Coach Matt Ogle
The Byron Beez U/16 division one girls’ team travelled to Minto recently to compete in the BNSW State Cup after winning the northern division of the 2018 BNSW Waratah Junior League in July.
The young Byron Beez team did themselves proud, but were winless over the three-game weekend competing against basketball associations with much larger player pools including Blue Mountains, Sydney City and Batemans Bay.
Their best performance was against the Sydney City Comets when the Beez put on a great show of skill and teamwork. Undersized and undermanned, the Beez kept the game very competitive and the crowd pleased with their tenacious defence and precise offence.
The Beez game against Batemans Bay, eventual competition runners-up, was also closely contested for the majority of the game: however, with plenty of subs, the opposition were able to keep running with fresh legs, and eventually got away from the Beez.
The whole weekend was great experience for our players, of which all but one will be eligible to play U/16s again next year.
The girls were very positive about their efforts and performance and the fact they improved from game to game, bouncing back from a big early loss. To challenge some of the best teams in the state is testament to their attitude and commitment to the game.
The Byron Beez will be holding trials for girls’ representative teams later this year to enter the NJL in 2019.
