldminers in front of a huge crowd at Lauren Jackson Sports Centre on Saturday.
The Kookaburras held a narrow 23-18 lead at the first break and extended it to 47-31 at half-time.
Another strong display in the third quarter saw NSW lead 70-45 heading into the final term, and despite a strong finish from the Goldminers, it was a convincing 89-65 result for the Kookaburras.
NSW coach Cal Wade admitted it was a very special week.
“We set a goal at the start of the week to have a high standard within ourselves and I think we maintained that throughout the week and reaped the rewards,” Wade said.
“It was an undefeated week for the team, every challenge the boys had in front of them, they managed to overcome and they ended up being quite convincing in every win.
“We finished the games really well.
“We’ve had a good chance to look at the boys this week, so we’ve got some good challenges ahead with that.”
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Newcastle’s Henry Johnson was playing in his first grand final and had never experienced an atmosphere like it before.
“It feels amazing to win gold and to do it for NSW and the boys,” Johnson said.
“This is my fourth Country Cup and the first time even getting to the final.
“Our defence was really good, our talk, our hands, our stance. Everything our coaches told us to do, we executed really well.
“It’s good to get out there and see what our competition is like, especially heading towards nationals later in the year, if I’m lucky enough to make it.”
Victoria coach Brenton O’Brien was impressed with how the side rallied during the week.
“The boys did a really good job showing resilience and character,” he said.
“We lost one our best players the day before the tournament and we were banged up by the end with another two carrying injuries.
“To the boys’ credit, other kids stepped up and showed us what they’ve got and it has helped their status when it comes to selection for the state team.
“I think that whole group showcased everything they had and did everything they could to put themselves forward.”
All players from the under-18s grand final will be considered for selection for state sides to contest the national championships at Townsville in April.
In the other finals, Victoria Bushrangers defeated Victoria Goldminers, 59-52, in the under-18s girls.
Victoria Goldminers defeated NSW Kookaburras, 81-73, in the under-16 girls, while Victoria Bushrangers took down South Australia Magpies, 69-43, in the under-16 boys final.
In the under-14s girls, Victoria Goldminers edged out Victoria Bushrangers, 55-49, with Victoria Bushrangers too strong for South Australia Magpies in the under-14s boys, 81-67.
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