Yarrawonga Mulwala Basketball Association (YMBA) Under 14 and Under 12 teams competed recently in the BVC State Championships in Shepparton and Bendigo.
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The three YMBA teams were extremely competitive playing against other country towns from all over the state.
The Under 14 boys capped off a great season, pushing Div 1-2 teams to within 5 points and then Div 3 teams to just 2 points.
Such narrow margins were heartbreaking at times for the boys, but with the standard of all divisions so high coach Neil Walker was extremely proud of the boys reaching the semi-finals of Div 4.
The boys were fantastic in the Div 4 quarter final game against Lakes Entrance Pelicans, coming from behind to win 45-29. They then faced Bellarine Storm in the semi-final, but despite all their efforts, Bellarine came through winning 39-16.
The team consisted of Jaxon Wheeler, Jacob Prestage, Nate Williams, James Frazer, Lochie Harvey, Xavier Mitchell, Joe Lee-Conway, Zac Forge and Darby Mullins. Coach Neil Walker praised the boys, saying; “their effort was absolutely fantastic.”
The Under 12 Girls, coached by Christy Ibrahim, played some tough basketball and had some great wins to earn a place in Division 3. The team of Amelia Frazer, Abbey Ibrahim, Charlotte Woosnam, Kiera Freeman, Millie Dodd, Crystal Holdsworth and Ebony Chapman fought hard against some quality teams and had wins against the Surfcoasters, Macedon Rangers and Pakenham Warriors.
The team eventually bowed out to a strong Swan Hill Flyers team in the quarter finals of Div 3. It was a fantastic effort by these girls who played their little hearts out.
YMBA’s Under 12 Boys, coached by Matt Lonergan, consisted of Baxter Donovan, Max Loughnan, Archie Jaques, Lenny Lonergan, Sam Williams, Cooper Clarke, Van Kreek, Lochie Lee-Conway, Ollie Nagle and Zac Wheeler. The boys showed great depth and determination against some extremely strong opposition, to finish with a placing in Division 5.
Coach Matt Lonergan was extremely proud of their efforts and was happy with the improvement they have shown over the season.
In three days of intense and high standard basketball games, all teams learnt so much and enjoyed playing top quality games at Victorian Country State level. Well done YMBA.