Australian Basketball Schools Championships: All the news and analysis from day 4
Bowyn Beatty is off to play Basketball in the US next year, but first he has championship to win. Meanwhile the women’s team from Lake Ginninderra also booked a spot in the final.
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CHAMPIONSHIP FAVOURITES BOOK MEN’S FINAL SPOT
Lake Ginninderra College (ACT) 114 d The Southport School (QLD) 95
Lake Ginninderra College big man Bowyn Beatty is off to US College side Sacramento State next year under former Boomers assistant coach David Patrick, but first he has a men’s championship final to worry about.
Beatty’s Lake Ginninderra booked a spot in the gold medal game after a hard-fought 114-95 win over Queensland’s The Southport School.
The championship favourites didn’t have it all their way, with Southport pushing hard led by 35 points from star wing Jaylen Pitman.
In the end, though, Lake Ginninderra’s experience showed down the stretch to help the ACT powerhouse surge into the final men’s game.
MVP favourite Cameron Pender continued his dominant form with 40 points, 21 rebounds and six assists.
Wing Lachlan Smith was equally impressive, dropping 36 points, eight rebounds and five
assists.
Beatty, who had 15 points and 18 rebounds, is feeling confident about Lake Ginninderra’s chances in the gold medal game.
“I can’t wait,” Beatty, 18, said.
“This is the first schools trip that I’ve ever done with the team, so I’m super excited to get into the finals.”
Beatty’s focus is the Australian Schools Championships, but he is excited about his future at Sacramento State.
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He says Patrick’s presence as head coach sealed the deal to sign with the college.
“That kind of helped me make my decision with David having that Aussie connection,” he said.
“That is something that you don’t get a lot of in the US, so I thought I could go to DP and learn what he has experienced with the Australian bigs like Aron Baynes and Andrew Bogut.
“I feel like that is going to help me.”
Beatty reserved special praise for consistent Lake Ginninderra wing Smith.
“He is a guy that you don’t want to play against, but a guy you want on your team,” he said.
“He is the tough guy; he can shoot and drive. We call him a tough, hard prick for a reason.
“He just does what he does.”
In the women’s championship division, Sienna Morison sunk a clutch three with just 11 seconds on the clock to secure an almighty St Luke’s comeback 54-52 over Willetton SHS in the early consolation game.
St Luke’s had not led since the opening stages and trailed by nine points at the final change, only to pile on 24-13 in the fourth to overrun their Perth rivals.
St Luke’s captain Felicity Henderson was the standout with a game-high 25 points and 21 rebounds, playing every minute of the contest.
Morison shot just six points for the match and both came from beyond the arc, including the matchwinner at the death.
CHECK OUT ALL THE LIVE CHAMPIONSHIP ACTION FROM DAY 4
Women’s Championship semi-final: Hillcrest Christian College (QLD) 75 d Immanuel College (SA) 43
Queensland’s Hillcrest Christian College – a side coached by the most influential New Zealand player ever in Pero Cameron – has booked a women’s championship division final berth following a dominant 75-43 semi-final win over Immanuel College.
Hillcrest displayed its class to surge past Immanuel led by 16 points and 12 rebounds from star forward Jade Peacock.
Captain Layla-J Cameron also excelled with 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Hillcrest will now face the women’s championship division favourites Lake Ginninderra in the gold medal game.
The Lakers will be widely tipped to win the final led by star trio Isla Juffermans, Jessica Petrie and Mailey Cunningham.
However, Hillcrest has proven to be a formidable team throughout the tournament.
Meanwhile, a 27-11 fourth period blitz has clinched Willetton Senior High School a comeback 85-37 victory over Trinity College in the Men’s Championship Division.
Willetton trailed by four points at the final break but came out swinging to blow the traditional South Australian heavyweights off the court when it mattered most.
Aiden Fitzgerald led the way for the victors with a game-high 28 points and eight rebounds, while Blake Fido pulled the strings for 10 assists and six boards.
In a neck-and-neck affair Trinity held sway for the bulk of the contest. That was until Willetton went on a 20-3 scoring run to start the fourth period, of which Fitzgerald accounted for 12, and the game was in the grip from then on.
Louis Schell knocked down 22 points, six rebounds and four assists as Trinity’s star performer in a losing effort.
Men’s Championship Division semi-final: Rowville Secondary College (VIC) 116 d Brisbane State High School (QLD) 101
The gold medal dream for a star-studded Brisbane State High School side is over following a surprise 116-101 semi-final loss to Victoria’s Rowville Secondary College.
