ELTHAM TOURNAMENT REPORT 2018

 

BOYS

B12.1

The 12-1 boys competed in AR (A reserve) grade for the tournament, and finished with 1 win, 2 draws and 2 losses, and in our typical fashion, with an overall margin of -4 for the weekend.

Our first game against Eltham 2 started slowly, with both teams adjusting to being back on the court, and the heat. A late second half run saw us climb to a 6-point lead, and some great composure down the stretch from Jordan Jao and Charlie Truscott helped us hold on and finish with a 2 point win. We play Eltham 2 this Friday in grading, so this gives us the confidence to go into the contest ready to win.

After arriving at BSC at 7:40am for our 8am start, I realised I could have had 19 more minutes of precious sleep, as the stadium was not opened until 7:59am. Luckily, one of our players, Luke, lives 15 metres from the BSC entrance, and much to the Hawthorn 2 teams’ dismay, we proceeded to warm-up on Luke’s driveway basketball ring. Unfortunately, this warm-up didn’t carry over to the start of the game, with Hawthorn jumping out to a 11-0 start. However, since our team is incapable of playing a game with an end result margin of more than 5, some great defensive pressure to end the half saw us going into halftime down by 3. We traded buckets with Hawthorn the whole half, but they clung to their lead and we came away 3-point losers. I was very happy with this result, considering our slow start, the fact we had 7 players to their 10, we were missing our tallest player, and they were huge!

Our third game against Kilsyth 2 was once again basket for basket the whole game, but in 34-degree weather with 7 players, 3 of who had 4 fouls, we simply ran out of legs. Despite the gallant efforts of all the players, in particular Henry Tully and Lachie Craik, the 10-man Kilsyth roster proved too deep for our 7. This game was probably our best game we had played the entire season so far.

 

Another 8am start placed us at Bulleen, against Bulleen. Fortunately, the stadium was open this time, so we got a good warm-up, which carried us into a 6-0 lead to start the game after some strong layups from Luke Salerno. Bulleen clawed back to reduce the lead to 3 by half time. The second half was extremely physical, with the referee’s seeming content to let people get battered, only calling 3 fouls for the entire half. Some strong inside work from Harrison Beaumont and Henry Tully kept the margin within 4 points either way the whole half. A mental lapse with 45 seconds to go saw Bulleen get up by 3, but a quick steal from Hudson Price and a layup brought it to within 1. Another great defensive possession saw a steal, and a hard drive sent Henry Tully to the FT line with 11 seconds remaining. Keeping a cool head, Henry drained the second shot, tying the game. We managed to block the Bulleen layup and the siren sounded with the game being a draw. This being our 3rd draw for the season was a tribute to how hard the boys play, and will undoubtedly continue to play, the entire season.

Our last game against Nunawading 3 saw extreme heat policy in place due to the 38-degree temperature inside Nunawading. An 8-0 start showed promising signs, but having only 6 healthy players against Spectres’ 10 started to show, with Nunawading tying the game with 9 minutes remaining. Hudson Price’s offensive showcase kept us close, but Nunawading shot an impressive 7/8 FT’s to close out the game, and as Hudson’s half court heave rolled out on the buzzer, the score line yet again showed a draw. Although this was our least impressive game for the weekend, I was extremely proud of the mental determination from every single one of the players to compete to the best of their ability in the sweltering heat.

Looking back, this is the proudest I have felt in my 6 years of coaching basketball. Every single game, we had at least 2, usually 3, less players than the other team, yet we showed the opposition time and time again spirit I doubt they will see against other opposing teams. They played some of the best basketball of the entire season, and going into grading phase 2, I have the utmost confidence in them.

Thanks to all the parents for your efforts, I know you guys must be exhausted.

Sue, you are an amazing TM, if not the best I have ever seen. Thank you for your non-stop efforts and commitment.

At the end of the day, win, lose or draw, I can safely say that they go out there every game and represent the club to the best of their abilities, and to me, that’s what matters the most. (Conor Mathews – coach)

B12.2

Coming back from a great holiday the boys were looking forward to getting back on court and having fun again together.

Every player tried there hardest and we competed to the last second, uunfortunately we played the first four games with only six player and the heat took its toll.   Special mention also goes to Ollie who arrived back in the country and on the Saturday headed straight to the court for the last two games to join his team.  Great work.

