We reveal the Toowoomba Mountaineers stars to watch at the under-18 state titles

As the Toowoomba Mountaineers prepare for the under-18 state titles, we reveal the key young guns to watch in this year’s competition. See who is set to star here.

The Queensland Basketball under-18 state championships are set to tip off this week with some of the best junior basketballers in the sunshine state set to battle it out.

The Toowoomba Mountaineers have sent three teams to the titles and we have revealed the key players to watch from each team.

Check out the players set to star for Toowoomba below.

Division 2 girls

Matt Cox is spearheading the under-18 girls’ side as coach and his side enters the titles off the back of an impressive regular season, where they picked up nine wins from 14 games.

“Defensively I think we were really, really good, in the second half of the season we held teams under 50 points,” Cox said.

“If you can do that you’ll always be quite competitive, there was a lot of effort and attention to detail on the defensive end.”

Cox said defence would be critical again at the state titles and also highlighted four players who would hold the key for his team.

Millie Natalier for the Toowoomba Mountaineers. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Millie Natalier: “Millie obviously she has been a fantastic scorer across the last few years but we want her to be involved scoring and also as a facilitator and unlocking the offence,” Cox said.

Kaley Markey: “Millie had some time out of the line up and Kaley really stepped up in the point guard position,” Cox said.

“She was really the primary point of attack and she showed some really good things so we are expecting a big state championships.”

Lucy Topp of the Toowoomba Mountaineers. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Lucy Topp and Hauani Epetahaui: “Those two came through playing youth league last year and we hadn’t had much size in previous seasons,” Cox said.

“So to have those two while we have two high level guards, they allow us to rebound the ball much easier which allows us to complete those defensive possessions and get into transition.”

Division 4 Boys

Assistant coach Jason Croft has been a key part of the coaching staff this season and is confident the squad can lift its game at the titles.

“We had a couple of good wins early in the regular season and lost to Logan Thunder in the last few seconds,” he said.

“Things kind of fell away after that, we had moments when we looked good but also some big losses.

“Our defence was a big part, we didn’t defend with the intensity we needed to so it (defence) has been a big focus heading into the titles.

“The points are there for us in offence, particularly in the transition, but we need to box out, defend better and force turnovers.”

Zach Harvey: “A solid all-round player for us. He’s been our captain all season and really leads the team in offence particularly in transition.”

Harry Young: “Harry was great for us at the start of the season before he got appendicitis and had to have his appendix removed. He’s back now and will be a great addition for the titles. He can play at either guard, sets up the offence and is great at settling the team down.”

Rain Agno: “A strong defender who also handles the ball really well. We had a trial game against our under-16s and a few shots started to drop for him – you can see the (shooting) confidence and form coming back which will be good for him and the team.”

Division 5 boys

Sean Connelly has taken on the role as under-18 head coach for the state titles after Jason Krienke led the side during regular season and said spirits were high within the Mountaineers camp.

“They are looking good, they have been through some ups and downs but they’ve been working pretty hard in this holiday period and they are pretty confident going into state champs,” Connelly said.

With the side only having limited depth, Connelly said a major focus for the team will be ensuring they stay out of foul trouble as much as possible.

While he didn’t oversee the team during the regular season, there are two names which Connelly is excited to see at this week’s titles.

Will Campbell: “Will Campbell is going to bring a lot of athleticism and intensity to the program,” Connelly said.

Connor Stanton: “Just brings smarts and he’s a high IQ player and he’s been developing his game over the last six months doing extra sessions and it is starting to come into fruition,” Connelly said.