Live stream: Basketball Australia Under-18s and Junior Wheelchair National Championships finals day
Vic Metro held their nerve in a thrill-a-minute ride to win the U18 boys national title, while the ‘best backcourt in Australia by 50 million miles’ got NSW Metro girls home. Relive all the action from a big day.
Basketball Live Stream
Don't miss out on the headlines from Basketball Live Stream. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Victoria Metro showed nerves of steel to edge out South Australia Metro and take yet another BA U18 boys national title.
In a top-quality contest befitting the occasion, Harrison Beauchamp hit 31 points and grabbed six rebounds in a stand-out performance as the Vics held on to win by five points.
Earlier, NSW Metro were crowned U18 girls national champions after taking down Queensland South in an exciting final.
The girls in blue rained in 11 threes, with flamethrowers Abby Vallance and Erica Finney combining for nine in a three-point masterclass.
Meanwhile, Western Australia Black Ducks have taken the Junior Wheelchair title with an exciting win over Victoria.
Read on for the big game match reports. Check out the match replays.
MATCH REPORTS
Boys U18 Gold Medal - Victoria Metro 96 d South Australia 91
Crunch time king Harrison Beauchamp was clinical in the final quarter as Victoria Metro held their nerve to beat South Australia Metro in what was a classic decider.
Beauchamp scored a crucial three pointer late in the game, then dropped in a sweet floater before nailing three free throws to put the game to bed with 20 seconds to go.
A three-point heave by Rio Bruton gave the boys from the south some hope, but it was too little too late.
Beauchamp saved his best for last.
The Marcellin College Year 12 student’s 31-point effort was just enough for Vic Metro to help keep SA Metro at bay.
But Beauchamp, who shot 10-22 from the field, was just one cog in an overwhelmingly talented Vic Metro team, which found themselves down early.
But, into the second half, things clicked into gear as Beauchamp, Ryder Cheesman and stealthy guard Austin Foxwell found their stroke.
It was a fitting end to a hugely successful week of hoops at South Pine Sports Complex as fans got a glimpse of the future.
Rio Bruton starred for SA Metro, while his Kenyan high rise Deng Manyang and Ferrari point guard Alex Dickenson came to the fore with their defensive efforts.
Bruton was a handful, reeling in eight rebounds and scoring 22 points on a 52 per cent clip.
Meanwhile, Dickenson was superb, with his ball security and shot blocking. He finished with three steals, three blocks and 17 points in a tireless performance where he played every minute. His running mate James Mackenzie, a crafty guard, was efficient for his 16 points.
Fearless Vic lefty Ryder Cheesman finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. He had the softest of touches at the rim.
Girls U18 Gold Medal - NSW Metro 73 d Queensland South 62
An awesome foursome stood up to power NSW Metro home, but it was a superb team effort all around which delivered the gold medal.
“We had a bunch of incredible shooters and incredible rebounders, and even the kids that didn’t play much just incredible from the bench supporting,” said NSW coach Tim Hill.
The deadly backcourt duo of Jessie-May Hall and Ruby Perkins, paired with a sharp shooting pair nicknamed Trigger (Erica Finney) and Microwave (Abbey Vallance) proved monumental in the big dance.
NSW Metro v Queensland South (U18 Women Gold)
Even head coach Tim Hill was somewhat surprised at the result.
“We were a bit injured in preparation, maybe a little lackadaisical, but that group of young women deadset just love each other, love hanging out, it’s always laughs and jokes in the apartment,” he said.
“I think that when you are going through like a storm, they just bond together so well.
“I wasn’t sure. I didn’t feel that we were ready when we started the tournament.”
Hill, however, was coaching a very capable group of young stars.
“They (Jessie-May and Ruby) are the best backcourt in Australia by fifty million miles,” said Hill.
“Sometimes I feel I just got lucky I got a superteam. Just get bailed out sometimes.”
He said he had seen nothing like Hall (19 points, six rebounds, four assists) and Perkins (17 points, seven rebounds, five assists) before.
“It’s a symbiosis… One (Ruby) is a scoring guard who also facilitates and runs the team.. the other one (Jesse-May) can do that but is more like pedal to the medal, ‘ I am going to score, score, score’ so the way those two feed off each other is just amazing. You don’t need to tell them anything they just know.
“Together… I don’t know what you do… they hit big shots.”
When it mattered most, that elite NSW backcourt were brilliant, finding their flamethrowers in Finney and Vallance.
“Trigger and Microwave. That’s their nicknames,” said Hill.
“Erica is the trigger because trigger finger, she only needs to touch it.. Abby is the microwave.
“We just let her go out there and cook.
Vallance did just that in the semi-final, knocking down five threes. In the final, she swished four-from-eight from deep to assist her splash sister Finney (5-9 from three) in getting the job done.
Junior Wheelchair Gold Medal - WA Black Ducks 51 d Victoria 43
The inspiring journey of champion 16-year-old Western Australia Junior Wheelchair captain Cooper Spillane reached a flashpoint on Sunday when he led the Black Ducks to a gold medal.
Spillane, who powered WA home with 22 points, five rebounds, eight steals and nine assists in the big dance, is actually a South Australian boy who was recruited for WA in the absence of a SA team in this year’s event.
WA Black Ducks v Victoria (Wheelchair Champs Gold)
A sporting kid to the core, Spillane grew up playing cricket, basketball, rugby and everything in between.
But it wasn’t easy. The grand final kingmaker was born with a fibula hemimelia, meaning he was missing the fibula bone in his left leg.
This meant his left leg was shorter than the right.
“It was pretty tough, I always managed... because there was no muscle there I always dislocated my leg... It was hard fighting through it,” said Spillane.
Eventually, at the age of 12, Spillane and his parents made the decision to amputate.