We went 2W and 4L with the two wins against the eventual grand finalists and two of the losses were by less than 4 points, considering the heat and lack of subs it was a brilliant team effort which all players should be very proud of.

What a way to start the year we as coaches are really looking forward to the season ahead. (Scott Secker & Rohan Wiltshire – coach)

B14.1

The boys had a terrific tournament against high quality opposition. It was a very helpful hit out ahead of the next grading phase and allowed us to practice a new press and a new baseline play, both of which proved effective; the new offense? not so much. The standout game was against Hawthorn2 where we came from behind, and only led in the last 40 seconds of the game. The other of the many highlights from the weekend included: the welcome return of Matt from injury, the domination of Peter on the boards against bigger opponents, precision team management from Alison, the chicken parmigiana at the Harp, the makeshift cooling systems, making the semi-final, and not making the (sweltering) grand-final.  (Mike Muntisov – coach)

B14.2

The 14.2 boys had a very difficult tournament campaign but gained a lot from team development and leadership.

The boys had one very convincing win against Waverley but unfortunately incurred four losses. With only seven for the tournament and battling both injuries and fatigue throughout, the boys did very well in competing in every single game and worked very strongly and encouragingly on their team skills.

Special thanks to our team Manager Shaune for his organisation throughout the whole tournament and well done to the boys on their effort during the tournament. (Michael Walton – coach)

B14.3

Having drawn in to a tough pool against 1s and 2s teams from other clubs, Boys 14-3s used the tournament as a preparation platform for the grading phase two. Having been competitive in all but one game, boys played very well as a team and improved as the team progressed. Boys are now looking forward to grading phase two this Friday. Big thanks to Wayne and Sally for being such great team managers and also for fantastic group of parents.  (Dush Kannangara – coach)

B14.4

The 14/4 boys played really well over the weekend.

We played against teams that are graded higher than us, won one, drew one and lost 4.

The boys played as a team and improved immensely over the tournament, took instructions well and as we move forward into the next phase, these games have consolidated what we have to improve on over the next few weeks.

I’m very proud of each and every player.

A huge that you to all parents, boys and team managers, including my great assistant, for making my role so enjoyable. (Gerard Mountney – coach)

B14.5

The 14-5 Boys had a wonderful tournament winning five and losing one pool game and making the semi finals.

Our seven point win over South Adelaide in the final pool game was a stand out performance with all players showing their scoring and defensive capabilities and their willingness to scrap, run hard, share the ball and help each other has set a high benchmark for our season from here.

The boys also showed great fight winning our game against Ringwood after being down all game.

The team is learning to work towards achieving defensive objectives that are unfamiliar to most players and to spread the court and not rush their offense.  It was terrific to see a big step towards achieving much of this over the weekend.

Thank you to all our parents for their great support of their kids, to Freda for her steerage and Bianca for her on-court assistance. (Scott Parker – coach)

B16.3

The boys found themselves well graded in U16C1 with many tight matches throughout the weekend. The boys started their tournament on Thursday night going down to Bulleen Four by 5 points in a very close struggle. Friday started off sensationally with a Big win over Ivanhoe One, the boys playing with great intensity and teamwork. That afternoon the boys went down to Keilor Six by 8 points and although they tried hard, Keilor had too many big bodies for our boys to handle. The boys got off to a great 21 point win on Saturday morning against Wallan One with all players contributing to the win. Next match, the boys played Diamond Valley Five and needed to win to play finals, unfortunately despite some late 3 pointer heroics the boys went down by 3 points. Our final match was against Diamond Valley Four the eventual premiers and the boys played at a high level with great intensity and determination. In the end, the boys went down by six points again finding it hard to contend with the big bodies. Overall, the boys played with great energy, intensity, enthusiasm and without luck to kick off the New Year. Please note: all boys will be sent to a fat farm to help them for the rest of the season. (Tim Seletto – TM)

B16.4

The 16-4 Boys tournament got off to an early start with a 4:30 game on the Thursday out at Eltham High School. It was a hot afternoon and we were up against Eltham 6 who we played (and beat) late last year. With Hugh Ferguson and Hudson O’Keffe missing we were nervous about how we’d compete on the boys, but we quickly lept to a 7-0 lead on the back of some agressive play and managed to hold on for the win. This one was on the back of some solid shooting beyond the arc (a feature we didn’t fully replicate for the rest of the tournament) and all players competing for rebounds. There was evidence of some Christmas rust across the team but all told it was an even contribution from all players.

