Head of Sport Report

As the first half of our season comes to a close, I would like to express my gratitude to all the students who have consistently made the effort to attend home and away games, as well as training sessions each week. Your dedication and enthusiasm have been integral to the growth of your team.

It is encouraging to see commitment levels improving across a number of teams, and this progress reflects your hard work and determination. However, as we look ahead to 2025, it is important to keep this momentum going. With only four weeks of round games remaining upon our return, maintaining fitness over the Christmas break will be key to ensuring we hit the ground running.

I encourage everyone to take some time over the holidays to stay active and build on the foundations we have laid this season. Whether it is through running, gym sessions, or any form of exercise you enjoy, every bit helps to keep you prepared and in peak condition for the short run to the finals.

Enjoy the break, and I look forward to seeing you all ready to tackle the challenges ahead in 2025!

Congratulations

Basketball

Eric’s basketball journey continues to reach incredible heights! He has recently been selected to represent NSW as part of the ‘NSW Blue’ team at the U20 National Championships, which will take place in Ballarat from 28 January to 2 February 2025 – an exceptional achievement and a true honour.

Adding to his accolades, Eric has also been chosen to play for the Penrith Youth League Men’s team, showcasing his talent and dedication to the sport.

It’s inspiring to reflect on how it all began, with Eric picking up basketball in Year 7 at BMGS. His progression is a testament to his hard work and passion, and we could not be prouder of his success!

Australian School Basketball Championships

The Australian School Basketball Championships proved to be a challenging yet rewarding experience for our team. Throughout the week, the boys faced fierce competition and some heartbreakingly close results, with several games being decided by a margin of just two points. These early narrow losses ultimately impacted the team's overall ranking.

Despite the tough start, the boys showcased their potential with moments of greatness on the court. Their determination paid off in a strong win against John Paul College, which was a highlight of the tournament. However, it became clear that better teamwork and consistency across all games would have significantly changed the outcomes.

As the week wraps up, the team will compete in a playoff for 9th/10th place against Avondale. With the lessons learned from the tournament and their unwavering commitment, we are confident the boys will bring it all together for this final game. No matter the result, their resilience and effort throughout the championships have been commendable.

Thanks must go to Dominika and Teiarna for the time they have put into training and coaching the boys for the tournament and to Jonno Downes for the filming of all the games. We all appreciate the time you put into the BMGS Basketball program.

Best of luck, team – let’s finish strong!

2025 NSW All Schools Triathlon and Para-triathlon Championships

Wednesday 26 February 2025 - Individual Event

Thursday 27 February 2025 – Teams Event

Sydney International Regatta Centre, Old Castlereagh Rd., Castlereagh

Entries are now open for the 2025 NSW All Schools Triathlon and Para-triathlon Championships.

If you are interested in competing at this event please come and see me at my office.

Megan Harris

Head of Sport

Round 5

Girls Basketball

Central coast

Firsts - 54-24

The girls lost but we showed a lot of improvement this week. Their defence was really good for the majority of the game, it only dropped a little bit in the last quarter due to fatigue. We had a real breakthrough in an offence, actually getting through our plays and scoring because of it. Things still to improve on is our passing and our offensive rebounds.

Open C - 18-17

The girls lost. Our team did not show up ready to play and our warmup was extremely flat, which set the tempo of the rest of the game. Our defence really let us down today we did not match up well and we got beat off the dribble a lot because we were not moving our feet. We really struggled with our movement on offence and making our shots. I know the girls have the potential to beat this team.

Junior A

The Junior A girls played two games on Saturday against Central Coast Grammar. The first game saw the girls soundly defeated by a quick and tall opponent. In the second game the girls played with great energy beating their opposition 21-13. Graciella had an excellent game and was well supported by Hannah, Neva and Lillian.

Junior C

The Junior C girls played in the battle of the undefeated teams against Central Coast Grammar. In a close encounter the girls won 16-10.

