AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIPS

 EIS Basketball 

32 LHS students from EIS Basketball travelled to the Gold Coast for the Australian School Basketball Championships competing in 3 teams, U17 Division 1 Girls, U17 Division 3 Boys and U17 Division 4 Boys.

Flying up on Sunday morning allowed the group to settle into the accommodation early and prepare their bodies for a big week, with the girls playing a monster 7 games over 5 days.

Day 1 of the tournament got off to a good start with the girls and Division 3 boys starting off their campaign with wins, while the Division 4 boys suffered a tough defeat.  With the sun beaming down, the teams settled back at the pool in the resort before dinner.

Day 2 was not our best day results wise, with the Division 3 boys getting beaten easily in the first game of the day – 8 am time slot was a tough awakening for the boys. Then came the heartbreak… both the girls and Division 4 boys lost in overtime.  With everyone a bit down on the results of the first 3 games of the day, the girls were able to rebound and secure the win against Hillcrest later in the day.  After Day 2, the girls sat 2-1, Division 3 boys sat 1-1 and the Division 4 boys sat 0-2.   

In the evening of Day 2 we had our Retro Bowling night – some fantastic outfits and plenty of laughs at the skill level of the bowling. Big shout outs to Maddie Tucker and Asher Shinkfield with the highest scores of 101 and 148 respectfully.

Day 3 rolled around and the Division 3 boys were a little more ready for the 8 am time slot recording a big 48-point win. The girls played Rowville in the morning in what was arguably the game of the whole tournament. The girls led for most of the game, but a late run saw us give up the lead and go down by 5. At the same time, the Division 4 boys were in a battle that they couldn’t overcome to fall to 0-3. 

The Division 3 boys had their Quarter Final that afternoon which was a comfortable 20-point win to take them into the final 4. 

The girls last pool game saw them drop to finish with a record of 2-3 to finish 4th, before their finals start on Day 4.

Day 4 and all 3 teams were still in medal contention with finals beginning.  The first game the Division 4 boys who were playing Central Coast, the top undefeated team from the other pool, pushed them all the way with the lead see-sawing back and forth. Unfortunately, Central Coast proved too strong and our boys went down by 11. 

The semi final for the girls saw them face Rowville again in another tight back and forth game, until Katie Wilson, went down with a sprained ankle, in which Rowville took full advantage and beat our girls. Katie was able to return for the Bronze Medal game on Day 5. 

The Division 3 boys hit fire in their semi final game, nailing 10 threes on their way to an 8- point win and a place in the Gold Medal game. 

The Division 4 boys finished off their tournament with an 8-point loss in their consolation game.

Day 5 – Medal Games! Both the girls and Division 3 boys had the opportunity for medal at the beginning of the day. The girls faced Berwick College and held a commanding position throughout the game, leading with 1 minute to go. Unfortunately, a couple of untimely fouls gave Berwick 2 shots at the free throw line.  Down 2 points with 5 seconds left, they hit both and we were back in overtime. During overtime, we lost a couple of girls due to fouls and Berwick managed to squeak out a 5-point win. The girls should be incredibly proud of how they performed throughout the week. 

Finally, the Division 3 boys played their Gold Medal game and from the tip, we never looked comfortable. Trinity Anglican grabbed an early lead, and the boys could never quite get back in front.  A Silver Medal for our Division 3 boys and hungry for Gold next year!

Click on the link below to see the HIGHLIGHTS from our U17 Boys and Girls at the Championships!

Australian School Basketball Championships will return in 2023 from, November 27 to December 1. 

Charlie Fyffe