Written by volunteers of Ballarat Basketball.
Game 1
Women Pool A: Tasmania Women (65) v Qld South Women (73)
Early momentum was with Tasmania and they held a 3-point lead at quarter time. This seemed to jolt Queensland into action and with fast breaks and strong defence they turned the deficit into a 9-point advantage at the main break.
The second half was punctuated with full court running, but scoring was difficult for both teams, however Tasmania through Rebecca Abel was instrumental in keeping Tasmania within striking distance as the final stanza opened.
The gap got as low as 6 points towards the end of the game, but Queensland held firm and a late basket saw the final margin of eight points in favour of the northerners.
Game 2
Men Pool A: NSW Country (68) v QLD North (76)
Both teams opened up very focused on the defensive end with Qld north taking a 14-12 lead into the first break. The second quarter was a battle of the big men as NSW Country’s Myles Cherry & Harrison Froling of QLD North both hit the scoreboard and glass hard. A big dunk from Qld North’s Will McDowell-White ignited the crowd as scores were locked at 29-all at the main break.
The third quarter resulted in a more free flowing style of basketball as scoring became much easier for both sides. Qld North were able to open up a 7-point lead before foul trouble hit starters Harrison Froling and Tendakai Machando enabling NSW Country to stay in the contest. Despite an early 4th quarter deficit for Qld North, three huge three-pointers inside the last five minutes sealed the deal and led them to an exciting 76-68 victory.
Game 3
Women Pool B: SA Metro (96) v QLD North (59)
SA Metro started the game with a 25-7 run which set up their win. Bianca Thacker dominated the rebounds which lead to a 30 point lead at the end of the 3rd quarter. SA Metro ran away with a 37-point win.
Leading Scorers:
SA Metro:
- M Yaeger: 17 points, 4 assists
- B Thacker: 16 points, 13 rebounds
- N Mathews: 17 points
QLD North:
- M Kupfer-Moren: 11 points
- C McCaskill: 10 points
- K McDermott: 10 points
Game 4
Men Pool B: SA Country (66) v NSW Metro Men (92)
The game opened with an 8-0 run by NSW, and had it not been for the efforts of SA’s Brad Rathjen the score could easily have blown out by quarter time. As it was his efforts reduced the margin to a respectable 21-15 at the first break.
NSW’s defensive pressure became a headache for SA Country in the second quarter as shot selection for SA was often rushed in the final seconds of the shot clock. NSW built on the strong work of Deng Gak and had a comfortable lead of 20 points at half time.
Although SA Country worked hard throughout the game the height advantage enjoyed by NSW enabled them to hold sway as the game wound down with the lead sometimes nudging 30.
Game 5
Women Pool A: NSW Metro (79) v ACT (58)
Right from the start NSW Metro stomped their authority on the contest playing a full court man-to-man defence for the majority of the first half. NSW Metro forced ACT into numerous turnovers resulting into easy baskets for themselves. NSW Metro took a handy 37-22 lead into the major break.
Despite an increased offensive output by ACT they still couldn’t find a way to limit NSW Metro’s scoring output. NSW Metro went on to win 79-58 despite a strong second half effort by ACT.
Game 6
Men Pool A: WA Country (51) v Tasmania (91)
Tasmania started well getting off to a 28-12 lead at the end of the first quarter. WA Country were unable to bridge the gap of Tasmania’s 25 point third quarter.
As the game progressed, Tasmania stayed in control and increased their lead to a 40 point win.
Top Scorers:
Tasmania:
- E Smith: 23 points, 2 assists
- L Tucker: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
WA Country:
- T Flemming: 10 points, 6 rebounds
Game 7
Men Pool B: QLD South (73) v Vic Metro (77)
Game 7 started with a bang with Vic Metro’s Gabriel Hadley lighting up with a 3 – his first of 8 for the game. Not to be outdone, Tom Fullarton (Qld South) replied with a fast break dunk.
Queensland South were out of the blocks early using their tall players and the speed of Verle Williams to attack the basket and put up points on the board. The height of Queensland limited inside opportunities for Vic Metro and saw Qld South lead at quartier time 22 to 13.
Vic Metro increased intensity at both ends of the court but didn’t transfer to the scoreboard. A 3 pointer by Jack Williams and a sneak assist by Verle Williams had the lead back out to 9 with momentum back in their hands. Another 3 pointer from Vic Metro’s Hadley close the gap to 4 with three minutes to go in the half. This was followed by another two in quick succession drawing scores level where they stayed until half time.
