Hawke, Santacaterina lead our Basketball Qld u18 State Championships awards
The Courier-Mail has announced its all-tournament teams and MVPs from the Basketball Queensland Under-18 State Championships. SEE WHO MADE IT
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Queensland’s first major basketball tournament of the year has been and gone.
And some of Australia’s best young athletes definitely put on a show for fans in attendance as well as those who watched through the Courier Mail livestream of the tournament.
The Gold Coast Waves and Townsville Heat were lucky enough to take home the titles but today, we will be focusing on the individual performers, who stood out at the tournament which ran from January 13 and finished with the grand finals on Sunday.
From Rory Hawke’s 42-point performance in Townsville’s semi-final win to RedCity Roar guard Kobe McDowell-White lighting it up from the three-point line to upset the Brisbane Capitals.
Then Jess Petrie’s 24 points to lead the Gold Coast girls to a state championship to Paris Santacaterina putting her Mackay team on her back to make it to the grand final.
Both competitions had their fair share of standout performances, so below we have named the All-Tournament teams for both the boys and girls as well the Most Valuable Players for the tournament.
BOYS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Rory Hawke: Guard/Forward – Townsville Heat (MVP)
– Hawke was announced as the latest player to join the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence on day one of the tournament and showed exactly why as he led the team to the state title. Averaged 29 points per game, including 41 in the semi-final and 26 in the championship game.
Kobe McDowell-White: Guard – RedCity Roar
– A highlight reel for the whole tournament, Kobe McDowell-White helped the RedCity Roar reach their first Division 1 state championship semi-final. He averaged more than 24 points per game including a 26-point game to upset the Brisbane Capitals, which included three three-pointers in a row at one stage, and 31 against his old side, the Southern Districts Spartans.
Geordan Papacostas: Forward/Centre – Brisbane Capitals
– The big man with the best touch in the state for his age, Geordan Papacostas again stood out at the tournament on the Gold Coast, averaging more than 20 points per game as the Capitals won a bronze medal. Papacostas’ best performances included 36 points against the Spartans and 31 against Cairns.
Luca Yates: Forward/Centre – Townsville Heat
– Helped form a dominant big man partnership with the hardnosed Marshall Wilson as the pair dominated the glass to help the Heat go undefeated through the tournament. Yates, a Queensland North representative, was a walking double-double on the Gold Coast and averaged more than 18 points per game for the tournament.
Joshua Wolff: Guard/Forward – Gold Coast Waves
– Capped his tournament off by being the best Gold Coast player on the floor in the grand final against the Heat, tallying 28 points to go with his average of almost 18 per game for the week. Wolff was the Waves’ inspirational leader, doing the hard work on both ends of the floor to help the home side reach the championship game.
Sixth Man: Nazar Angallo
– One of the best guards at the tournament, Nazar Angallo stunned onlookers with his ability to finish at the basket in a crowd as well as over bigger defenders and his improved ability to hit the perimeter shot. The St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace star averaged almost 23 points per game, including a tournament-high 39 against the Gold Coast.
Coach: Shane Froling
GIRLS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Lilly Rotunno: Guard – Gold Coast Waves
– One of the best guards for her age in the country, Lilly Rotunno one again led her Gold Coast Waves group to an undefeated tournament and state championship victory. Averaging more than 16 points per game, Rotunno’s biggest game was in the pool stages against the Logan Thunder, where she had 31, including four three-pointers.
Paris Santacaterina: Guard – Mackay Meteorettes (MVP)
– The leader of the Mackay Meteorettes, Paris Santacaterina was simply outstanding throughout the tournament, helped lead her team to a grand final appearance. Santacaterina averaged 21 points per game, including 23 in the championship game, to give Mackay the chance to win a third state title in the past year.
Jess Petrie: Forward – Gold Coast Waves
– Easily the player of the grand final, Jess Petrie stood up when it mattered most, igniting the Waves offence in the second half to lead them to a victory over Mackay and to another state championship. She recorded 24 points in the grand final, despite sitting with foul trouble in the first half, and averaged more than 18.5 points per game.
Lil Dart: Guard – South West Metro Pirates
– One of the most talented scorers for her age, Pirates guard Lil Dart is the next talented athlete on the list. Dart averaged more than 21.4 points per game, including highs of 30 and 28, to help South West Metro feature in the tournament’s top four.
Skye Mason: Forward/Centre – Gold Coast Waves
– She may not put up big numbers but Waves big Skye Mason was definitely one of the best players at the tournament. Giving the Gold Coast a big presence in the paint on both sides of the floor, Mason has a lot of potential for the future and with her basketball IQ, was a major reason behind the team’s success.
Sixth Man: Mackensie Auton – Guard – Logan Thunder
– The second bottom-aged player to feature on the list, Mackensie Auton led the Thunder to a bronze medal at the tournament, keeping the club’s streak of medals in the girls competition alive. Auton was impressive on both end of the court, usually taking the opponent’s players defensively as well as leading the team from the point guard position.
Coach: Cassie Dover
***These selections were made by NewsCorp basketball reporter and NBL1 coach Brayden Heslehurst, who covered the tournament***
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