Hawks down Trades in thriller as junior and amateur basketball season comes to a close

The Geraldton Amateur Basketball season has officially come to a close as junior basketball finals took place over the weekend with some thrilling encounters. The highlight was the division one boys 18 final with the Hawks winning the championship by a single point against Trades, 49-48. After the disappointment of the men’s one final Robert Greichen was the dominant force to help his team over the line with 27 points scoring more than 55 per cent of his team’s points. He was awarded MVP and was the only Hawk to record double digits. But it could have been different, with Campbell Surtees and Angus Krins combining for 33 points and Trades having the ball in the dying seconds of the match. They got the shot off in time but it bounced off the rim to leave the minor premiers with the runners-up medals by only one point. Greichen was also runner-up for the season MVP with Quinton Narkle taking the overall award with 316 points from his 15 games. In contrast, the girls final was one-sided with Pumas completing a perfect season with a 54-21 thumping of Trades in the final. Millie Gerreyn, who was named season MVP, was the star with 30 points single-handedly outscoring Trades with support from Sienna Forsyth (14). Trades didn’t have the firepower to match Pumas but then no one has this season as they have been the standout in the competition. In the boys 16 final Lucas Ronan led Stateside past the Pumas with 23 points in an MVP performance with 14 from O’Shea Burke in the 52-36 victory. Holly Baynes was the difference in a closely fought girls 16 final with her 13 points proving crucial in the 23-21 victory. She finished well clear at the top of the scoring charts for the league. The boys 14 saw country week all-stars Max De San Miguel and Riley Fong face off with De San Miguel and his Trades side running over the top of the Pumas 69-42. De San Miguel finished with a game-high 34 points leaving Fong’s 20-point effort in vain. Kealee Poland’s 25 points were enough to see Stateside overcome the Pumas in the girls 14 final but Sharntay Westberg took MVP with her 13 points and work on the defensive end.