2023 Basketball Australian School Championships Insider: All the stories behind day four’s action

Manuela Puoch has not been afraid to use her size and strength to beat up her rivals, but the Rowville star said she is only just getting warmed up. Read more in our School Championships Insider.

She has been superhuman all week, but Rowville gun Manuela Puoch is adamant that the best is yet to come.

The Dandenong power forward has obliterated all comers this week.

She has averaged a near double-double for the tournament, with 20.5 points and nine rebounds per game, but took that to another level in Thursday’s semi-final win over Marsden State High.

Rowville has a powerful weapon in its arsenal by the name of Manuela Puoch, who has obliterated her rivals this week.

The 17-year-old racked up 30 points and 12 rebounds to book her school’s spot in this year’s gold medal game.

Rowville Secondary College player Manuela Puoch in action at the Basketball Australia School Championships. Picture: Taylor Earnshaw

However, she insists there is still more to come from her ahead of Friday’s decider.

“I think I can do better as always, but I am feeling great so far helping my team out,” she said.

“It is really great (to get into the final), we all knew we were going to get there. It was hard but it was really good.

“We knew that they (Marsden) had a loud atmosphere because last year we had the same thing, but we just knew to play our game and not let it get into our heads.”

Pouch has risen through the ranks at Rowville since starting there in Year 7 and has loved being part of the school’s elite basketball program.

The Rowville program, which has grown exponentially in recent years under the watchful eye of Australian Under-19 Gems head coach Dean Kinsman, rivals the best schools in the country.

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Rowville player Emilija Dakic during the Basketball Australia Schools Championships. Picture: Taylor Earnshaw

“It has been great, the people and the academy are really great and the education is good as well,” Puoch said.

A youth player with the Dandenong Rangers, Puoch played five games with the club’s NBL1 South side this season.

The teenager said the experience of facing adult players had helped make her biggest strength - the ability to body her opponent - all the more powerful.

“It has been really good because I am a young’un there so older people are beating me up,

so I take that in and bring it to other people (in my age group),” she said

Puoch is determined to continue bodying her opponents on Friday when her side takes on Westfields in the gold medal clash.

“I am excited, I am pumped, I am ready,” she said.

Following her schooling, Puoch has her sights set on taking her game to the biggest stage.

“(My goal is) to go pro ball, hopefully to get into the WNBL and play Euroleague or the WNBA one day,” she said.

HOW OPAL HELPED SHAPE YOUNG GUNS JOURNEY

Exciting Westfields guard Dylan Alexander has cherished the opportunity to be back on the floor after she fought her way back from a torn ACL last year.

The 18-year-old has been central to her side’s run to the final and is also set to feature heavily in January’s Under-20 National Championships for New South Wales.

“It is really exciting, last year I tore my ACL so it is a huge opportunity and achievement for me to be getting back and being as good as I was before,” Alexander said.

Dylan Alexander (right) in action for Westfields at the Basketball Australia School Championships. Picture: Taylor Earnshaw

“I went through the whole 12 months and didn’t wait any less of a time.

“It has been a big year with gym everyday and trying to teach myself how to run again and I am super proud of myself.”

Her determination to return to the floor has reaped its rewards as she recently became the latest in a long line of Australian basketballers to sign with St Mary’s College in California.

“I am super excited and ready for the physicality that is in America,” Alexander said.

She said it was “huge” to sign with a college that has such a strong track record with developing Australian basketballers and when first receiving the offer, turned to a current WNBL star for support.

Dylan Alexander at the Basketball Australia School Championships.

“I have a friend Lauren Nicholson, she went to that school and she actually talked me into accepting it straight away,” Alexander said.

“I am super happy that she did that because the relationship that I have with the coaching staff is absolutely amazing and I wouldn’t want anything else.”

After a stellar team display against John Paul College, Westfields booked its spot in Friday’s grand final and with Alexander determined to take home the gold medal.

“It feels really surreal to be honest,” she said.

“I am really proud of the girls, I am proud of the coaching staff and how they have taken care of us.

“It has been a big effort, a lot of early morning training, cardio sessions, a lot of sacrifices have been made to get us here and I am just really ready to win the national champs.”

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH AHEAD OF MEN’S SEMI-FINALS

After countless hours of training and games throughout the year, we are now down to our final four men’s teams in this year’s Basketball Australia National Schools Championships.

With the sides now just two wins away from claiming the holy grail, it is anyone’s for the taking when action resumes this afternoon on day four.

The first semi-final starts at 2.30pm AEST with The Southport School and Rowville locking horns, then at 6.30pm Newington will take on defending champs Lake Ginninderra.

Here are the five things you need to know ahead of today’s action.

Top seeds eliminated

Glenunga's Alex Dodson. The Pool A top seed crashed out in the quarter-finals at the Basketball Australia School Championships. Picture: Taylor Earnshaw

There were two shock upsets in last night’s quarter-finals with both pool-topping schools eliminated by the opposing bottom seeds.

