Congratulations to our Basketball team

The Community Engagement team sat with Lucas Cao and Nikola Alavanja - two members of the Cecil Hills High School under-15’s basketball team after their 47-45 victory over Byron Bay High School in Week 1. 

Here’s what they had to say:

How would you describe the outcome of the game?

Lucas Cao: “The game ended with a two-point victory for Cecil Hills. We won 47-45. It was a great feeling to get the win. I must admit - we had a rough start. We were down by as much as fifteen points. But we clutched up and got the job done.”

What would you say were the biggest factors that led to the win?

Lucas Cao: “There were two big factors. The biggest challenge for us was our defense. We found it challenging throughout the game, but we pulled through and rose to the challenge and levelled our defense up.

“Secondly, Nikola Alavanja was huge for us. He racked up most of the points and it meant a lot to us.”

How would you describe the atmosphere throughout the last two minutes of the game?

Nikola Alavanja: “The last two minutes were very stressful. It was a game of runs where it could’ve gone either way for a while. Finally, we went up by two and they had forty seconds to score. I fouled one of the Byron Bay players. They missed and everything went in slow motion as I grabbed the rebound. Once I had the ball, I ran as fast as I could halfway through the court until someone from the other team fouled me. I missed one shot and made one. It was such a massive wave of relief followed by excitement.”

How are you feeling about the next game?

Nikola Alavanja: “I am very excited. I am excited about the trip. I am excited about the game. I am excited to see where the game of basketball will take myself and the team.”

The team has now qualified for the Final 8 round of the Combined High School (CHS) Boys’ 15’s Basketball Competition.

Lucas Cao (Year 9) & Nikola Alavanja (Year 10) 

Cecil Hills High School 

U/15’s Basketball Team