MOST children who returned from school holidays this week would have been able to regale their classmates with stories of fun and excitement.
Not many stories would have happier endings than those told by eight of Swan Hill’s most promising young basketballers.
The Under 16 girls team enjoyed a win at last weekend’s Bendigo Junior Classic tournament.
While the girls brought home the Division 1 title, they weren’t the only Swan Hill team to have a successful weekend, with the Under 16 boys team also reaching the Division 1 final and the Under 14 girls qualifying for the semi-finals.
The Under 16 girls took out the prestigious title against many bigger and stronger associations, including Bendigo, Ballarat and Melton – with the girls eventually prevailing over the Horsham Hornets 36-29 in a come-from-behind grand final victory.
Led by legendary Swan Hill basketball coach Sharon Denham, the team took all before them.
Their hard work and weeks of dedication finally paid off in the dying minutes, Denham told The Guardian.
“The girls played really well all tournament and didn’t drop a game,” Denham said.
“We had a couple of tough matches, and the girls had to fight pretty hard for some of their wins and were really made to earn them, but they always responded which was really good.
“In the final we started very slowly and had to peg their lead, but again the girls rallied and responded and they fully deserved to come out on top in the end.”
Isabella Corrie was named the grand final’s most valuable player, while Scarlett Grey led the way for the Flyers with a team-high 10 points in the decider.
The Under 16 boys defeated the Bendigo Braves No.2 side in the semi-final by six points.
They were unable to maintain the rage in the final however, with the Wangaratta Warriors proving too strong, defeating the Flyers 36-20, with Sonny Beasy Swan Hill’s leading point scorer with 10.
The Under 14 girls also made it through to the final four teams, but were no match for the Hamilton Hurricanes, who ended the Flyers tournament early with a nine-point semi-final defeat.
Denham was full of praise for all three teams – the only sides entered from Swan Hill – with the results a clear indication of a bright future for local basketball.
“Every year we try to send some teams to Bendigo, but it’s almost our off-season in Swan Hill as everyone likes to go away in January and at this time of the year,” Denham said.
“We entered our three teams into Division 1, which is probably the best of all the medium-sized associations, along with all the major leagues second teams – it’s a pretty big tournament and we get to play against most of the leagues in country Victoria.
“Where we find ourselves now is a major positive for Swan Hill basketball, we’re all striving to play the highest level we can and provide our kids with the opportunity to get the most out of their time in the sport.
“They’re all really keen, which is good, but our main focus with these Flyers squads is to just get the best out of themselves and play at the highest level that they can – and I think they are all well on the way to achieving that.”