A Brisbane State team featuring 16-year-old sensation Roman Siulepa were strong favourites to advance to the men’s championship final.
However, gun Rowville point guard and captain Joel Foxwell had other ideas as he put on a scoring show to relegate the red-hot Queenslanders to the bronze medal game.
Foxwell finished with 28 points, including nine of 12 from the field, while he added five rebounds and five assists.
Rowville shooting guard Corey Hastings was equally potent, dropping 29 points.
62.8 per cent (54) of Rowville’s points came in the paint while they shot the lights out from range.
Foxwell praised his side’s complete performance post-game.
“That Brisbane team is really tough and they have a lot of superstars there, but we came up here and we just did our best, to be honest,” Foxwell said.
“We really shot the ball well and we watched some film, so it was a good effort.
“We were really looking to penetrate the zone and even find the kickers on the outside.”
Foxwell, 17, has lost countless semi-finals in the past, so he feels blessed to make a men’s championship final.
He is expecting another competitive affair in Friday’s final against tournament favourites Lake Ginninderra College.
“We had them before and they demolished us on the boards, so we have to really think about what we’re doing there,” he said.
“Hopefully, we can shoot it the way that we did today.
“I haven’t made a final at this school level before, and coming off three years of Covid to be in the first final back is pretty good.”
.@RowvilleSC is into the Men’s Championship Division final at the Australian Basketball Schools Championships!
— Herald Sun Sport (@heraldsunsport) December 1, 2022
Full Day 4 details: https://t.co/fdr2mlpKoN@MattLogue7@MickRandallHSpic.twitter.com/2lrlTWafFl
Brisbane State High will now face fellow Queenslanders The Southport School in Friday’s bronze medal match from 10am (AEST).
Brisbane will be disappointed to lose its semi, but still has a chance to medal.
Siulepa, who has been an MVP candidate all tournament, finished with 28 points, nine rebounds and two assists in the loss to Rowville. Big man Mason Amos added 20 points.
It was double woe for Brisbane State High School on Thursday afternoon, with its championship division women thrashed 104-58 by a rampant Templestowe College in the consolation final.
WNBL development player Lily Carmody wasn’t required to put Templestowe on her back in this one.
Instead, it was Madeline Potts who stole the show, putting up 27 points and six steals, while captain Dyani Ananiev finished with 24 points and eight boards.
Templestowe hit the gas in the opening period to lead 29-14 at the first break and never looked back, punctuating the result with a dominant 27-9 fourth quarter.
It was the turnover battle that told the sorry tale for Brisbane; 44 times they gifted Templestowe possession to just 10 the other way.
Ruby Marzetta top-scored for the local side with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Claire Fraser toiled hard for 13 and 11.
Women’s Championship Division semi-final: Lake Ginninderra College (ACT) 103 def. Rowville Secondary College (VIC) 62
Jessica Petrie is the daughter of former NBL and WNBL greats – but she is writing her own story after guiding Lake Ginninderra College to the women’s championship division final.
Petrie’s father Anthony played 268 NBL games for five clubs while her mother Sarah won a WNBL championship with the Canberra Capitals.
Petrie junior, though, is a standout player in her own right.
The gifted forward dropped an impressive triple-double in a dominant 103-62 win over Rowville Secondary College.
Petrie finished with 24 points, 22 rebounds, 12 assists and two steals in a commanding display.
The performance was made more special given her parents and sisters were watching on from the stands.
“I love playing in front of my family,” Petrie told News Corp post-game.
“They have taught me how to play basketball, so it is always awesome to play in front of them because I don’t get to see them as much anymore.
“I don’t get to do a lot of tournaments like this where it’s fun, so I’m excited and hopefully we can go out with a bang.”
Petrie, a graduate, plans to return to the Academy in Canberra for six months next year before moving to America to play college basketball.
She is visiting a host of US colleges in the New Year, including Nebraska, Portland and Saint Mary’s – a school that has produced an extensive list of Aussie stars like Patty Mills, Matthew Dellavedova and Jock Landale.
“There are a lot of Aussies at Saint Mary’s and Portland and Nebraska is in a great league, so there are a lot of factors,” Petrie said.
Petrie had plenty of help in Lake Ginninderra’s big win.
Gun centre Isla Juffermans had a game-high 35 points, 21 rebounds and four assists while captain Mailey Cunningham added 24 points and six rebounds.
Rowville were brave, but will have to settle for the bronze medal game.