Game plans went out the window as teams wrestled for control of the game. Messy plays and turnovers from both teams were frequent. Hadley had not lost his touch as he hit another 3 and took the lead out to 9 where it stay at three quarter time 50-59.
Vic Metro looked confident although missed 3-point attempts trying to seal the game. When Verle Williams was fouled off with 2.07 minutes to play and the margin at 11 the game looked over. Thomas Hains had other ideas sinking a 3. Queensland’s defensive intensity lifted with the margin at 6 with a minute to play. Vic Metro didn’t convert foul shots and another 3 by Hains brought the margin to 3 points with 26.5 to go. Defensive rebounds by Vic Metro protected their lead to see them eventual 4 point winners.
Game 8
Women Pool B: Northern Territory (56) v WA Metro (81)
WA led the majority of the first quarter with big rebounding from Amy Atwell, Cameron Flynn and Brianna Chambers. Strong defensive pressure from NT allowed guard to get hard on the offensive attack.
An end to end battle with WA getting composure and taking control with strong rebounds and good offensive structure.
Both teams became more aggressive in the second half trying to own their defensive end. WA pushing their lead out in the last quarter.
Game 9
Women Pool A: SA Country (75) v WA Country (49)
Both sides got off to a strong start with some great defence. This showed with the scores being all ties up with 15 points at quarter time. A competitive second quarter resulted with SA taking the lead by 1 point. With a great 3rd quarter SA ran away with the lead and continued this into the fourth to come home hard with a final score of 75-49.
Game 10
Women Pool B: Vic Country Women (75) v NSW Country Women (64)
The dual Chloes, Bibby and Molloy, started Vic Country off well in this game and after an even and sometimes turnover-ridden first quarter there was just two points separating the teams.
NSW lifted their defensive intensity in the second quarter and it was timely that they did as Victoria Country thanks to Chantel-Anais Horvat threatened to push the gap beyond ten at times.
In the second half the teams played opposing styles of basketball, with Vic Country wanting to get the ball inside for strong post plays, while NSW Country were content to shoot from outside. The opposing styles though were in Vic Country’s favour, as the lead at three quarter time was out to 17.
Lara McSpadden and Madison Goddard began to have an impact for NSW Country and they were instrumental in getting the game back within single digits, but Vic Country steadied and their fast ball movement gave them a deserved victory.
Game 11
Men Pool B: ACT (55) v WA Metro (86)
Lachlan Evans kicked off the scoring with a catch and shot 3 on the weak side. ACT were hit with four fouls two-minutes into the game. A high defensive work rate and strong rebounding limited ACT to 23 points for the half. WA metro snagged 25 rebounds with Andrew Ferguson leading the way with 10 and the rest spread evenly.
Corey Sheruill shooting well on the flow. WA Metro controlling both ends with strength and poise.
Game 12
Men Pool A: SA Metro Men (72) v Vic Country Men (49)
The first few minutes of this game were something of a stalemate, until SA Metro sparked some flashy play with an athletic dunk and by the end of the quarter they had a 13-point lead which was to prove a stumbling block for Vic Country for the rest of the game.
Teams settled into a free-scoring pattern as the game headed to the main break and the crowd had hopes that Vic Country might stage a comeback in the second half after Sam Whelan knocked down a deep three right on the half time buzzer.
Foul trouble affected local player Sam Short for Vic Country early in the second half, and the defensive pressure from a disciplined and even SA combination made scoring difficult for the Vics. The height of the SA Metro boys began to tell as the second half unfolded and the gap of 23 points at the end was in a true representation of the gap between the teams on the night.
Game 13
Women Pool A: Qld South (57) v Vic Metro (98)
A very high fought intense game, initially strong calculated driving attacks. Vic Metro started the game with multiple attacks countered by aggressive rotation help.
Game 14
Men Pool A: NT (32) v NSW Country (84)
NSW Country started the game with a very strong first quarter scoring 16 points within the first three minutes of the game. Throughout the second quarter NT began to fight back, although NSW Country continues to run away with the lead. NSW proved to be too strong claiming the win by 52.
Top Scorers:
NSW Country:
- Myles Cherry: 14 points
- Mathew Kenyon: 14 points
NT:
- Matteo Rowse: 15 points
- Henry Callender: 6 points
