HAMILTON sent four teams to Portland for the first weekend of the Junior South West Classic at the weekend, with Under-12 and Under-14 sides travelling south this weekend for their chance at success.
Under-16 Girls
AFTER facing a tough tournament in Bendigo last weekend, the Under-16 Girls made a comeback by taking out the Portland Annual Tournament.
The team had an early start on Saturday with their first game against Warrnambool (Smedts), winning 59 to 13.
In the second and last game for the day, Hamilton competed against Portland which was a close and successful match.
Despite Portland’s determination and intense supporting atmosphere, the Hurricanes kept their nerve claimed another win for the day, 30-24.
On Sunday, the team had another early start playing against Warrnambool (Clarke), again taking out another win, 39-20.
With three wins up the Hurricanes’ sleeve, Hamilton came up against Mt Gambier which was a close contest, going goal-for-goal within the first half.
With Hamilton’s pressure and hard work, the girls were able to create a great margin and take out a 20-point win, 46-26.
The Hurricanes challenged Mount Gambier again for the grand final and hoped for another victory.
Both teams fought hard but it was Hamilton’s great team play and composure which allowed them to claim victory, 51-31.
Remaining undefeated for the entire tournament will give a boost of confidence for the team in the coming weeks ahead of the state championships in Bendigo.
Under-18 Boys
THE Under-18 Boys continued their improvement over the last two weeks with a tight semi-final loss.
The weekend began with a draw against BDU Phoenix with the team playing great defence which set the tone for the weekend.
Their second game was a 16-point win against Border Sports in a highly physical game with the Hurricanes able to focus and get the win.
The third game for the day was against Maryborough, and after a sluggish start to the game, the Hurricanes started to execute on the offensive end and came away with an 11-point win.
On Sunday the team played Terang in a high-paced game.
Unfortunately, the boys didn’t have their best shooting game and it resulted in an 11-point loss.
The boys still qualified for the semi-final against Portland.
Our boys played a great game in a tight contest but were on the wrong side of the foul count and lost by six points.
Under-16A Boys
THIS weekend the Hamilton Under-16A Boys played some exciting basketball winning their first 4 games to earn a spot in the Grand Final.
The first game was against Warrnambool and the first half was a close one with the lead changing several times.
Hamilton gained control in the second half to push out to a handy 10-point lead through some tough defence, and an offence that was creating good shots. Warrnambool upped the pressure late in the game, but Hamilton was able to hang on for a four-point win.
The second game for the weekend was against Mt Gambier, which jumped out to an early lead.
With five minutes to go in the first half, the Lakers held a six-point lead, but Hamilton was able to steady and grab the momentum to take a two-point advantage into half time.
The second half was a real arm wrestle, as Hamilton was able to shut down Mt Gambier's two main scoring threats, which led to Hamilton creating turnovers and allowing them to score in transition.
The locals went on to shoot 29 points in the second half to secure a 14-point win.
Hamilton had an early start on Sunday, facing Portland, and the first half was played at a fast pace, with plenty of pressure at the defensive ends and neither team able to settle into their offence.
At half time, Hamilton led, 16-15, and Hamilton reassessed both offensive and defensive structures at the break.
In the second half, the Hurricanes took total control of the game, with water-tight defence restricting Portland to four points for the half, and going on to win, 35-19.
The last game of the round saw Hamilton take on Terang, and the first half saw Hamilton lacking the intensity they required to control the game at the defensive end.
Not happy with how they were playing, Hamilton lifted the energy on court and pressured Terang into turnovers, allowing Hamilton's runners to score in transition.
Hamilton dominated the second half, 34-3, to claim a 51-18 win.
Next up was Warrnambool in the grand final (their third tournament grand final for the season), and the game was played in a fast and physical manner, with several lead changes.
However, Hamilton's talls got into foul trouble at the defensive end of the court which was a concern.
Warrnambool led 32-29 at the half time break, and the second half was no different to the first, with neither team giving an inch.
Warrnambool edged out to a 38-31 lead before Hamilton challenged again to take a 43-42 lead on the back of some tough work in the pain from Hamilton's talls.
With just under eight minutes remaining and Warrnambool leading 49-47, Hamilton's key play maker, Riley Iredell, received his fifth foul, taking him out of the game.
With Warrnambool leading 52-49, Hamilton lost another big man, as Angus Ewing also received his fifth foul and was out of the game.
Warrnambool went on to win the game, 59-49, with a key factor being Warrnambool’s ability to draw fouls on their Hamilton opponents in the paint, making 16 foul shots for the game, while Hamilton couldn’t get to the line often enough, only scoring four free throws.
Under-16B Boys
THE Under-16B Boys team had a tough draw for the weekend, winning two of their four games.
They had the opportunity to come up against a couple of sides they haven’t meet in previous tournaments, which was a good challenge for them.
In a great start to the weekend, the boys were able to come away with a win against Border Sports Academy, 50-33, followed by another win against Warracknabeal, 36-22.
The third game for the day was against Ballarat District United, and in pretty warm conditions the boys unfortunately went down, 39-33.
A fresh start on the Sunday morning was unfortunately not enough to get the boys over the line against a very strong Warrnambool side, going down 41-17.