In the Men’s Championship Division, Newington College is through to the bronze medal playoff after seeing off Concordia College 82-64.
The Sydney school put the pain of its agonising one-point defeat to Southport the previous day to bed with a dominant follow-up performance, extending its lead at every change.
Christian Aukuso had 13 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in a complete display for the victors, while captain Jake Weinstein brought down nine boards and five assists to go with 12 points.
Newington simply had too many quality contributors when it counted, whereas Concordia was steered by Paddy D’arcy (16 points, three assists) and Oliver Mensforth (14 points) who combined for almost half of the South Australian school’s scoring output.
U17 GIRLS D1 SF2: Barker College 42 def. Berwick College 37
Barker College flipped the script on opening day conquerors Berwick College to book an U17 Division 1 Girls grand final date with unbeaten Rowville Secondary School on championship Friday.
Berwick rolled Barker by eight points on Monday but when the whips were cracking three days later, it was the girls in red who got the job done with an impressive 42-37 win.
Led once again by division leading scorer Keira Hudson, Barker held sway at every change and kicked into gear after halftime, extending the lead from nine points at the main break to 14 at the final change.
Berwick piled on 17 points in the fourth period but left themselves too much ground to make up at the turn for home, falling five points short of an inspired comeback.
Isabella De Jong was tireless bringing down boards at both ends of the court, while Stella O’Loughlin pulled the strings with ball in-hand. But the Melbourne school lacked polish in the paint for the first three quarters and was made to pay for their profligacy at the other end of the court.
Barker now meets Rowville Secondary College in Friday’s decider and will go in as heavy underdogs given their Wednesday encounter ended in a 39-point win to the opposition.
However the North Sydney school will take immense confidence out of its semi-final performance and the 13-point turnaround against Berwick from opening day.
They would have watched Lilydale push Rowville for three quarters on the same court an hour earlier and will come ready with a gameplan to cause an upset in the decider.
U17 D1 GIRLS SF1: Rowville Secondary College 50 def. Lilydale High School 23
The Rowville juggernaut rolls into the U17 Division 1 Girls grand final after seeing off Lilydale’s challenge 50-23 in Thursday’s early semi.
Taia McMechan continued her star turn at the national championships while Manuela Puoch dominated in the paint for the Victorian powerhouse, which was once again pushed all the way by their state rivals.
Lilydale was the only team to test Rowville in the group stages, with the two sides playing out an enthralling 40-35 encounter only 24 hours earlier, and the rivalry was immediately renewed with a place in the grand final up for grabs.
Rowville took an eight-point lead into halftime but Lilydale started hot in the third closing the gap to two points, only for the margin to kick back out to seven before play was stopped due to an ankle injury to Lilydale’s Amanda Wilson.
With Wilson sidelined Lilydale’s resistance faltered and a rejuvenated Rowville raced away in the fourth to clinch its place in the division decider.
Tasha Holly was Lilydale’s best in transition and on the perimeter, while Wilson’s work in the paint was pivotal to keeping her team in the contest before she left the court through injury.
But McMechan was once again the standout – her end-to-end game and movement at the hoop caused all sorts of headaches for Lilydale on defence.
Rowville progresses to the division title game where it awaits the winner of Berwick College and Barker College.
NBL LEGEND EYES GLORY WITH ‘TOUGH’ ROWVILLE
He’s the 300-game NBL legend guiding the next generation of young women coming out of Victorian hoops school Rowville Secondary College, writes Michael Randall.
But Adam Gibson’s not sure if his U17 Div 1 girls - many of whom are already state and even national representatives - know much about his decorated career.
The London Olympian won two titles in a career that spanned 16 years and featured two NBL titles and a Defensive Player of the Year gong.
Some of his girls weren’t even born when Gibson made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets back in 2005.
Now 36, the Launceston-born Gibson has his charges on the cusp of a grand final at this year’s Australian School Championships on the Gold Coast.
He gushes about a playing group that finished top of the pops in the division, the only team to win all five of its games in the lead up to the finals.
“Our girls are tough,” he said.
“Taia McMechan played state this year, tough kid, quick point guard, can score, we’ve got a lot of different weapons.”
One of those weapons is the daughter of another hoops great in Matt Shanahan, who won three NBL titles of his own.
“Zoe Shanahan, she’s a three that’s been playing four for us because we’re a little bit undersized. She’s grown eight-10cms this year and she’s getting used to her body.”
Ivanka Ivanovic has represented Serbia at U16 level, adding another potent force Gibson can deploy.