Charlotte and Taylor played very well, and Hayley and Maggie made clutch free throws in the last quarter.

Boys Basketball

Firsts

St Augustine’s

The First Boys Basketball team delivered a strong performance in their mid-season clash against St Augustine, coming away with a hard-fought victory. While there were moments when the team drifted from their core principles, they regrouped and found their rhythm just when it mattered most. In the final stages, the boys played with unity and determination, finishing the game as a cohesive unit and demonstrating the strength of their teamwork. Their resilience and ability to finish strong highlight the progress they've made this season. Congratulations to the team on a well-deserved win! Keep up the momentum as the season continues.

17’s

The Second Boys Basketball team showed incredible heart and determination in their game against St Augustine, despite facing tough circumstances. With only five players, including two from our 14s team, the boys gave it their all from start to finish. A massive thank you to Thomas Sheen and Jack Lord for stepping up to fill in. Their effort and contribution were outstanding and greatly appreciated by the team. The boys handled the other team's full-court pressure exceptionally well, working together as a team to consistently get the ball over halfway. They fought hard throughout the match, playing with grit and resilience, but St Augustine ultimately came away with the win. Despite the result, the team's spirit and teamwork were inspiring, and they should be proud of their effort. Great work, boys, and thank you again to Thomas and Jack for stepping up!

15’s

The 15 Boys had a tough game, including an opening 10 mins that saw St Augustine's gain a bit of a lead. We competed for a long time, but eventually the opposition got out in transition and took a larger lead. It was a very physical game, and the boys did extremely well to navigate a physically demanding game. Our full court press towards the end of the game showed great promise, and moving from next week we will be doing that from the start of the game as it was clearly the best style of play for this team. Onto next week!

14’s

The 14 Boys had a few personnel losses due to the 17s needing players, as well as an early injury into the game, putting us down to just 1 sub against a very strong St Augustine's team. The boys played their hearts out, and really stepped up to the plate to hold their own at both ends of the floor. Whilst the scoreline was not nice to us, within the game alone we managed to beat their full court pressure consistently, as well as find open players and knock down shots consistently. Overall, an extremely positive game for the 14 Boys!

13’s

The 13 Boys were first up against St Augustine's, and from the tip-off it was a really tough match up. The game was close the entire time, and our defence was holding together nicely as our offence struggled. We got into a full court press, which saw our offense kick off, and after establishing a lead late in the second half we were able to hold on in an absolute nail-biter to win by 4 points. It was a great way to get our first win of the season, and we will be able to build off this game to hopefully get some more wins as the season goes on.

Round 6

Girls Basketball

Firsts

The girls had their first win of the season. We started off really strong and were leading by 20 throughout the game. The girls did a really good job of playing as a team to get the win. We lost our lead in the last quarter due to fatigue and turning the ball over due to pressure from the other team. I am very proud of the girls and their efforts.

Open C

The girls had a great win this week. We only had 6 players but the girls did a really good job of playing as a team. We had a lead of 20 points at the end of the first half and maintained this lead right to the very end of the game. The girls played very consistently throughout the game. I am very proud of the girls and their efforts.

Junior A

The Junior A girls were defeated by Chevalier 27-23. The girls played well defensively but were unable to convert numerous layup opportunities throughout the game. A measure of the improvement of this team throughout the season is shown by the fact that the girls lost the corresponding game in round 1 by 30 points.

Junior C

The Junior C girls played two games on the day and were unlucky to lose the first game 30-29 to Oxley in overtime. The girls let Oxley jump to an 8-point lead before they were able to assert any dominance in defense. Maggie was strong throughout the game scoring two free throws at the end of normal time to put the game into overtime.

In the second game the girls dominated Chevalier winning 35-15. All players played well with Izzy standing out with her strong defense and astute passing.

