Junior Miners Celebrate in Bendigo

The Junior Ballarat Miners have spent the Australia Day long weekend in Bendigo competing in the annual McDonalds Bendigo Classic.

With all 15 junior teams in attendance, there was plenty of Miners Basketball to watch across the Bendigo region with the Miners playing across 10 different stadiums.

Basketball Ballarat’s Elite Teams Administrator Glenn White said “Bendigo is our first tournament for the year and provides us with a great opportunity to compete and compare ourselves coming into the Basketball Victoria Country Championships”.

White added, “We had some great success with 12 teams making the finals with three in grand finals with our Under 16 Boys taking home the Championship Division Championship.”

Head Coach of the Under 16 Boys Championship winning boys Chris Thornton said “Our team goes 10 players deep on talent and I couldn’t be any prouder of this team and their efforts over the weekend.

Thornton added, “We played some attractive basketball on both ends of the floor combined with the best culture you could ask remaining positive, encouraging each other and most of all respect which resulted in our Championship on the weekend.”

Basketball Ballarat Director of Coaching Luke Sunderland said, “With all of our first teams making at least the semi-finals in their respective divisions, it was a great weekend of quality basketball and great to see all of the teams supporting each other every game”.

Sunderland continued “Most teams will now shift their focus back to the VJBL season which re-starts on Friday with our first teams also looking towards Country Champs in February and March”

Final Standings

Under 12 Boys 1 – Championship Division -  3^rd – Semi-Final loss to Warrnambool 39-41

Under 12 Boys 2 – Division 2 – 4^th in Pool D – 3 wins, 2 losses

Under 12 Girls 1 – Championship Division -  4^th – Semi-Final loss to Warrnambool 23-35

Under 12 Girls 2 – Division 2 – 1^st in Pool C – Semi-Final loss to Wangaratta 13-14

Under 14 Boys 1 – Championship Division -  2^nd – Grand final loss to Bendigo 26-45

Under 14 Boys 2 – Division 2 – 1^st in Pool C – Quarter Final loss to Maryborough 27-38

Under 14 Girls 1 – Championship Division -  2^nd - Grand final loss to Bendigo 24-31

Under 14 Girls 2 – Division 1 – 2^nd in Pool B – Semi-Final loss to Horsham 7-27

Under 16 Boys 1 – Championship Division -  1^st – Grand Final WIN against Geelong 49-43

Under 16 Boys 2 – Division 2 – 3^rd in Pool C – 3 wins, 1 loss

Under 16 Girls 1 – Championship Division -  3^rd – Semi-Final loss to Wodonga 49-59

Under 16 Girls 2 – Division 1 – 3^rd – Semi-Final loss to Swan Hill 28-29

Under 18 Boys 1 – Championship Division -  3^rd – Semi-Final loss to Wodonga 24-40

Under 18 Boys 2 – Division 1 – 7^th in Pool B

Under 18 Girls  – Division 1 -  3^rd – Semi-Final loss to Wangaratta 24-34