Cairns High ready to claim the CBSQ crown
There are plenty of reasons why Cairns State High School is confident ahead of the Champion Basketball Schools of Queensland campaign.
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There are plenty of reasons why Cairns State High School is confident ahead of the Champion Basketball Schools of Queensland campaign.
The Bulldogs put together a strong run in last year’s competition only to be brought undone in the final by Townsville rivals Ignatius Park College, led by Australian junior representative Boston Mazlin.
While proud of the silver medal, Cairns High knew it had the pieces to win the title.
And that is what is serving as the players’ motivation heading into their state schools tournament campaign, which starts on Thursday afternoon against Brisbane Boys College.
Manager Mark Harland said the side, which will be led by experienced trio Ky Stattman, Isaiah Grabau and Kane Runnalls, had looked impressive at training.
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Stattman led the team on the scorecard last year with 144 points (20.57) across his seven games, while Grabau, the son of Taipans and Marlins legend Aaron Grabau, was electric from deep, in one game sinking seven from beyond the three-point line.
Runnalls, who has been part of the state system in recent years, has long been considered a talent to watch in the Far North.
All three are now top-aged athletes, making this their last chance to grab the silverware.
It’s part of the reason why Harland thinks this team could go all the way.
“Ky’s a year older now and is a leader of this team, and Isaiah has been outstanding,” Harland said.
“Kane will be our centre or power forward, he can play both, but he’s quality.
“Most of these guys would have been in or floating around the Marlins’ representative program. Some of them, like Ky, are developing into professional players so they’ll (use) this week as a time to get some vital competition under their belts.
“Most are in Year 12 now so it’ll be the last chance they get to play school-based competitive sport together.”
After Thursday’s opener against BBC, the Bulldogs will take on Varsity College and Brisbane State High School.
From there, the schedule is based on results, as they play crossover games against teams in other pools.
Last year’s Bulldogs lost two of their opening three games — one of those a one-point loss to Brisbane State high — but fought their way back with three straight wins across the crossover fixtures and finals.
The 92-66 thumping at the hands of Iggy Park is still fresh in the memory of the Bulldogs, who take the court for what will be their last tournament as a squad.
Played at Logan Metro Indoor Sports Centre as well as Cornubia Park Sports Centre and Auchenflower Stadium from Thursday to Sunday, the premier school tournament of the year will be broadcast to thousands and the Cairns Post will livestream round-robin games and finals.
The livestream will include matches on the show court at Logan Metro from 8am to 6pm every day, right up until the Division 1 grand finals on Sunday afternoon.
Click here for the full livestream schedule.
Originally published as Cairns High ready to claim the CBSQ crown