Surfcoast Chargers win under-16 division two title at junior country titles

A growing Geelong region basketball association has defied its ranking to produce some of its best results at a top junior tournament.

Surfcoast Chargers celebrate their title. Photo: Basketball Victoria.

A group of young female basketballers are blazing a trail within their own association.

Surfcoast Chargers took out under 16 girls division two honours at the Basketball Victoria Junior Country Championship in Bendigo on the weekend, defeating Sale 40-32 in the grand final, while its under-18 girls team produced its highest-ever finish by qualifying for a division one quarter-final.

Meanwhile, Geelong United’s under-16 girls squad finished second in the state, finishing runner-up in division one to Ballarat after a 33-53 grand final defeat.

Chargers’ under-16 girls coach Chris Clark said the association's rankings were outside the top-16 needed to compete at the championships, meaning his team needed to apply to get a start.

“Theoretically, we were positioned number 16 going in, so the fact we not only got a start and were competing against some of the big regional clubs, to then make the grand final and win to be essentially in that top nine teams for the weekend was a massive achievement for the club,” Clark said.

Clark’s Chargers, who had a 1-2 pool record, were sharp come finals time, edging out Wonthaggi in a quarter-final and blitzing Wangaratta in the semis to progress to the final.

The coach said it took “37 minutes to break Sale” in the decider, with the Chargers overcoming a three-point three-quarter-time deficit to outscore the Sonic 16-5 in the final 10 minutes.

“I think the last three minutes we scored half of those (16) points,” he said. “The girls were really committed on defence to ensure once we found a way to score … it was ensuring we continued to play defence.”

The title winning shot. Photo: Basketball Victoria.

Surfcoast’s Ella Condon produced a standout campaign, topping the under-16 girls competition for points scored, with 97 from six appearances.

“She’s developed into one of the most talented players in her position across country Victoria,” Clark said. “She’s probably nudging 6’1’ and has an unique skill-set in her ability to handle the ball, finish around the basket, shoot the ball.”

Clark believed a strong cohort of Chargers players across its under-16 and 18 girls grades could set the stage for future success.
“They’ve almost been trailblazers among our association for the younger girls,” he said.

Surfcoast Basketball Association president Leon Sayer said it was proud of its teams’ efforts at the championships.

Meanwhile, SBA held its annual general meeting on Monday, with discussions centring around an upcoming walking basketball trial in March as well as launching an all-abilities program later in the year.

The SBA will field all four Big V teams – two senior and two youth – for the first time in 2024 after approval for a youth girls team to join the competition.

The Chargers will open their season with all four teams playing at home on March 16.

Originally published as Surfcoast Chargers win under-16 division two title at junior country titles