 

We had a big Friday schedule with 3 games, starting with Precision Movement from New Zealand, then Blackburn 3, and an evening game against Waverley 4. The first 2 games didn’t go according to plan, and in both games we dropped second half leads to lose, though the intensity was good. Charlie Quartel was the big man department, but others like Billy Helder, Calvin Lehr and Hugh Steer stepped up to keep us competitive on the glass. Fortunately, we were able to hold onto our lead against Waverley to win the last game of the day by a point! In the final games we started to see the benefits of making the extra pass to get easy baskets.

 

On the Saturday we played Bulleen 5, who we play in the first round of grading. While we didn’t reveal our full game plan (it’s yet to fully reveal itself to us!), we played with great intensity as the weather was warming up and we had a fairly comfortable win. Our last game against Kilsyth 4 had a similar result.

 

Ending the regular games 4-2 meant that we finished second on the table and got to play a semi final against a determined Corio Bay 2. Unfortunately, they were better than us at important times in the game and they ended up beating us comfortably in very hot conditions.

 It was great to get back into it for 2018 and it’s looking like an exciting year ahead. (Dirk Quartel – coach)

B18.1

The boys wanted a challenge and decided they wanted to be in A-grade, giving us 4 of our 5 games against teams already in VC. While we didn’t get any wins for the weekend, I know the boys will learn from playing against the quality opposition that we did. Thanks to TM Mel for organising and all the parents for scoring and videoing. (Pete Maunder – coach)

B18.2

The 18.2 boys knew that they were going to be in for a tough weekend. Originally with 7, but due to an unfortunate injury just before the weekend we were down to 6. With losses Thursday night and Friday morning, the boys came into their 3rd game with a positive attitude. They came away with a narrow win against Eltham. The winning didn’t stop there, winning the next 4 games to finish at the top of a very even pool!

After another close win, the boys were through to the Grand Final against a very strong Greenhills side. Unfortunately, Greenhills shot their way to a Grand Final victory. Special mention goes to Gaindu for winning the MVP award!!! Massive congratulations to the boys for not giving up the whole weekend no matter how tired and hot they were!

Thank you to the parents and all other supporters that cheered on the boys throughout the weekend!!!  (Mitch Pollard – coach)

B18.3

The U18.3s Boys got off to a shaky start dropping our first game to Collingwood Thursday night but bounced back the following morning with a big win against Whittlesea, that night things seemed to fall apart for us again in another lose this time to Broadmeadows, at the half way mark of the tournament you could sense the disappointment after losing yet another game that should have been ours for the win, but the boys were never ready to give up and with a big task and small chance of us advancing to finals we were more confident than ever.

As Saturday arrived with our three last games we were eager to not make it our last three, with an extremely close win against Ivanhoe Darebin and a win over Bulleen and precision movement we had somehow managed to finish second and were ready for finals.

In the semi we were to face off against Broadmeadows again in which was a neck and neck game but credit to the boys for always answering back and getting the win,

In the grand final we were to go up against the undefeated Collingwood team in a tough 39 degree Eltham high stadium yet the heat didn’t faze us as we got off to a double digit lead for most of the first half and leading my 11 at half time. Collingwood tried to make a run cutting it back down to three points halfway in the second but credit to the boys for never quitting as they fought all the way to the final buzzer no matter what Collingwood threw at us.

Overall it was a very successful tournament with the guys playing some extremely good basketball. (Jarrod Whelan – coach)

B18.4

The Under 18-4 boys had a weekend of strong games in the Tournament, with two 1 point margins, 2 draws and a 2 point result out of 8 games. Things got away to a sluggish start on Thursday evening and despite a solid comeback in the second half, we went down to Collingwood by 1 point.  Friday saw mixed results with a great win over Bulleen and then a heart stopping draw against Eltham on Friday night.  Needing some positive results on Saturday, the boys played some amazing defence and worked superbly as a team to down Coburg in our best game of the season so far.  Another draw on Saturday night against a slick Blackburn team left us feeling that we needed to beat the undefeated Mill Park team on Sunday morning to make semi-finals.  The boys again locked in on defence and held Mill Park to 14 points.  I do not feel that we need to point out that we won by 1 and scored 15 ourselves.  A great win and on to the semi-finals.  Once again we played Coburg and despite being reduced to 7 players in the heat, the boys did all the right things and qualified for the Grand Final where we came up against Blackburn again.  For the majority of the game, our reduced numbers hurt us and Blackburn looked like finishing with a 10 point win.  However, some inspired play by all of the boys and our trademark, never say die attitude saw the team play some amazing, desperate basketball.  With just over 1 minute to go we were down 8 but roared home to have 2 shots in the last 7 seconds to take the game to overtime.  Unfortunately we came up just short.  I am so proud of each of the boys and we had an amazing weekend.  Unfortunately we lost Seb to a knee injury and Lachlan to a back injury, with Jack Sh managing a long term back injury.  I wish these boys a speedy recovery.  I would like to thank the players for their outstanding efforts, our wonderful parents for their support and commitment to get to 8 games and our wonderful team Managers, Monica and Andrew for keeping us organised and out of mischief.  Well done boys. (Clayton Sturzaker – coach)

