Under-17s girls miss out on the finals by slim percentage at State Basketball Championships

The Geraldton under-17 girls suffered heartbreak by missing out on playing in the finals by just 4 per cent at the basketball State Championships. In the fourth week of the championships, Geraldton had three teams competing over the weekend. Playing in division three, the Buccaneers under-17 girls side had their first game on December 9 against Binar. Geraldton fell behind early but a 25-point second half let them run away with a 36-28 win. They were up against the Mandurah Magic during their second match, and this time it was Geraldton who dropped the ball in the second half as they fell 22-18 against the eventual champions. The girls squad went on a run after dropping that game, winning three straight to finish with a 4-1 record. However, this had them tied at second with Mandurah, but it was the Magic that went on to play in the finals because they finished with a percentage of 153.01 to Geraldton’s percentage of 149.51. Geraldton had three girls finish inside the top 10 for scoring in the division, with Lucy Yowke, Holly Baynes and Millie Gerreyn — who was third overall. All but one other player in the top 10 made the finals, making their finish more impressive with the fewer games played. The under-17s boys had two teams competing in division two over the weekend. The pool A squad started their campaign strong with a 31-24 win over the Perth Redbacks, with Lucas Ronan scoring nine points in the win. However, the team didn’t find much tournament success after that win as they dropped their next three and finished seventh in their pool. The pool B team did better, starting with a 36-27 against the Lakeside Lightning as Sheldon Nelly led the stat lines with a 13-point game. In a back-to-back, their next match was against the Warwick Senators, but the Buccs squad fell by 22 points. They managed to bounce back in their final Saturday game against the Busselton Blazers, winning 42-36 with Angus Reynolds scoring 12. A loss in their final game saw them finish with a 2-2 record in fifth place in their pool.