2023 Basketball Australian School Championships Insider: All the stories behind day three’s action
Finals fever has hit the Gold Coast and our ‘Insider’ is in the thick of it. Find out the five things that stood out during the incredible women’s quarter-finals.
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The finals have arrived at the Basketball Australia School Championships.
The women’s championship division went into sudden death action on Wednesday afternoon, with overtime thrillers, massive upsets and individual heroics on show.
Our own Insider, Lachie Onions, was on the sidelines for all four finals, and these are his key takeaways from the sudden death showdowns.
Incredible Olechnowicz stuns St Michael’s
Heading into this clash, John Paul College was the resounding underdog in what was shaped as a David and Goliath battle.
However, the unstoppable force that was Olivia Olechnowicz left St Michael’s shell shocked as she exploded her way to a 37-point, 15-rebound double-double to guide her side to an unlikely 12-point win.
There was simply no stopping Olechnowicz as she was often double and even triple-teamed under the basket, yet still found ways to push through and score.
She also copped an absolute battering, as the St Michael’s girls fouled the John Paul College superstar 12 times in an attempt to prevent her from causing further damage.
It didn’t work. With Olechnowicz knocking down 17 free-throws from 20 attempts.
Fast-paced Marsden too much for Barker
An intriguing contest took place on Court 1, when the crafty and rapid Marsden side took on the much taller and physical Barker line-up.
Early signs suggested Barker’s physical presence would be too much, as they dominated the paint and shut down Marsden’s half-court offence.
However, led by Keriana-Marie Hippolite, Marsden turned the game on its head with its lethal full-court pressing and crafty moves around the rim.
Marsden forced 25 turnovers for the game as it held on to win a gruelling overtime battle for the ages.
Finals basketball hits different
The first two quarter-finals of the competition proved why finals basketball is a completely different beast compared to pool games.
Marsden had one hand on a semi-final spot as it led by five points with 20 seconds left.
However, some incredible desperation plays from the Barker girls meant that the deficit diminished and overtime beckoned.
Ultimately, the class of Marsden shone through but it was a game for the ages.
Meanwhile, on the Show Court, the undefeated St Michael’s suffered a defeat to John Paul College - who had yet to win a game in these championships.
Strange things happen when your tournament is on the line.
High-flying Bird not enough for Ginny
Opal Bird has been a shining light for the Lakers this week.
On any other day, her courageous 34 points would have been in a winning effort. Except this time it was the Lakers who couldn’t find the answers against an undefeated Rowville.
Bird was clearly a class above the others on the court, but Rowville’s team-first mantra was crucial as they recorded a dominant 22-point win.
Victorians the team to beat.
Speaking of Rowville, they appear destined to right the wrongs of last year’s schools championships.
While silver is nothing to sigh about, with the way they have played this week, you get the feeling the grand final loss to Lake Ginninderra left a sour taste in their mouths. One that has taken 12 months to get rid of.
Rowville have been incredible this week, and at times appear unstoppable, restricting the reigning champions to only eight points in the second quarter of their final.
Rather than being a team of champions, Rowville is a champion team and they are playing as such.
Good luck to those who stand between them, and the gold.
BOOMERS GREATS GUIDING VICTORIA’S RISING STAR
Rowville Secondary College guard Joel Foxwell has been a class above in the opening stages of the competition and has taken his game to the next level since joining Melbourne United as a training squad player.
In his opening two games of the competition, he has used his Melbourne United experience to its fullest, scoring 62 points and grabbing 18 rebounds.
The Victorian representative backed it up with 30 points and nine assists on Wednesday as Rowville went down to St Dominic’s in a heartbreaking 87-85 defeat in the final seconds.
“Being involved with Melbourne United, being a player down there, that has been great,” Foxwell said.
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“The whole of Melbourne United has really brought me in, especially Dean Vickerman (head coach) and all of the assistants, they have really welcomed me and I feel like I really belong there.”
Foxwell said his main role as a training player is ‘to come in and challenge the players’, a task he has taken in his stride.
“I am a key player on the opposite team so I just come out and try to challenge the guards,” he said.
“It was hard at the start, but I think I have proven myself.”
Foxwell said the opportunity to challenge players he has looked up to has been priceless.
“Obviously you have Matthew Dellavedova, Chris Goulding, Shea Ili and Brad Newley who have really taken me under their wing,” he said.
“Ian Clark is another, he has been really good for me.”
Clark and Ili in particular, have been pivotal for Foxwell as he has tried to model his game around the pair.
“Ian Clark, the way he plays is really smooth and he never looks rushed” he said.
“On the defensive end, Shea Ili, he is just a dog to be honest, he is just up and in and I really try to model my defensive game around him.”
Following this week’s school championships, Foxwell will begin his preparation for the Under-20 National Championships, which will take place in January.
“Our first training is when all of us boys get back from the Gold Coast and then we will prepare from there,” he said.
“Obviously a gold medal is the main goal, the thing I love most is winning and if I have to do that by sitting on the bench, I will.
“But I am going to come into January to try and use my experience in the nationals, I have been to a few now and hopefully we can bring home a gold as I haven’t had one of those at the highest level yet.”
After a difficult first game against The Southport School, Rowville turned it around in the second clash against Willetton as Foxwell led the charge and helped create a strong scoring spread across the team.
“We had a tough loss on day one against a really good school in TSS, but it was good to come out and get the win in our second game,” he said.
