Year 7 Interschool Basketball

18 of our Year 7s got their first ever chance to play Interschool Basketball, in the Upper Hume Year 7 tournament at Wodonga Leisure Centre on Friday 4th August.

Four senior students came along for the ride as mentors/coaches. Long-time Warriors representative player, Year 11 Lachy Barbour was Head Coach of the boys, and his Assistant Coach Xavier “Big Xav” Zachariou proved he wasn’t mucking around when he arrived at the Bus Stop clutching a Clip Board. 

A couple of Year 9s ably mentored/coached the girls team. Another Warriors rep player in Jack Ford took the role of Head Coach assisted by Oscar Benson, with Jack coaching his younger sister Kaity bringing an extra something special to the day for the Ford family.

Packed into a 24 seater with Thomas Fieldew providing a soundtrack of tasty R&B, Mumble Rap and 2000s Girl Pop, and plays being drawn up on the Clip Board, the vibe on the bus with bonding across the sexes and age groups and the winter sun blasting through the glass was a taste of what makes Interschool Sport so powerful even before a whistle was blown.

At the Leisure Centre, the boys were picked off in their 10:00 opener by eventual champion Victory Lutheran College Wodonga, but then defeated local rival Cathedral College thanks to an ice cool three-pointer from the talented Isaac Robinson to seal the victory in the closing minutes. 

The boys were gallant all day against all 6 opponents which also included Catholic College Wodonga, Galen College, and two Wodonga Middle Years College campuses, losing two of those matches narrowly including one after missing a 3 at the buzzer.

Nick Dark was the standout player top scoring with 41 points for the tournament. He was brilliant in anticipating and intercepting passes at half court moving like a mid-hunt Leopard, then fast breaking to the basket scoring by lay-ups or shooting from under the rim and rarely missing. He remarkably scored all of the team’s 14 points against Catholic College.

Clarence Lampa was our next top scorer with 13. He was also a playmaker with a bit of Magic Johnson Showtime about him in the way he likes a no-look pass. Oskar McGahan was our 3rd top scorer with 12. Tall and athletic, he could have scored a lot more had he had his shooting touch on earlier in the day. When he eventually found it, he scored an easy 8 points in the final match and looked dangerous.

Isaac Robinson put in 9 points for the tournament including top scoring with 7 in the win against Cathedral. He was able to do it all and so smoothly, taking the tip offs, playing the point, and scoring matchwinners, and the team was at its best when he was firing. 

Jeremy Baguley and Thomas Fieldew also contributed the the scoreboard with 7 and 6  points respectively to round out a fairly even list of scorers across an excellent day.

Over on the girls courts, the girls team was led by Captain and Bushrangers representative player Kaity Ford who was their “General” as well as top scoring with 17 points for the tournament across their 5 matches, further cementing herself into the WHS sporting books as our standout Year 7 female in both Football and Basketball this year.

Thanks to all players for representing the school in a wonderful manner all day, and to the 4 senior boys for assisting and being terrific role models for our up and coming Year 7s. It was a super day of Interschool Sport from a busload of outstanding young people.

Best of luck to the Year 8 teams who have their tournament next Monday, and the Intermediate teams who are currently going through vigorous tryouts with 18 boys and 14 girls trying out.

• Jud Mullins