B21.1

Not having played together since November last year and only having two training sessions to gel together before the tournament began meant that we went in to the weekend without any expectations apart from getting used to each other’s games and having a bit of fun as a group.

The lack of cohesion was evident as we lost the opening game on the Thursday night to Blackburn 1 after being up 10 late in the second half.

Friday’s games were a little kinder to us as a group as we pushed Ringwood 1 for a half before dropping off again in the later part of the game.

After getting a bit of a rest between games the boys came out and nearly took a win from Hawthorn 1 going down by 3 in a game we should’ve won.

The boys came into Saturday morning with renewed enthusiasm and managed to knock off a youth league player stacked Kilsyth 1 (also ranked 2nd in the state) and then again knocked off a much older Bulleen 1 later that afternoon.

The boys ended up 2-3 and showed so much improvement over the final 3 games against much older and bigger opponents.

Very excited to see how high we can push ourselves in the first grading phase after proving we can mix it with the top teams in the state! (Luke Guglielmino – coach)

B21.2

The BU21.2’s had a successful tournament finishing runners-up to a VERY strong Craigieburn team.  We were outclassed in the final by a better team and after eight games looked pretty tired.

However, considering we hadn’t trained or played prior to the tournament it was a FANTASTIC achievement to make the final.  We had pretty good contributions from everyone over the course of a VERY challenging weekend weather-wise.  We pretty much took a “development” approach to the weekend, attempting to implement offence & defence that will, hopefully, hold us in good stead throughout the year.  The boys had wins over Blackburn, Banyule, Riddells Creek and Wallan (semi-final) and lost to Wallan (round robin) and had two losses against Craigieburn by similar margins – approximately 20 points.  Once we get some training under our belts and get into the season proper, I’m sure we’ll continue to improve and create some uncertainty in the minds of our opposition.

The highlight of the weekend, from a non-playing perspective, was addressing the boys at a time-out in a 50 degree stadium only to receive a frozen towel wrapped around my neck……………….#TMlegenddavidMag.

A HUGE thank you to ALL of the parents for driving the lads around, scoring and supporting…………….until 10:30pm Sunday night.  And thanks also to Mark Jeffers for arranging a coach in my absence on Thursday and Friday. Dragons Rock!!! (Dean Peters – coach)

GIRLS

 

G10.2 – Development Team

The 10-2 girls had a fantastic weekend. The girls, ranging in age from 6-8 were very enthusiastic, listened well, and worked hard on learning new tactics and skills. The girls came from at least 5 different domestic teams, from Koonung, Blazers, Dolphins, Wattle Park. Despite this they gelled quickly and through the regular rounds we won 5 games and drew 1 and went into the semis undefeated. Two of those wins were very close however, with a 1pt win over E1 and a 4pt win over CWL 10-1 so we always knew finals were going to be tough.

Our semi-final against CWL-1 was a nail-biter, with both sides showing great determination and spirit and the 10-2 just held on 4-3. The game could have gone either way with many shots just rimming out.

