Heat rises in tight game

Maranoa and Murweh square off in basketball game at Charleville.

BASKETBALL FUN: Maranoa Heat travelled to Charleville at the weekend for a basketball clinic. Picture: Contributed

BASKETBALL: Maranoa Basketball ventured to Charleville at the weekend in what was a historic match between the two regions.

Maranoa Heat High School Boys came away with one win and one loss in a very tightly contested two-game series against a determined Charleville High School team.

Maranoa Basketball coach Mat Gane said the games displayed the upcoming talent in the southwest.

"I was surprised how talented the Charleville players were, they have only been playing a little while but they were outstanding and had a lot of fun,” Gane said.

"Our guys did great, we had a lot of 14 and 15-year-olds coming off the bench and there were lots of blocked shots.

"Our team did themselves proud and showed some poise against an older group of players.”

Senior players Issac Pierre and Mackenzie Walker provided the scoring spark for the Heat in both games, with Pierre nailing an impressive 26 points and Walker swishing 11 points.

Under-16 player Max Henningsen was named best on court for his tough defence and team play and Graham Sullivan was the best for Charleville with 10 points per game.

Charleville social basketball has hit the courts this year, however they are still looking for more players to join the squad on a Thursday night.

"With the help of a couple of basketball die-hards in Charleville we've been able to establish a local basketball night out there,” Gane said.

"Our thanks to Alison Casey, who has been the driving force to get the program up and running out in the Murweh.

"Hopefully this program will continue to grow so we can provide the community with another social sport.”

Originally published as Heat rises in tight game