THE Hamilton Hurricanes Under-18 Boys team has bowed out of its final junior tournament with a runner-up finish in Bendigo at the Junior Country Championships in division three competition.
Saturday saw the Hurricanes defeat the Korumburra Wildcats, 43-39, with the team having to come back from a five-point halftime deficit, as Austen Mayfield led the scoring with 15 points.
Wonthaggi Coasters was up next and came with a second quarter scoring blitz to trail by only one point at the half, but an improved defensive performance in the second half saw the Hurricanes draw away to win, 46–32, as Mayfield (15) had assistance from Craig Jackson (nine points) to dominate the key.
The Hurricanes suffered a second half fade-out, as Mansfield Eagles overran the Hurricanes to win, 43-23, as Daniel Spillman had the hot hand with 15 points.
Sunday morning and the quarter-final saw the Hurricanes have another second half fade-out after holding an 11-point lead at the half.
Despite that, the side held firm to claim a one-point victory against Southern Peninsula Sharks, 36-35.
The semi-final against Terang Tornadoes was a great game with the Hurricanes holding a three-point lead at the half time buzzer, which the side extended to 12 points by three-quarter time, only for the Tornadoes to come out in the final team and throw everything at Hamilton to lose by only two, 54-52.
Craig Jackson (13) and Zac Elliott (12) led the Hurricanes’ scoring.
The Hurricanes would play the Mansfield Eagles again in the final and despite the margin, Hamilton finished much closer than the previous day, as the result stayed the same as the Hurricanes fell at the final hurdle, 32-41, after a huge fightback in the second half failed.
Daniel Spillman was exceptional with 19 points, as the Hurricanes attempted to reel in a 15-point half time deficit but came up short to end the team’s junior representative career.
Under-16 Boys
SATURDAY morning saw the Under-16 Boys face-off against Echuca Pirates, and after a slow start to the tournament in the first half, the Hurricanes got rolling in the third and fourth quarters to register a 52-48 victory.
Riley Iredell put up a 23-point last term to lead the way.
The Hurricanes faced off against Warragul Warriors in round two and from the outset the team was in for tough match, eventually going down, 46-65.
Abdul Muhktar top scored with 14 points.
The final preliminary game was against Traralgon T-Birds and the side was thoroughly outplayed, despite the best efforts of the team, with Jobe Dunn leading the way with 11 points.
The Hurricanes reached the division two quarter-finals and faced Wangaratta Warriors.
After a slow first quarter, the team lost, 35-44, with Muhktar again top-scoring with 11 points.
Under-16 Girls
THE Hurricanes Under-16 Girls squad was also looking for success but faltered at the quarter-final stage after posting two wins and a loss in the preliminary rounds.
Game one saw the squad face Warrnambool Mermaids, where a slow start in the first half saw the side playing catch-up basketball after the break.
Despite winning the second half, the margin couldn’t be caught up and the Hurricanes went down by eight points, 25-33, with Charlize Cooper top-scoring with seven points.
The second round had Pakenham Warriors looking to add to the Hurricanes’ woes, but the squad stood firm and held on to win by a point, 29-28, as Ruby Cleaver held the hot hand with 13 points.
Game three had the Hurricanes taking that winning form into the contest with Surfcoast Chargers, and the locals opened a 23-point gap on the scoreboard.
The Chargers came back in the second half but couldn’t reel in the margin and the Hurricanes won, 47-32, with Cooper and Cleaver both shooting 10 points.
The Hurricanes faced Bendigo Braces in the quarter-final, with the home side far too strong in the first half, leaving Hamilton 26 points behind at the break.
Although the girls matched their opponents in the second half, they went down 22-48, as Cleaver and Lily Raymond put up eight and seven points respectively.