“We went through a whole process of surgery to try and lengthen it because it was shorter but that surgery backfired, so we got the choice to do it again or amputate, so I just chose to amputate it,” said Spillane
“It was pretty hard but we sort of sat down and we had a pros and cons list.
It took just two months after the amputation for Spillane to get back to playing sport. His focus - basketball.
“I missed it so much” said Spillane.
“It (basketball) was just a big pathway and I had a few mates playing it at the time so I had an easy in.”
He said college in America was a goal of his, along with one day playing at the Paralympics.
Boys U18 Bronze Medal - Victoria Country 86 d Queensland North 61
A Josh Giddey lookalike played a vital role in Victoria Country’s bronze medal success at this year’s BA U18 National Championships.
Seventeen-year-old Rowville Sports Academy Year 11 student Lachlan Kanngiesser draws uncanny resemblance to Australia’s best NBA player, triple double king Josh Giddey of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The 196cm wing even wears the same number as Giddey, No.6, and was a crucial part of his team’s successful campaign, with his three-point shooting a big factor.
“Yeah I have been told,” said the Giddey lookalike.
“Just schoolmates, teammates, teachers.”
Kanngiesser wasn’t aware that he wore the same number as Giddey though.
“This is like my state number. I have worn it for the past three years,” said Kanngiesser after throwing in an all-important 18 points in the bronze medal game.
“My real focus is three-point shooting... I try to stay focused on defence to be more of a three-and-d(defence) wing, I guess.”
The Frankston Blues youth talent said he trains every day on his three-point shot, either on his backyard hoop or at the nearby indoor courts.
Kanngiesser’s immediate goal was to make the NBL1 team at his club. “After that the NBL is a big dream, goal,” he said.
“I am in the youth league team right now... I am trying to get up.”
If he shoots it how he did when it mattered most against Queensland North (6-12 FG), that looks well within reach for the headband wearing Boomers star doppelganger.
REPLAYS
SHOW COURT
Vic Country v Queensland North (U18 Men Bronze)
Vic Country v SA Country (U18 Women Bronze)
COURT FOUR
NSW Country v SA Metro (U18 Women Play-Off 5th/6th)
Tasmania v Queensland South (U18 Men Play-Off 7th/8th)
WA Metro v SA Country (U18 Men Play-Off 5th/6th)
NSW v Queensland (JWC Bronze)
Tasmania v Vic Metro (U18 Women Play-Off 7th/8th)
PREVIEWS
SA METRO v VIC METRO
Under-18 Boys Gold Medal
Victoria Metro will head into the final day of the Under-18 National Championships clear favourites to take out a second-straight boys gold medal against South Australia Metro.
But it could be down to the next in line of a famous basketball lineage to stop the runaway favourites.
Victoria Metro made a clear statement of intent in the semi-finals on Friday, downing Queensland North 96-69 in emphatic fashion.
While it has been names like Beauchamp and Cheesman who have led the way for the Victorians this week, their long list of reserves delivered a scary reminder of the depth in talent for the reigning champions.
Austin Foxwell and Marcus Vaughns led the scoring for Victoria while Roor Akhuar’s work on the defensive end was brilliant.
But SA Metro, fresh off upsetting one Victorian side in the semi-finals, will have faith they can do it again on the biggest day of the week.
Rio Bruton will have a big say in the finish of the Under-18 National Championships.
The South Australian son of a gun has been incredible all week and sparked the semi-final into life with a 27 point haul as he pulled off a shock win over Victoria Country.
But Bruton is certainly not alone in red with the whole starting five of Alex Dickeson, Oscar Sabine, James McKenzie and Deng Manyang playing their part for the well-drilled machine.
NSW METRO v QLD SOUTH
Under-18 Girls Gold Medal
NSW Metro have been the form team of the Under-18 National Championships, but there is something to be said about sheer willpower.
Queensland South are determined to make their mark on the national titles, and will have the full weight of the hometown support behind them at South Pine Sports Complex.
The battle of the guards is the clear stand-out in this game with MVP front-runner Jessie-May Hall going head-to-head with Australian junior representative Prasayus Notoa.
Notoa has been impressive for the maroons all week, but saved her best performance for Saturday’s semi-final win over SA Country where she racked up a sublime triple-double.
Notoa finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in what was a dogged and gritty performance.
But Hall has been the standout of the tournament.
The NSW shooter has averaged more than 16 points per game across the tournament, and also dominated the semi-finals with 23 points, eight assists, six rebounds and six steals.
WA BLACK DUCKS v VICTORIA
Junior Wheelchair Championships
The two best teams in the country will go head-to-head for gold for the second-straight year.
Last year’s heartache will still weight heavily on the mind of the Western Australia side, who have been incredible across the week in Brisbane.
Neither side will take an advantage into the decider after splitting the wins from their two meetings during the tournament.
Black Ducks leader Cooper Spillane has been the form player of the tournament and has put up incredible numbers across the week.
Spillane has averaged more than 25 points and 13 rebounds per game to steer the WA side to the gold medal match.
Opposite him will be Victorian talisman Mitchell Bond, who has all the momentum going into the decider after a 40-point showing on Saturday.
Bond is averaging just shy of a triple-double for the tournament with 16.4 points and 12.2 rebounds to go with 9.4 assists per game.
U20 Nationals Insider: The biggest stories from a huge week of hoops
They came into nationals as the state’s second side but Victoria Navy has proven why they are the top dogs in Ballarat. Read about the triumphs and winning moments in the tournament live blog.
Replays: All the BA U20 & Ivor Burge Nationals gold medal winners
Victoria Navy has exceeded expectations claim the men’s gold medal while NSW stormed home for the women’s title in a massive day of deciders. Watch all the grand final REPLAYS.