In the grand final we played E1 again, and they jumped out to an early lead. Eltham were very tenacious and put a lot of pressure on our ball carriers. Never giving up, we fought back at the start of the second half, however with a 37 degree temperatures inside the stadium we couldn’t bridge the gap. Regardless this was a fantastic effort from the girls. Lily, Sienna, Hayley, Amelie, Ashley, Inez, Angela, Miranda and Alex can all be proud of themselves, and I am sure we will see them in Dragons colours again. (Duncan Palmer – coach)

G12.1

For the first time this season the 12.1 girls have finally played as a full team and WHAT A TEAM!!!!
This tournament our aim was to learn to play with a full squad, getting to know how each other play and prepare ourselves for grading phase 2.
 The girls had a great tournament which showed just how much they had been practicing and maintaining their skills throughout the holidays. The girls gelled quickly as a team and realised how much they can push themselves with a few more team mates.  We had a tough pool in A grade but showed that we are capable of anything if we play out a full game and stay focused throughout. The intensity that the girls brought each game was fantastic and the team effort was evident more and more with each game. Well done to all the girls, welcome back Lucy and Olivia,  and we cannot wait to see how far this team can go throughout the season. It’s an exciting bunch!!
Although we did not win every game or make finals the improvement and learning that took place has really set us up for the season. 
Thank you parents and especially Megan for keeping the team organised. It was also great to see the girls have some much earnt team bonding time in the pool after our final game. (Prue Aisworth – coach)

G12.2

The first game of tournament got away from the girls however that made them hungry for a win and that’s exactly what they went on to do  – for their 2^nd game they were highly energised and played an amazing game with wonderful defence and brilliant passing and shooting to win the game by a comfortable 24 point margin.  Our 3^rd match was frustrating to watch as we had more shots at goal than our opponents, but our shots were unfortunately not converting to a score on the board.  Once again, the girls mustered up all their energy despite the heat to play in a nail biting 4^th game, as the game neared the end the score was 22-20 and 2 free shots converted for a draw.  Our next game resulted in a very close loss and our final game was another comfortable win – the team just missed out on a spot in the semi finals finishing 5^th on the ladder. Big mention to the girls who were highly supportive of each other throughout the tournament – cheering each other on and even creating a new Dragons chant!  Thank you to our amazing coach Paul who motivated and instructed the girls to keep playing at their best throughout the tournament. (Connie Gerdsen – Team Manager G12.2)

G12.3

It was a case of “so close, but so far” for our 12.3 Girls.  What was looking like a great start to the tournament on Thursday night ended with a 1 point loss after a second half fadeout. Two of our three other losses (5 points & 2 points) were also winnable with the girls in front up until the final minutes of the games.  A recovery session in the Boroondara pool between games didn’t work either and an AGGRESSIVE Bulleen came out and gave the girls a lesson about being switched on from the start of the game.  A couple of solid wins against Diamond Valley and in particular Hawthorn, where a super defensive effort stopped them from scoring a single point.

Player highlights for the tournament were: Hannah who crashed the boards and her opponents if they got in the way, Emma K who developed the skill of stealing the ball from her opponents at will, Shaylea with her fearless driving to the basket, Rhiannon with her athletic intercepts, Freya and her ankle breaking cross over dribbling, Sienna using her blistering pace to chase down the opposition on a fast break, Josephine and her passing skills to find team mates in a better position, Alexandra with defensive pressure that caused many turnovers, Emma M who’s aggression at the contest was admired by all, and finally Sierra who’s jump stop shots were nothing but net.

This is a reflection of the awesome work our dynamic coaching duo – Brit & Ruby are doing with each of the girls to develop their skills in preparation for a great season ahead.  Last but not least, a big thank you to our Team Manager – Helena who sits quietly behind the scenes making sure everything goes to plan. (Scott Bazley – parent)

G12.4

What started out with forgetting the basics and missing plenty of shots on Thursday night ended up with a 2 point win and the start of our undefeated weekend!

After 7 games and some very hot stadiums, the girls teamwork and defence had improved getting us through to the grand final. The grand final was a nail bitter coming down to the last seconds but we secured a 3 point win. Congratulations to Nati who was awarded MVP in the grand final.

Thanks to Karen for being a super team manager. Both Emily and I are looking forward to the season ahead. (Sarah and Emily Bacon – coaches)

G14.1

Our tournament journey began on Thursday night against Ringwood. We had a positive result and it was good to get the cobwebs out and come away with the win. The second game versus Bulleen started well but unfortunately they put on a quick spurt in the beginning of the second half and we never got back into the game. Friday afternoon was a loss against Nunawading. Unfortunately our shots just wouldn’t drop. Saturday morning we won against Hawthorn. There was some great defence and our girls made the most of their scoring shots. Our last game against Warrandyte was a loss but we ended up 4th so made it into the semi’s!

The semi final game was one of the best performances by our girls since the season started. The girls stayed calm against Bulleen and our strong defence shut Bulleen down time and time again. Unfortunately the game ended on a sour note for us, with a 1 pt loss after extra time.