In the other semi, Barker College will deploy the competition’s leading scorer in Keira Hudson, who has produced two 20-point games. But, on Wednesday, Rowville held her to just six points in a 65-26 demolition.
Can Southport’s Pitman stop Lake Ginninderra?
Lake Ginninderra College deserve favouritism to progress to the Men’s Championship Division Final, but one teen stands in their way ahead of Thursday’s semi-final against The Southport School.
Southport wing Jaylen Pitman has been the school’s best player, helping the Queenslanders progress to the final four.
Pitman, a smooth mover who has impressive body control to finish at the rim, has risen to third in scoring in the men’s Championship Division.
He is averaging 23.5 points a game and Southport will need every bit of his offensive brilliance to beat tournament favourites, Lake Ginninderra.
Concordia College shooting guard Paddy D’Arcy deserves a mention after moving up to fourth in scoring (21.25pts).
D’Arcy had 23 points as Concordia almost pulled off the mother of all upsets in Wednesday’s quarter-final loss to Lake Ginninderra.
In the women’s Championship Division, Lake Ginninderra star duo Isla Juffermans and Jessica Petrie lead the tournament in points and rebounds.
Juffermans is first in points (23.5pts), closely followed by Petrie with 23.25 points.
Day 4 is looming as another blockbuster day of Championship Division action, with the Championship Division semi-finals for the men and women from 12pm (AEST).
Men’s Championship Division stat leaders:
Average points:
Cameron Pender (Lake Ginninderra College) – 33.25 pts
Roman Siulepa (Brisbane State High School) – 25.25pts
Jaylen Pitman (The Southport School) – 23.5 pts
Paddy D’Arcy (Concordia College) – 21.25
Joel Foxwell (Rowville Secondary College) – (20.75pts)
Average rebounds:
Cameron Pender (Lake Ginninderra College) – 13rbs
Bowyn Beatty (Lake Ginninderra College) – 12rbs
Gok Malek (Newington College) – 12.25rbs
Roman Siulepa (Brisbane State High School) – 10rbs
Elijah Kamu (Brisbane State High School) – 9.25rbs
Average assists:
Cameron Pender (Lake Ginninderra College) – 5.75
Joel Foxwell – (Rowville Secondary College) – 5.75
Caleb Isaac – (Brisbane State High School) - 5
Roman Siulepa (Brisbane State High School) – 5
Nick Griguol (Concordia College) – 4.75
Women’s Championship Division stat leaders:
Average points:
Isla Juffermans (Lake Ginninderra College) – 23.5pts
Jessica Petrie (Lake Ginninderra College) – 23.25pts
Jade Peacock (Hillcrest Christian College) – 18.5pts
Felicity Henderson (St Luke’s Grammar School) – 16.25pts
Average rebounds:
Jessica Petrie (Lake Ginninderra College) – 15.5rbs
Felicity Henderson (St Luke’s Grammar) – 14rbs
Isla Juffermans (Lake Ginninderra College) – 13.5rbs
Aspen Crase (Immanuel College) – 12rbs
Average assists:
Lily Carmody (Templestowe College) – 5.75
Lucy Dexter (Rowville Secondary College) – 4.75
Alison Francis (Lake Ginninderra College) – 4
Felicity Henderson (St Luke’s Grammar) – 3.67
Lower Division wrap: “Points find her, she doesn’t have to go looking”.
That’s how John Paul College coach Jeff Henderson described star guard Isabella Mirkovic on the opening day of the championships – and those words still ring true as we enter day four.
The Southern Spartans representative tops the scoring outside of the championship divisions with a massive 129 points. Averaging just shy of 26ppg, Mirkovic is a big reason why John Paul looks the prohibitive favourite in the Girls U15 Division 1.
Second in scoring across the lower divisions is Lee Van Der Westhuizen out of Brisbane Boys College, who also boasts the highest points per game average of 28.25. He topped 30 points twice as BBC went 3-1 in Pool A to earn top billing in the Men’s U20 Division 1 entering the knockout rounds.
But no one has been able to match the 40-point performance of the “young Shaq” out of Avondale School. Jayden Tawake sits fourth in both PPG and overall but his coach says there’s plenty more in the tank for the MVP-elect in the Boys U15 Division 2, as evidenced by his dominant display on the opening day against Reddam House.
With finals fast approaching, these are the matchwinners who can make or break their school’s title hopes this year.
