Specialised Basketball 

Grand Final Fever

The Specialised Basketball Teams have been competing at an incredibly high level, and we're thrilled to share the highlights of their performance with you. In this edition, we've asked some of our students and coaches to provide their quick summaries of the teams' achievements. We hope you enjoy reading about their successes and get inspired by their dedication and hard work.

SASJ 10 Boys – Runner Up Champions: 

SASJ Year 10 boys played with a lot of pride in their grand final on Wednesday night, having led by three points at half time. The boys were confident going into the second half, and with strong plays from Blake and Zac at the guard spots and Hayden Price dominating the boards it looked like a sure thing. Unfortunately for us CBC came out firing, utilising their strengths and finishing inside the paint off of offensive rebounds and second chance points. The boys fought hard right to the buzzer with Rafael hitting late 3s to claw back - but it wasn’t enough for the boys to secure the win, going down by 7 points after being undefeated throughout the season. It stung but to their credit the boys walked out with their heads high, which is why they're true champions and represented St Norbert's with pride and sportsmanship.

Coach - Mr Walley Stack

SASJ 7 Girls –  Runner Up Champions:

Although many teams had us in size we never let that get to us. Even at low points during the game our intensity and sportsmanship was phenomenal. Every player contributed something different, which made for a super well-rounded team. Their commitment to training and to each other was more than what we could have asked for. We were so lucky to be able to coach such a sweet group of girls and are so happy with how much they improved in such a short period of time! Hannah, Sasha, and Zoe were our unstoppable point guards, they carried the ball up the court under huge amounts of pressure and handled it amazingly. Olivia and Scarlett had great energy on and off the court and had outstanding effort. Lucia, Cherie and Angelina were our hustle players on defence and proved to have great shot selection and basketball IQ. Yashika used her body and advantage on defence and got some tough rebounds and box outs on both ends of the court. Abbey and Mikayla had great teamwork, ball movement and a strong positive mindset not matter what. 

Coaches – Blaise Stancil & Kalani Popelier (Year 10 Students)

SASJ 8/9 Girls – Champions

The SASJ Year 8/9 Girls Basketball Team won the championship by defeating Kennedy Baptist College with a score of 61-31. The girls played exceptionally well, showcasing their unique bond as a team. The girls displayed amazing basketball skills, and their victory was a testament to their hard work and dedication throughout the season.

Coach – Mr Houwen

What the coach said: In this special report, Mr Houwen rates player performance!.  

ACC Junior Boys Basketball - Play in Game

The Year 8 and 9 Specialised Team competed in their play-in game to advance to the round of 16. It was a great show of talent and hard work; the majority of the game was controlled by us but we needed to dive deep into the bench mid-way through the game with all of our playing chipping in. Our big man Tait Dalton won us the tip leading Andre Dweh to and easy 2 to start the game. Zac Foo was making big defensive play which led to easy lay ups by Deacon Hollow and Tait. Kobe Varias and Hudson Anton  checked into the game and within minutes Hudson hit two crucial threes.  As the second half commenced we come out firing and when their best player started to attack the ring and get some easy buckets, Mr Godfrey called a timeout and put subbed Jacob Kago in to stop him and he did just that. We now advance to the round of 16 which we will play some time in Term Two.

Player – Anthony Flores (Year 10)

SSWA Senior Boys Carnival – Friday 24th March

On Friday, 24 March, a basketball carnival took place where the boys' team participated and won the first part of the SSWA tournament with an outstanding 7-0 record. Rafael Canasa showed amazing skills in finding open players, while Benjamin Berardis displayed incredible finishing at the ring. Antonio Cuccovia's athletic prowess caused many steals, and Yawasyaf Yohans was a constant finisher who intimidated the opposition inside. Tyler Madigan was the heartbeat of the team, playing with 100% effort. Benjamin Paddon showed the most improvement over the day, while Travis Williams was a true shining light, turning into one of the better players. Madden Creek found his place in the new team and was able to fill many roles. Jack Langford was the spark of the team coming off the bench. Other noteworthy players were Brody Barclay, Zac Anfuso, Benjamin Drennan, and Kalisto Ubu. The team has progressed to the next stage of the competition with high hopes of success.

Coach – Colin Driscoll

SSWA Senior Girls Carnival – Thursday 30th march

On Thursday, a basketball carnival took place, and the girls' team emerged as winners with a perfect record of 5-0, progressing to the next stage of the competition.

The girls played that well together that Mr Houwen could not only mention a few students but wrote about all of them.

What the coach said: In this special report, Mr Houwen rates player performance!.

Mr C Houwen

(Canons Basketball Co-ordinator)