As TM I would like to congratulate our girls on their never die attitude in difficult circumstances in the semi. Thank you to the parents for remaining calm at the semi final and lastly thanks Cara for everything you do with the girls. We appreciate your time and commitment. Well done!! (Megan Kneebone – TM)

G14.2

The 14-2 girls were superb throughout the tournament. After a difficult first grading phase they were determined to play well. The first game we were a bit rusty and playing a taller Keilor 3 side( a theme for the tournament), were down by 5 mid-way through the second half. We fought back and edged ahead before Keilor hit the next couple of baskets to hold a 2pt leave. We worked the ball into offence and were fouled with 2 seconds on the clock. From the ensuing end-ball play Nelly hit a three pointer on the buzzer from the corner to put us a point up. It was a thrilling way to start the tournament and set the tone. We then had comfortable wins over Ringwood 2, Norwood 2, and Werribee 2, prior to games against, again, two very big sides. Waverley 2 was a tight game until the last five minutes when our transition game got on top and we blew out the score late. Against Broadmeadows 2 we trailed for most of the game. Their desperation and aggression put us on the back-foot. In the last five minutes though, we stepped up the pressure and scored a 3pt win.

In the semi-final, We faced Broadmeadows again. It was a tight game once more, however we were ready for their physicality and totally shut down their offence, holding them to 7 points, 4 of which came in the last minutes of the game. It was a fantastic defensive performance. Whilst we didn’t score much ourselves, we always looked in control

The grand final, in oppressive conditions, was against Waverley 2 again. We knew we needed our transition game to click, with 2 giant centres to contend with and the 37 degree temperature. Unfortunately 7 games of high-intensity basketball had sapped some of our energy, and whilst we were still attacking the hoop, we were missing shots we had hit earlier in the tournament. We never gave up and twice edged within 2, but couldn’t quite hit the lead and Waverley, with their improved offensive execution, were deserving winners. All the girls contributed to the team. Lily, Alanna, Charlotte and Scarlett were tireless against, generally, taller opposition centres and forwards, and despite giving away inches, were very strong on the boards, and gave us scoring options inside. Kate showed great smarts defensively, particularly against Broadmeadows, shutting down their transition game and taking their best player out of the game. Maeve swung from 2 to 3 to 4, providing many intercepts, defensive stops and boards, and adapting her game quickly to different roles. Nelly, Maddie and Lisa were dynamic, hitting the scoreboard regularly, running our offence, and tormenting opposition guards with their frenetic defence. (Duncan Palmer – coach)

G14.3

The girls started off strong with 2 wins before losing the 3rd game to a strong Werribee team.  The team continued to win their remaining games which meant they made the semi final. The girls played strong and earned a place in the Grand Final against the only team they lost to…. Werribee!  They played consistent throughout most of the GF however Werribee were just too strong and the girls were runner ups.  Well done to the girls for their strong team work and for listening to their coach.  Big thanks to Linda who filled in and coached our girls even though she coaches another team as well!  She truly is a Super Mum!

Thanks to all the parents for getting the girls to all the games on time and for cheering on the team, it was a great weekend of basketball! (Beth O’Hara – TM)

G14.4

The 14/4 girls have made it 2 from 2 tournament victories this season after a dominant display in this weekend’s Grand Final. After a consistent effort all weekend and a buzzer beating win in the semi the girls went up a notch when it mattered most. Their defensive intensity and offensive precision blew the opposition away 46-17. Alice Woods picked up her second Grand Final MVP award and had plenty of support. Great job girls! (Glenn Siegle – coach)

G14.5

Despite the girls starting off the first two games “still in holiday mode” they only went down by 3 points in both games 21-18 to strong teams that finished above us on the ladder. It was the third game that was a turning point in the tournament where we played well below our best and lost again. We played some pretty average ball in this game…

Once again we talked about reducing our turnovers and making good passing choices and better shot selections and take your time and pick up your players…and we spoke at length about why we were playing Rep Ball with Dragons as a team sport and we needed to find our “team” again.

As they say, tomorrow is another day and on Saturday the “team” showed up with their MOJO and confidence and kicked butt in the next 2 games winning 41-7 & 28-8 (with the umpires enforcing the mercy rule!) with determined aggressive “D” which led to fast break layups and great team work. So we came to round 6, having to win to make the finals and that we did 17-10 continuing to hassle, steal the ball, trap, rebound, score and cheer for each other. Although we lost our semi to the eventual GF winners who were much bigger, we take away an enormous amount from the tournament and each player grew so much from the experience.

