Geraldton squads come away with mixed results as local stars named in country week side

Geraldton teams had mixed results as the Basketball WA State Championships began over the weekend. Geraldton had five squads in action across the under-13s and under-15s boys’ divisions with the second under-15s boys making it to the final rounds. The squad won their opening four matches led by powerful performances from Koby Browne and Sheldon Nelly, who both finished inside the top 10 point scorers for the competition with 54 and 52, respectively. However, they came up short in their final group game against Willetton Tigers to miss out on a perfect record by only four points. They led 17-16 at the half but were held to only 11 second-half points. Browne and Nelly were held to their lowest scores combining for only nine points as fouls cost them, giving away nine points from the free-throw line while only getting three themselves. The result still saw them finish at the top of the table thanks to their superior percentage, but they were blown away in their semifinal by a second Willeton Tigers side as they put up only five points in the first half. They made a better fist of it in the second but fell to a heavy 43-20 defeat. The other under-15s squad missed out on finals after much like their senior counterparts, Rockingham Flames spoiled their tilt at finals. Needing a win from their final group game to make it to the finals the Flames outclassed them 35-29 after a 19-10 opening half despite an outstanding performance from Max De San Miguel, who scored 20 points to keep their competition alive. The third under-15s side just missed out on finals by a percentage after a 19-point loss in their final game against Perry Lakes Hawks dragged their percentage down to finish in fifth place. The under-13s side one had a torrid start to their tournament after a 54-6 blowout against the Hawks killed their finals chances because of the percentage loss. However, they turned it around to win their next two games, including a strong second half against the South West Slammers to steal a one-point win and finish in fifth. The second under 13s side were unlucky finishing with a positive percentage but missing out on finals with a draw in their third game proving costly. They won their opening two games comfortably but they could not be separated against the South West Slammers with the teams trading baskets the whole game on the way to a 28-all draw. Losses in their last two games saw them finish in fifth on five points just one point behind the Flames in fourth. Had they won that Slammer match they would have played finals thanks to their superior percentage. However, there was some good news for some other Geraldton basketball young guns as three players were selected in the under-18 country men’s and women’s squads for 2023. Robert (Bob) Griechen is there after a stellar start to the season averaging 21 points a game in the men’s division one while going at 16 points in the under-18s competition. Jake Criddle has also been named with the youngster showing strong form in the under-16s comp while also playing a couple of games in men’s division 2. Millie Gerryen was picked in the women’s side after dominating the local under-18s competition averaging more than 23 points a game. She was also one of Pumas’ best in the women’s competition being the second leading scorer for Pumas behind Mikenna Schuklz. The WA State championships will continue this weekend with the girls’ starting on Saturday with Geraldton entering three squads.