Boys Basketball

Firsts St Pius

The First Boys Basketball team secured a massive and well-deserved win in their match against St Pius. The boys played with intensity and showcased their ongoing improvement throughout the game. While there was a brief lapse in defensive effort, the team quickly regrouped, addressed the issue, and returned to form. They demonstrated excellent teamwork and finished the game on a strong note. It was particularly rewarding to see the moments where they played as a united and cohesive unit, highlighting their potential when working together. Well done, boys, on another outstanding performance! Keep building on this momentum as the season progresses.

17’s

The Second Boys Basketball team showed tremendous resilience in their game against St Pius, once again playing with only five players. A special thanks to Thomas Sheen from the 14s for stepping up to fill in once more and doing an outstanding job. The boys fought hard throughout the entire game, staying within close range of St Pius until the final 10 minutes. Unfortunately, fatigue began to set in, allowing the opposition to gain a strong lead. Despite this challenge, the team displayed incredible determination, never giving up and continuing to fight hard until the final whistle. The effort and commitment from the boys were commendable, and they should be proud of their performance. Well done to all involved!

15’s

Deciding to come out in a full court press straight away after last weeks success, the 15 Boys got an early 9-0 lead over the St Pius team, who we lost to last time. It was a physical match, and the boys stepped up big time, going into the half in a really close game. We stayed with our defence which was working wonders, as St Pius had no flow to their offence whatsoever. We also began to run our own offensive sets that we worked on, which was excellent to see. St Pius brought the game back, and in a devastating turn of events, they hit a lay up with 9 seconds to go to put them up 2. After a timeout, the boys executed a set play excellently, however the shot just missed, leading to a painful loss. Despite the outcome, the BMGS boys played with such great intensity and teamwork, that it’s only a matter of time before the wins start to come in. I couldn’t be prouder of these boys.

14’s

Again down a player due to playing in other teams, our undersized 14 Boys gave the St Pius team a run for their money. Whilst the score suggested that Pius was well ahead, it was simply some of our missed shots and errant passes that lead to the score being so large. With only two subs, the boys worked hard defensively, taking pride in the way they kept their man in front of them on defence, and very rarely giving up open layups. St Pius had to work hard for all their points, and we had some great offensive performances ourselves, so despite the loss, it’s another game that the 14 Boys can keep their head high from.

13’s

As we hosted St Pius, who we lost to by 2 last time we saw them, our full court press worked brilliantly from the start. Down some of our taller players, we relied heavily on team rebounding, as well as being physical on defense, being prepared to put our bodies on the line. We got out to a 10 point lead through our incredible defence, combined with some great transition offence that saw all our boys get involved with the scoring. We won the game comfortably in the end, making it 2 wins in a row to end the term. The boys have found a play style that wins for them, and hopefully we can push to sneak into the semi finals!

Girls Touch Football

Week 5 – 23/11

Juniors: The Juniors travelled to Macquarie Park to verse SACS 2. Unfortunately, due to the Senior and Junior games clashing, I couldn’t coach them during this game, but a massive thank you to Mrs Harris for filling in this position. From what I was told, they fought hard and played well in the tough conditions that the day displayed. They went down 6 – 4, but it was a 3 -3 scoreline in the second half, so that showed me that they made changes and took on Mrs Harris’s feedback which helped improve their game.

Seniors:

The Seniors also travelled to Macquarie Park, where they versed SACS 1. It was an even game, and I am so proud of the efforts that the girls put in. They played with 2 reserves on a 35-degree day. Most girls, played in positions that they weren’t used to just so we were able to give all players a rest. At the end of the game, the exhaustion caught up to us and SACS ended up winning 7 – 5, but I think the best part of the whole game was that the SACS coach and girls congratulated us on the effort we put in and how well our structure in the game was. They said that we were the first team that they faced that had a structured drive, defence and had the ability to put on set plays. I think that this is better than the result because it shows that what the girls are learning at training is coming off and effective in game situations. We ended the game with a small morning tea hosted by SACS.

Week 6

Unfortunately, there was no games this week, due to it being a washout.

Diary Dates

December 2024 / Febuary 2025