PPG Leaders
1. Lee Van Der Westhuizen (28.25 - Brisbane Boys College, U20 D1 Men)
2. Jett Hickson (28.0 - St Dominics College, U20 D1 Men)
3. Christian Moraes (28.0 – Rowville Secondary College, U17 D1 Boys)
4. Jayden Tawake (28.0 – Avondale School, U15 D2 Boys)
5. Isabella Mirkovic (25.8 – John Paul College, U15 D1 Girls)
6. Steven Hall (25.5 – Westfields Sports High, U17 D1 Boys)
7. Nevarda Higgins (25.0 – Hillcrest Christian College, U20 D1 Men)
8. Lukas Zvaigzne (24.5 – Cabra Dominican College, U20 D2 Men)
9. Michael Andrew (22.6 – Marsden State High School, U15 D1 Boys)
10. Will Mortimore (22.75 – Knox Grammary School, U20 D1 Men)
11. Emilie Bessell (22.25 – Redlands School, U20 D1 Women)
Overall Points Leaders
1. Isabella Mirkovic (129 – John Paul College, U15 D1 Girls)
2. Lee Van Der Westhuizen (113 – Brisbane Boys College, U20 D1 Men)
3. Michael Andrew (113 – Marsden State High School, U15 D1 Boys)
4. Jayden Tawake (112 – Avondale School, U15 D2 Boys)
5. Christian Moraes (112 – Rowville Secondary College, U17 D1 Boys)
6. Sam Schott (111 – Southport State High School, U15 D1 Boys)
7. Steven Hall (102 – Westfield Sports High, U17 D1 Boys)
8. Mackenzie Hall (99 – Coomera Anglican College, U20 D2 Men)
9. Lukas Zvaigzne (98 – Cabra Dominican College, U20 D2 Men)
10. Jayden Cecil (92 – Marsden State High School, U15 D1 Boys)
BETTER THAN GOULDING BUT IS HE AFL BOUND?
The best defensive player to come out of Brisbane State High School in almost 30 years.
It’s not Boomers Chris Goulding or Brock Motum, and it isn’t former Brisbane Bullets man Mitch Young either.
Assistant coach Adam Nicholson says Liam Hude is the dominant physical presence that helps turn games in his team’s favour and is a big reason why Brisbane State High looms as one of the major Australian Basketball Schools Championship contenders this year.
“He’s the best defender I’ve seen at Brisbane State High School. I started in 1995 and he’s the best I’ve seen come through,” said Nicholson.
“Chris Goulding, Brock Motum, Mitch Young – we’ve had some pretty fair basketballers come through but no one plays like this guy. He’s our defensive leader, he’s our captain, and he’s our spiritual leader in many ways.”
The hometown title hopefuls eased through Pool A unbeaten and romped to a 112-95 win over Trinity College to set up a semi-final date with Rowville College on Thursday afternoon. Win that, and it’s just one more game to a national title.
Roman Siulepa and his pointscoring partner in crime, Elijah Kamu, have stolen the early headlines during Brisbane State High’s unbeaten run so far – and deservedly so.
But Hude’s tenacious attack on the ball and elite fitness make him the linchpin that underscores all that solidifies Nicholson’s side as a true title contender.
And yet for the first two days of the tournament, the small forward’s mind was often elsewhere. Because despite captaining his school at a national championships, for Hude basketball has long been a second love.
Only hours after he helped Brisbane State High to a 127-55 demolition of Concordia College on day one of the championships, Hude watched schoolmate Jaspa Fletcher be drafted by the Brisbane Lions with pick No.12 in the 2022 AFL Draft – a draft Hude himself had nominated for.
The pair had played together in the Brisbane Lions Academy and for the Allies at the U18 National Championships. They’re even teammates at local QAFL club Sherwood.
But for the Lions to secure Fletcher as a father-son selection it meant parting with a swath of late-round draft picks to match the Western Bulldogs’ bid at 12. It all-but ensured Hude would not be joining his good mate at the Lions in 2023.
“We were playing our last pool game at the time of the second night of the draft, (but) in the back of my mind I knew there wasn’t a lot of interest from other clubs,” Hude said.
But his draft day disappointment was quickly pushed aside. Because he still has a job to do on the Gold Coast this week.
That continues Thursday against Rowville and all going well, the cards could fall for an enticing grand final encounter with pre-tournament favourites Lake Ginnindera College.
“If that happens – they’re a great team, top of their pool as well – I can’t wait to be honest. We can’t wait,” Hude said.
“This whole comp has been fantastic so far and we’re just keen to test ourselves against the best teams in the nation.”
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