Thanks to my team manager, Sonja, for organising us and the supply of icy poles and zooper doopers and lollies. Thanks Linda and JC for the cold towels. Thanks parents for scoring and supporting the girls with great enthusiasm.

Thanks girls…Izzy- superstar interceptor; Annabel RB–defensive master; Zara- board crasher; Charlotte- speedy ball handler; Ava- on-target shooter; Indy- great trapper; Sofia- offensive threat; Jess- aggressive ball stealer. (Proud Coach 14/5 Girls – Kerrie Lawrence)

G16.1

The 16/1 girls came into the Eltham/ Dandenong tournament with the mindset to play great defense in every game and continue to work on their spacing and transition in offense. They achieved this by keeping the opposition under 20 points in 6 of the 8 games played!

The girls went undefeated in 8 games over weekend, which was a fantastic effort. The semi final saw us play Keilor 2. After a shaky start being down 6-0, they again worked hard in defense, crashed the offensive boards and turned the momentum of the game back in our favour. We ended up winning 28 to 22.

In the grand final we came up against Norwood 2, after only beating them by 10 in our first game of the tournament, the team knew they had to come out hard. With all 9 girls contributing and playing their roles to perfection, they won 49 to 18. Even in the super hot conditions they never let up, kept pressing up the floor and played an awesome team game. Congrats on an incredible tournament! (Danni Fidge – coach)

G16.2

The 16-2 girls had a good tournament. With 6 players on hot Friday, we played well only to fade physically in the final minutes of all 3 games. With 7 players for game 4, we were better than our opponents but missed a lot of shots to fall short again. With 8 players for the last two games, we were fully in charge all game and had two strong wins. Team chemistry is good and they are all developing well. (Paul Collins – coach)

G16.3

The girls made their way to a GF in true Dragon style. Their journey began without their coach for the first game. A big thank you to Charlotte Grieve for stepping in and seeing the team achieve their first win!

Game results were:

Rd 1 Waverley 2s, 19 Dragons 33

Rd2 Ringwood 16 3s, 17 Dragons 43

Rd 3 Keilor 4s, 19 Dragons 33

Rd 4 Blackburn 3s, 20 Dragons 18

Rd 5 Collingwood 3s, 20 Dragons 43

Rd 6 Eltham 5s, 17 Dragons 24

Semi Final vs Eltham, 22 Dragons 25

GF vs Waverley, 23 Dragons 21

This happy group of girls proved to themselves and their coach in very difficult conditions a real stamina of determination to work together until the final buzzer. There were no Camberwell princesses to be seen!

As a team their defense upfront and under the basket improved enormously and they were able to achieve very pleasing results despite their losses to minor margins.

What was so pleasing to see was their enthusiasm……..yes they felt the heat and complained at times (naturally!) but it did not deter their efforts in being more assertive and strong in all aspects of the game.

Every player was able to extend herself and take good risks and each player was growing more confident in every game. The semi was the most exciting game which went into overtime and given the unbearable heat the girls managed to get the points to finish with a win that the coach and parents didn’t see coming.

Well done girls, your courage, ability to listen to your coach and believe in yourselves paid off with a fantastic weekend of basketball,…….it was a pleasure coaching you,……… a big big thank you to our TM, Anna E for all her efforts in making the weekend smooth sailing and of course to all the parents for all their support, love and encouragement.  (Dana BP – coach)

G18.2

Like all the tournament is about preparation for next grading phase. Overall as a coach went in to the weekend with that thought but when the girls made a semi final competitive spirit came out in the coach hahaha

Unfortunately as a group we lost ☹️ all things considered we got 6 games in, as a coach got too see players playing in positions,  also more of individual skills.

Overall a good weekend ?looking forward to the rest of grading phase and season ahead.

(Ray foster – coach) ????

G18.3

The G18.3’s had six games over the weekend, with three on Friday and three on Saturday. The girls were competitive in all their games, unfortunately were only able to win one of their six games. With most of their loses being very small margins, if they had managed to win the close games they could have made the finals. They did however come together as a team and learnt more about themselves and each other over the weekend. The highlight of the weekend being the team dinner on Saturday night, where great food, drinks and conversation was had by all. (Stuart Dyer – TM)

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