Jenny Ogle
All four of the Byron Bay Basketball Association’s junior representative teams have made it through to the finals of the Northern Junior League to be played in Port Macquarie over August 5–6.
The club is very proud of their efforts especially since it is only the first year for the girls and second year for the boys to compete at this level.
U/16 boys (coach Nash Campbell)
Their season goal of learning how to compete with the best teams in the state was demonstrated last round during two epic games.
Against Bellinger, the boys had four players fouled off, finishing with only three players on the court, and nearly completed a fairytale comeback, but went down by just two points.
In the game of the season against arch ‘fren-emies’ Port Macquarie, the boys fought for the lead, then went behind before a three-point bomb on the buzzer from Panha D sent the game to overtime.
In one of the most nail-biting see-sawing games you would see at any level, the boys went down by two.
U/14 boys (coach Alvin Caoyonan)
The team won 4–0 over their last weekend to finish at the top of the table going into the NJL finals.
Playing Tamworth twice and winning each by comfortable margins, and also playing Port Macquarie, left our boys feeling sharp for their final match against Bellinger Valley, the event’s big match-up.
They were behind for the majority of the match and fought hard to keep it close. The final minutes were frantic as the boys closed the gap to tie and force overtime.
The experience of playing high intensity from previous carnivals shone through as the boys grabbed a quick but small four-point lead and never relinquished it to come away with a tough but well-earned victory.
U/14 girls (coach Matt Ogle)
The girls played five games in the last round of NJL in Coffs Harbour and with only five players this was a tremendous effort.
The drive and heart shown by each individual on the team were amazing. The games they played were not the only things they won.
They won the respect and admiration of opposition coaches and parents.
Heading into the final round of NJL the girls had only lost one game from seven, the first game of the season, to Coffs Harbour.
The U/14 girls finished as minor premiers on the NJL ladder and they will face Tamworth in a qualifying final for the Championship.
In their first year of NJL competition this is an exceptional achievement and the players are to be congratulated on their fantastic performance and attitude throughout the season.
U/16 girls (coach Matt Ogle)
The U/16 girls played five games at the last round of NJL in Coffs Harbour and after a heavy injury toll won just one, but contested strongly throughout.
The U/16 Beez girls finished fourth on the ladder, qualifying them for the finals.
Go the Beez.