“I feel like I have had some pretty good scoring games but it was more about getting the others involved and sharing the load a little bit.
“Our coach Alex in all our preparation and then (Andrew) Bogut at the opening ceremony said the points spread is important and you have to fight till the end because you never know what can happen with the draws.
“So that is why we have kept playing until the end.”
O’DONNELL CHASING MARCH MADNESS DREAM
Lake Ginninderra big man James O’Donnell is set to embark on the journey of his lifetime in June next year when he heads to the University of San Francisco to chase his dream of making the NBA.
The 6ft 9 forward was delighted to sign with a Division 1 NCAA college and dreams of taking part in March Madness with San Francisco.
“I am really excited, I did a visit over there and they told me good things about the school,” O’Donnell said while on the Gold Coast at the Basketball Australia School Championships.
“They have obviously had great players like Bill Russell and the coaching staff were really supportive and I felt like they can fulfil my dream of getting into the NBA.
“I really want to play in March Madness, it has been a dream of mine for a long time and I feel like at the school I’m at, I can definitely do that.
“I feel like we are in a great conference, the basketball quality over there is really good, they play really similar to Australian basketball unlike other teams, where it’s just isolation and they are a great team and I can’t wait to get over there.”
The chance to play in a prestigious basketballing city like San Francisco, where the Golden State Warriors play in the NBA, was another drawcard which O’Donnell is excited about.
“Here in Australia, especially in Canberra, there is not a lot of basketball going around, but being surrounded by basketball, going to the Warriors games and meeting all those players, it will be really good,” he said.
“It is a bit surreal, not long ago I was cut from a few teams and then last year I made the move to go down to Canberra for the NBA Academy and then things really took off from there.”
While O’Donnell has his sights set on making the NBA, he is also eager to complete a degree at San Francisco and stay for the full four years in college.
“Obviously if something shows up for the NBA, I will definitely take it,” he said.
“But I definitely plan on getting all four years of my college done and getting a degree, so then after basketball I can rely on something.”
O’Donnell said the move to Canberra to enhance his game has helped him improve both on and off the court.
“It has been really good, I have developed my game a lot down there both offensively and defensively and I feel like I am just becoming a better man,” he said.
One area of his game that he is eager to develop before heading stateside, is his jumpshot, which he believes is the final piece in the puzzle for him offensively.
“The thing I want to get better at is definitely my jumpshot,” O’Donnell said.
“I feel like right now, I am not as much of a threat as I could be on the offensive end.
“If I get a better jumpshot going, then I will be a lot harder to guard.”
On the floor, O’Donnell’s physical presence is as clear as day and he is hoping to use his stature to become an explosive attacking option like his idol Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“I have really liked watching Giannis,” he said.
“Obviously he is one of the most physically dominant players ever seen.
“He can use his strength really well, he uses his body and I like the way he plays with pace to head downhill.
“I want to be able to get downhill quick, push the ball and play fast, I feel like that would be really good for me.”
After back-to-back two-point wins to start the competition with Lake Ginninderra, O’Donnell is confident his side has the strength and depth to go all the way to the championship.
“I feel like we are the best team here,” he said.
“We can all play, all 10 of us can all go get a bucket but we have just got to play well on the defensive end and then the offence will come.”
TWEEDY’S LEAP OF FAITH PAYING OFF
The massive decision to move 700km away from home has paid dividends for Queensland rising star Ben Tweedy.
But The Southport School’s tall timber is adamant he still has one major checklist item before he calls it a success.
Tweedy has been in electric form to start the Basketball Australia School’s Championships, scoring a monster a 27-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist triple-double in game one and then backed it up with an impressive 24 points in his second game.
In 2021, the teenage point guard faced a major crossroads in his career and made the brave decision to swap the comfort of home in regional Queensland for the Gold Coast.
“I have been down here for two and a half years now,” Tweedy said. “I moved from my home in Rocky to come down to TSS with a goal to win the National Championship and that is where we are right now.
“I think the TSS program is one of the best in Australia, we have been back to the National Championships two years in a row now, something our school hadn’t done for a while.”
On top of representing his school on the Gold Coast, he has also been a member of the highly-talented Gold Coast Rollers NBL1 North team which claimed the title in 2022 and made the finals in 2023.
“I want to be a pro, so I am just trying to move up through the ranks at the Gold Coast Rollers,” he said.
“Playing and training every week with Jason Cadee, he is one of the best point guards in Australia to learn off and I take a lot away from it every time.
“He is a great leader of our group, especially last season and on that championship run the year before, so I am just trying to take things off him.”
With The Southport School playing in their home city, Tweedy and his side can feel the home-court advantage when they take to the floor.
It’s an advantage they have made the most of, undefeated at the halfway point of the tournament and guaranteed a spot in the quarter-finals.
“We are playing in our backyard right here and we’ve got families and friends coming out and watching every game,” Tweedy said.
“So to have that extra edge, we definitely feel it and that is exactly where we want to be.”
“It was good to get two wins, we came here with the idea that we wanted to start well and get rolling from the start.
“Our focus is to get better each game and we want to be the best team on day five, not day one, and I feel like we are building each game and getting better and better.”
While he has already notched a start in the NBL1 North, Tweedy said his ambitions lied further afield with the US college system firmly on his radar for next year.
But first, there is a national championship to be won.
Originally published as 2023 Basketball Australian School Championships Insider: All the stories behind day three’s action
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