2015 Australian U18’s Nationals Day 1 Recap - QLD North Men are the favourites, VIC Women remain dominant
Day 1 of the U18's Australian Junior Championships is complete and it seems as though we're in for an exciting week of basketball.
The Queensland North men's squad is playing as expected with an impressive win over NSW Country, while both Victorian women's squads also achieved big wins to start the tournament.
Photo Credit: Basketball Australia/Kangaroo Photos
Men
Featured Matches
NSW Country 68, Queensland North 76
Photo Credit: Basketball Australia/Kangaroo Photos
In the first game of the tournament, we saw two of the stronger teams face each other in a nail-biter, with Queensland North coming away with the big victory. QLD North's Harry Froling, although limited due to foul trouble, was extremely efficient - finishing with a game-high 21 points (8/14 FG). Myles Cherry and Makuach Maluach were the standouts for NSW Country, doing an impressive job finishing around the rim. The game came down to the guard play, with NSW Country's Angus Glover, Patrick Lancaster and Matthew Kenyon struggling from the field (a combined 10/40 FG) while QLD North's William McDowell-White - although inefficient offensively - was able to impact both ends of the floor, finishing with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Key Performers:
NSW Country: Myles Cherry (20 pts, 10 rbs), Makuach Maluach (12 pts, 14 rbs)
Queensland North: Harry Froling (21 pts, 14 rbs), William McDowell-White (17 pts, 12 rbs, 3 asts)
SA Country 66, NSW Metro 92
Photo Credit: Basketball Australia/Kangaroo Photos
NSW Metro began their campaign with a statement win, using their size and athleticism to defeat SA Country. As expected, NSW Metro's big-men, Deng Gak (15 pts) and Adam Lulka (13 pts), were a force inside the paint on both ends of the floor. SA Country's star point guard, Brad Rathjen (28 pts), came out of the gates strong and did his best to keep the game close but NSW Metro's depth was too much, receiving ample contribution from their bench to achieve the convincing victory.
Key Performers:
SA Country: Brad Rathjen (28 pts, 12/22 FG), Daniel Stock (14 pts, 3 rbs)
NSW Metro: Deng Gak (15 pts, 6 rbs), Brennan Rymer (15 pts, 7 rbs)
Queensland South 73, VIC Metro 77
VIC Metor's newcomer, Gabe Hadley, hit 8 three-pointers en route to a 77-73 win over Queensland South. Hadley wasn't shy shooting the ball, with a whopping 20 attempts from beyond the arc - ultimately finishing with a game-high 34 pts. QLD South, despite the inside presence of Will Magnay, struggled on the boards - leading VIC Metro to some easy second chance opportunities. Verle Williams (21 pts) was his usual dynamic self for QLD South but VIC Metro came out with more aggression, receiving a great boost from their bench - led by last year's U16's Nationals standout, Patrick Bines.
Key Performers:
Queensland South: Verle Williams (21 pts, 4 rbs), Tom Fullarton (19 pts, 9 rbs)
VIC Metro: Gabe Hadley (34 pts, 4 rbs), Andreas Panayiotou (17 pts, 8 rbs, 3 asts)
Other Results
WA Country 51, Tasmania 91
Key Performers:
WA Country: Taj Fleming (10 pts, 6 rbs)
Tasmania: Emmitt Smith (23 pts, 9/16 FG), Luke Tucker (10 pts, 5 rbs, 3 asts)
ACT 44, WA Metro 86
Key Performers:
ACT: Jarrod Phillips (14 pts)
WA Metro: Corey Shervill (21 pts, 4 asts)
SA Metro 72, VIC Country 49
Key Performers:
SA Metro: Jacob Rigoni (17 pts, 8 rbs, 3 asts), Isaac White (17 pts, 5/9 FG)
VIC Country: Samuel Short (11 pts, 6 rbs, 4 asts), Samuel Whelan (10 pts, 5 rbs, 3 asts)
Northern Territory 32, NSW Country 84
NT: Matteo Rowse (15 pts, 2 rbs)
NSW Country: Matthew Kenyon (21 pts, 5 rbs, 5 asts), Myles Cherry (14 pts, 10 rbs)
Women
Featured Matches
NSW Country 64, VIC Country 75
VIC Country has entered the tournament as one of the favourites and it showed with an impressive win against a tough NSW Country side. As expected, it was a very gritty affair, with VIC Country looking to get the ball down low whenever possible. Chantel Horvat was effective getting to the rim, using her size and length finish over smaller defenders. NSW Country received a boost from Cassidy McLean but they were no match for the size of their opponent - Chloe Molloy and Chloe Bibby feasting down low.
Key Performers:
NSW Country: Cassidy McLean (16 pts, 4 rbs), Madison Goddard (12 pts, 2 rbs, 3 asts)
VIC Country: Chantel Horvat (20 pts, 8 rbs, 4 stls, 3 blks), Genna Ogier (14 pts, 15 rbs)
Queensland South 57, VIC Metro 98
Photo Credit: Basketball Australia/Kangaroo Photos
VIC Metro was another squad entering the tournament with high expectations and they didn't disappoint, defeating Queensland South convincingly. VIC Metro was relentless defensively, trapping whenever possible, leading to turnovers and easy points in transition. With the lead stretched out to double figures early in the game, VIC Metro was able to play their bench - with Monique Andriuolo and Ezi Magbegor coming up big off the pine. Despite an impressive performance from Carleigh Patrick, Queensland South couldn't compete with the size and length of VIC Metro.
Key Performers:
QLD South: Carleigh Patrick (16 pts, 3 rbs)
VIC Metro: Monique Andriuolo (21 pts, 6 rbs), Maddison Rocci (14 pts, 3 rbs, 2 asts)
SA Country 75, WA Country 49
In what was a tale of two halves, SA Country used a 31-4 third quarter run to fuel an impressive victory over WA Country. With SA Country leading 31-30 at the half, an incredible team effort - sparked by an inspired defensive aggression - saw them go on a huge run to extend their lead to 28 heading into the 4th quarter. WA Country's Cassady Anderson and Mackenzie Hoycard did their best to use their size to overpower their opponents but it was to no avail as SA Country was able to stifle WA Country's guards.
Key Performers:
SA Country: Rachael Hines (15 pts, 4 rbs), Alexandra Walker (12 pts, 4 rbs)
WA Country: Mackenzie Hoycard (17 pts, 9 rbs), Cassady Anderson (14 pts, 12 rbs)
Other Results
Tasmania 65, Queensland South 73
Photo Credit: Basketball Australia/Kangaroo Photos
Key Performers:
Tasmania: Rebecca Abel (19 pts, 3 rbs, 5 asts), Ellie Collins (16 pts, 3 rbs, 2 asts)
QLD South: Carleigh Patrick (23 pts, 8 rbs, 4 asts), Madison Woodford (13 pts, 4 rbs, 6 asts)
Queensland North 59, SA Metro 96
Key Performers:
QLD North: Kelsey Mcdermott (10 pts)
SA Metro: Morgan Yeager (17 pts, 4 rbs)
NSW Metro 79, ACT 58
Key Performers:
NSW Metro: Bree Delaney (14 pts, 4 asts, 4 stls), Alexandra Gorman (11 pts, 2 rbs, 3 asts)
ACT: Annabelle Lindsay (12 pts, 10 rbs), Callie Bourne (11 pts, 7 rbs)
Northern Territory 56, WA Metro 81
Key Performers:
Northern Territory: Abby Cubillo (22 pts, 3 rbs, 3 asts)
WA Metro: Eryn Fisher (14 pts, 14 rbs), Amy Atwell (13 pts, 7 rbs, 2 asts)