Richard Bartlett lifts Geraldton Buccaneers to Country Week title with a commanding display

After more than a month of non-stop basketball action, Geraldton have finished their Basketball WA Country Championships on a high thanks to a dominant grand final performance from Richard Bartlett. Geraldton sent two senior teams to compete in what was the final weekend of the country championships, with both reaching the grand final decider. But it was the division five side that came away with the trophy after they got over the line by five points against Jerramungup 54-49, thanks to a 22-point effort from Bartlett. Geraldton cruised through their weekend matches, winning all five of their games. An all-around team effort easily had Busselton’s measure 54-39 before Mitchell Dzelebdzic led the Buccs past Newdegate with 22 points in a 60-33 smashing. Bartlett laid down his first marker of the weekend with 20 points in a 53-44 win over Pemberton before he and Dzelebdzic combined for 30 points to overpower Collie in a come-from-behind 47-32 victory. Four Buccs reached double figures in their 30-point cruise past Cunderdin. But Monday saw their first hiccup as they lost a low-scoring battle to the also undefeated Tom Price, giving up a seven-point half-time lead to fall 29-26. The loss had the Buccs finish second in the group to face Waroona in the semifinal. The Buccs started strongly but three straight threes from Waroona’s Bailey Gallop made it a one-point game heading into the half. Another early in the second half had them up by four and the Buccs were still trailing with five minutes to go. But Bj Quartermaine and Luke Dewstow-Smith combined down the stretch to wrestle the momentum and the lead back to prevail 46-42. They faced Jerramungup in the final after they stunned Tom Price but Bartlett had saved his best to last. Just a week after he was on the end of the Olympians’ heartbreaking grand final loss, Bartlett would not be denied again with eight points in five minutes as the Buccs jumped to a 12-point lead. He finished with 14 for the half but Jerramungup got on a run late to close the gap to five points. But Bartlett and Dzelebdzic combined for an 11-point run to put the game beyond Jerramungup and take home the title. Bartlett finished with 124 points across his nine games, the second-best for the division, and took home the grand final MVP medal. The division three side did not get off to as quite a good start as their counterparts, losing two of their first three games after big second-half fade-outs. But the Buccs found their feet against Denmark, Waroona and Busselton to qualify for finals, where they defeated Dampier 44-40 in the semis. Waroona were their grand final opponents but the Buccs could not repeat their group stage efforts and had to settle for the silver medal.