Glenunga International High School looked like one of the teams to beat but a nine-point defeat to Rowville ended their medal hopes.

The show court then hosted another boilover as Newington – who had yet to win a game this week – defeated the Pool B top seed Willetton in emphatic fashion.

Home court paying dividends

The Southport School entered this competition as one of the team’s to watch as it not only boasted a highly-talented roster, but also had the advantage of playing in its home backyard.

The extra edge has been felt by the players as well, who have rarely put a foot wrong in this competition, with their only loss coming in the final pool game to Willetton, where they lost by a mere four points.

Lake Ginny the clutch-time champions

All four of Lake Ginninderra’s clashes have gone down to the wire and so far, it has lifted the Lakers to another level, losing just one of their four games.

In the dying minutes of the contests, the composed heads of James O’Donnell and Joshua Dent have risen to another level on both ends of the floor when the game has been on the line.

However, having four games in three days decided in the final stages of the contest could have a physical impact on the side ahead of their clash with Newington.

Newington will look to expose any levels of fatigue early in the contest to get the advantage because if the game is still in the balance with less than two minutes on the clock, it is hard to see a side as well prepared for the situation as the Lakers.

The Southport School's Ben Tweedy takes on Rowville's Joel Foxwell on day one. The two sides meet again in Thursday’s semi-final. Picture: Taylor Earnshaw

Pool game rematches

Both of today’s games will have a familiar feel about them as we have two pool stage rematches taking place.

Back on day 1, The Southport School defeated Rowville by 11 points, while Lake Ginninderra downed Newington by just two points in a nailbiting battle.

As a result, expect to see Rowville and Newington take to the court with a chip on their shoulder as they look to not only claim revenge for their defeats earlier this week, but also book a spot in tomorrow’s gold medal game.

Superstar clash awaits

The opening semi-final between Southport and Rowville is set to pit stars Ben Tweedy and Joel Foxwell against each other in what is a tantalising matchup.

Both players have not been afraid to put the team on their backs when needed with Tweedy averaging more than 27 points per game and Foxwell more than 31 points per outing.

With the big game players often stepping up when the knockout contests, expect to see these two putting on a show to remember this afternoon.

BERWICK BOLTER EYES BIGGER STAGES

While he was cruelly robbed of a chance to get his team into medal contention, Ethan Bolton hopes he has done enough at the Basketball Australia Schools Championships to turn a few heads at the top level.

The impressive Victorian wing proved his long range jump shot could be the secret weapon to help spearhead a Berwick College assault on the finals.

Berwick College player Ethan Bolton during the Basketball Australia School Championships. Picture: Taylor Earnshaw

But it wasn’t to be for Bolton, who was ruled out of the remainder of the Championships following a cruel twist of fate in the middle of his best game on the Gold Coast.

Bolton was brought down in what seemed like an innocuous incident in Berwick’s final pool game against Newington College.

He managed to get back to his feet and played out the game, closing out an impressive performance with 20 points, including four-of-six from downtown.

But after coming from the court, something was clearly amiss, with a foot injury ruling the young playmaker out of their quarter-final on Wednesday, a match Berwick would ultimately miss their bucket getter in going down 94-79 to The Southport School.

But speaking to the Schools Champs Insider after the Newington win, Bolton said he hoped he had done enough to help his chances on rising to the bigger stages.

“I want to make the NBL, that is my biggest goal,” Bolton said.

“Right now I am on the right track, I feel like I am being noticed and hopefully they bring me along.

“I have been working on my shooting because that is my biggest strength and it will probably take me to the next level.

“I am working on my defence (as well) because I feel like that is my biggest weakness.”

Bolton said he was proud to be part of the Berwick College side competing at his first Basketball Australia Schools Championships.

“It is my first nationals on the Gold Coast, I have been to a couple of nationals but this is a lot different,” he said.

Berwick College player Cedric Rault was one of the key players behind their run to the quarter-finals. Picture: Taylor Earnshaw

“I have never travelled interstate for basketball before so this is a new experience for me which is nice.”

Bolton has been a part of the Berwick program since year seven, a move which has bolstered his game and helped him to reach higher honours on the national stage.

“It has helped my basketball tremendously,” he said.

“I have improved so much here and learnt so many new things, even mentally it has helped.”

Outside of Berwick, Bolton has been playing league with the Casey Cavaliers and has enjoyed the challenge of playing representative basketball.

“Transitioning to senior basketball, it is definitely different from juniors,” he said.

“I have had to adjust and find new strengths in my game, as well as know my weaknesses and work on them.

“So it has definitely helped me with my game.”

Originally published as 2023 Basketball Australian School Championships Insider: All the stories behind day four’s action