GPS First V hoops: BGS, IGS fire warning shots; Key players so far
Brisbane Grammar have fired a shot across the bow of its premiership rivals with a big win to start the season. Read all you need to know about who’s who in GPS First V basketball zoo following the first two rounds.
Local sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
GPS First V basketball’s race to the premiership is starting to take shape after the opening two rounds of schoolboy hoops saw a new crop of exciting talent emerge out of the shadows.
BBC are mounting momentum after wins against TGS and Gregory Terrace, Ipswich Grammar are on fire having beaten GT and BSHS by a combined 67 points and TSS showed they are better than their round 1 loss against Churchie.
TSS beat TGS 120-59 in round 2 to draw first blood on their season.
But the biggest result from the first two rounds was last Saturday’s 92-81 win by Brisbane Grammar over Churchie.
Coming second to Churchie last season lived on in the mind of BGS coach Dan George and his playing group but that bitter taste was swallowed and then spat out after the frantic 11-point win got the BGS season off to a flyer.
BGS sat out the first round with a bye while Churchie took care of TSS, 96-85. They were weapons in waiting and came out on Saturday, hungry to stake an early claim on the premiership.
It was a good start and a major milestone.
Lennon Bann’s three-point prowess from straight in front, Gus Loughlan’s low-post moves and Jonas Kowalik’s rebounding were all key in the home win.
But it all came down to the last quarter, where Armaan Timblo took the wind out of Churchie with two corner jump shots.
It created a BGS eruption.
The hosts led the entire first half but slipped up in the third as Churchie, led by Noah Kirk and Andrew Watene, stormed back to take a 67-63 lead entering the final quarter.
The game was there for the taking and Timblo’s five-point spurt went a long way in BGS pulling off a huge early-season scalp.
The way point guard Xavier Grey, a little ripper, treasured the ball and possession in the fourth quarter was also key with Angus Kearney ejected earlier in the game.
There were cobwebs, as expected, from BGS but the positive signs are aplenty.
The hustle of Orlando Geary, passion of Angus Kearney and potential of forwards Loughlan and Kowalik is colossal.
Churchie have been led well by the deadly duo of Kirk and Watene through the first fortnight of competition.
For those unaware, Kirk is the prodigy from Cairns and Watene the boom-boy from Rockhampton.
Their three-point shooting and scintillating speed in transition have been respective features of their impressive starts to the new season.
There have also been flashes of brilliance from rookie Samson Kent, a multi-level scorer who has brought strike from the wing, and Year 10 forward Campbell Couch who has been efficient near the rim.
BBC have dealt with TGS and Gregory Terrace so far and once they can move past a few growing pains, the side looks primed to ruffle plenty of feathers.
One thing is for sure.
BBC will have energy and blokes ready to step up.
In the opening round, Cooper Wilson was at his dynamic best.
One of the best around, Wilson has made a habit of steadying the BBC ship with his work on the offensive end and dependability running the point.
He’s been feeling himself from deep as well.
North Gold Coast Seahawks product Noah Stauber has been difficult to contain in his own right.
His aggressiveness inside and deft touch on the perimeter looks a perfect combination for the Mr Versatile to aid BBC’s campaign.
The Year 11 boarder has also shown he is more than eager to get after it on defence.
Jack Wilcox, in the absence of Charlie Winks in round 1, was important as well.
The fearless shooting guard had it going from deep and got to the line at will.
It is no secret TGS are rebuilding from the ground up, with plenty of young guns at the centre of the school’s 2025 campaign.
Despite losing both games, there have been plenty of positives for the boys in blue and gold.
Elijah Girdler’s persistent presence in the post saw him score more than 20 points in round 1 and the towering senior has set a high standard for a team boasting three Year 10 starters.
Young fella Marcus Franklin, a defensive terrier, has had a baptism of fire thus far and handled the jump in class very well.
The baby of the squad, Franklin has thrown reputations out the door and got to work over the first two games to show his worth on defence and from three-point land.
There was little Franklin could do to withstand the force of an amped up TSS squad that couldn’t have offered a better reply to its round 1 loss against Churchie.
