Basketball
5 February, 2025
Wildcats and Hornets victorious in Portland
The Horsham Hornets under-16 girls, Morrison, and the Warracknabeal Wildcats under-16 boys won their respective divisions at the Portland Basketball Tournament, which took place on Saturday, February 1, and Sunday, February 2.
The Hornets under-16 girls defeated the BDU Lightning in the grand final, 28-26. Nyah Dougherty and Maya Przibilla scored a game-high nine points.
The Hornets went to the grand final undefeated, and Przibilla scored 81 points in six games for Horsham. The team was Maddison Dempsey, Nyah Dougherty, Sienna Morrison, Maya Przibilla, Harriet Emmett, Gemma Netherway, and Mya Waterworth.
The Warracknabeal Wildcats under-16 boys also went undefeated in the tournament. In the final, they defeated BDU Lightning Black 58-52.
Charlie Williams scored 16 points in the grand final, with Tyler Templeton and Tobias Arnel scoring double figures with 12 and 11, respectively. Williams scored 76 points over the six matches they played.
The Warracknabeal team was Tobias Arnel, Campbell Mansfield, Evan George, Tyson Garlick, Karter Nitschke, Michael Wright, Tyler Preston, Lachlan Clyne, Charlie Williams and Tyler Templeton.
The Wildcats defeated Ararat in the semi-finals, 33-32, in a one-point thriller. Ararat finished second in its pool with three wins and one loss.
Oli Reynolds top-scored for Ararat with 43 points over five games. The team was Billy Walker, Billy Jenkins, Lachlan Marsh, Jack Cameron, Tanu Parsons, Athiay Kur, Archer Sparks, Oliver Munro, Oli Reynolds and Baxter White.
The Horsham Hornets under-16 boys, Dougherty and Stawell Wildcats, also participated in the tournament. The Hornets won one game. Zac Martin scored 60 points in four games.
Their team was Zac Martin, Nate Bacon, Xavier Skurrie, Jed Rudge, Rory Hudson, Ryder Thomas, Jonathan Gardiner and Ben Muir.
The Wildcats didn't win a game but fought hard and got close on one occasion. They lost by five points to Port Fairy, 35-40. Charlie Dunn scored 23 points in four games.
Their team was Charlie Dunn, Travis Brown, Jalen Lockwood, Archie Hoffmann, Jordan Lockwood, Rrez Campbell-Huruglica and Kaleb Carlsen.
In the under-18 boys' competition, Warracknabeal finished second to Warrnambool, 26-34. Jeremy Williamson scored 57 points for the Wildcats over five games.
Their team was Zachary O'Connor, Dane George, Oscar Allott, Harvey Schilling, Tylah McLean, Cooper Preston, Jack Conners, Hayden Polack, Jeremy Williamson, Riley Templeton and Charlie Martin.
The Stawell Wildcats also played in that division and fought hard without a win. Their team was Mason Notting, Ashley Hutton, Arlo Hastings, Jules Lockwood, Miles Erkelens, and James Fleming. Lockwood scored 47 points in four games.
The Horsham Hornets and Ararat Redbacks under-18 girls also played in the tournament. The Hornets were runners-up to Portland, 19-53. Ilze Van Zyl scored 58 points in six games for the Hornets. Their team was Abbey Wiedermann, Hannah Plazzer, Tayla Hudson, Chloe Reinheimer, Ilze Van Zyl, Lucy Holland, Indy Webb.
Ararat lost in the quarter-finals, 39-19, to the Koroit Saints White. Ruby Thomas scored 18 points in two games. Their team was Ruby Thomas, Nevani Woods, Addison Lardner, Lily Moncrieff, Bridie Price, Mackenzie Johnson, Violet Day and Charmaine Lockwood.
Next weekend, Ararat will have teams for the under-12 and under-14 boys, and Stawell will have a team for the under-12 boys.
Horsham will have a team in the under-14 girls division one, while Warracknabeal will have a team in division two.