TSS won 120-59 over TGS and a theme over the first two games has been: Jack Tweedy’s tenacity and tirelessness under fatigue, Ty Lockwood’s endless potential both in the paint and from deep and Riley Oberman’s obsession with offensive rebounds.
Seriously, Oberman was a Trojan on the glass in round 1. In round 2, the attentive Seahawks junior was active again.
With time, TSS young guns Tom Petrie (forward) and Ty Khomenko (guard) are sure to get better. For the time being, the rangy Will Pickett and the plucky Alex Walker are setting a fine example.
IGS have exploded to life through the first two rounds to send a message across the competition that this is a team that cannot be taken lightly.
Just last year IGS won their first match and went on to lose the seven that followed.
That is not the case in 2025 with Jason Ralph’s young men tightening the screws and scorching from here, there and everywhere.
IGS look prepared to do what their First XV rugby side is doing and that is making some noise.
Usai Bickey finding his groove will be important because when he is on, the Mackay product can hoop with the very best of them.
Indeed Bickey was on, late in the first quarter on Saturday, when he turned a steal at mid court into a flashy lay-up through contact.
Zaiden Montanez, the son of Lamar Patterson, has been doing his bit too.
Montanez poured in 30 points on 48 per cent shooting in round 1 and has the athletic ability to make him two handfuls for opposition defenders.
The lanky Dan Atkinson and sharpshooting Peja Ahwang also came to life in round 2.
The tried-and-tested senior pairing played through jet lag in round 1 after coming back from America on the Friday.
Ahwang was a deep threat on Saturday while imposing forward Keer Jok showed he can do more than just score when throwing a beautiful pass to a baseline-cutting Ahwang.
The unbelievable output of IGS school captain Luka Tripkovic has also been brilliant in the early stages of the season.
A Firsts tennis and volleyball player, Tripkovic has outdone himself on defence.
Given basketball isn’t Tripkovic’s first sport, his squeaky-clean start — where he has set screens and boxed out with both precision and power — is perhaps even more impressive.
Gregory Terrace were nowhere near as bad as the 99-64 scoreline against IGS in round 1 suggests. In round 2, Gregory Terrace were never out of it until a late charge from BBC got them home safely, 85-66.
Again, it was more a 10-point game.
Year 11 top-gun Luca Anderson has been a tough cover so far.
The same can be said about big Harry Cook, a towering young giant experiencing his first GPS basketball season.
Captain Denver Lolihas been a linchpin on defence. A big offensive game is just around the corner.
In round 3, BSHS will play BBC and Nudgee College return from a bye to take on IGS.
Nudgee College won its first match, 92-79, over BSHS and have a well-balanced side that will give teams a run for their money.
Forward pairing Isaiah Jorgenson and Archie Stay loom large, while new talent in Tion Townsend and Tom Murphy are revving their engines for the challenge that awaits in IGS.
Nick Fernandes-Pembroke, an aggressive type on defence and a glue guy in attack, as well as sharpshooting spark plug Callum Stanton, are also primed to strike at some point.
For BSHS, Geoffrey Peterson put the round 1 result behind him and fired in a positive performance that came in a 91-59 loss to IGS.
Flexing his muscles alongside the hard-to-handle forward was Scott Harrison.
A leader within the group, Harrison led the charge with his effort, encouragement and execution.
ROUND 3
Nudgee College v IGS
TGS v BGS
BSHS v BBC
Gregory Terrace v TSS
2025 Langer Trophy live stream: Redcliffe SHS v Mabel Park includes boom Rabbitohs signing
Under fire South Sydney sign boom Queensland schoolboy after tabling an offer too good to refuse. See who it is here ahead of the 2025 Langer Trophy live stream clash between Redcliffe SHS and Mabel Park SHS.
Colts 1 club rugby: Easts, Souths snare crucial wins nearing finals
Colts 1 club rugby: Easts and Souths have snared crucial wins ahead of the finals while Wests warmed its engines with an eight-try barrage against GPS. More here on how round 16 unfolded.