Mackay championship a dream for Kita

Nikita Muscat first picked up a basketball in Mackay and now 20 years later to celebrate an NBL1 North championship with the Meteorettes is a dream come true especially to share it with the local community and her long-time teammates and coach Ross Jensen.

She might have undergone a change of surname along the way having married Justin, but whether Nikita has gone by Van Wyk or now Muscat, playing for the Meteorettes has been, and still is, a massive part of her life.

To have come through all the representative teams with Mackay and to break into the senior program and to now have been part of the NBL1 set up since that came into existence, to say it's a massive part of her life is a massive understatement.

She has been captain and a mainstay of the program with the ultimate goal of getting back to those glory days when the Meteorettes won a three-peat with the 2012-13-14 championships which she still remembers cheering on as a young fan, and a future Meteorette.

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>> NORTH GRAND FINAL | BALDWIN RULES AS MACKAY TAKE CHARGE

It has been a bit of a journey that Nikita has been on with the Meteorettes too through the existence of the NBL1 with finals appearances in 2021, 2022 and 2025, but through seasons as well with just a combined 10-26 record across 2023-24.

They then finished the 2026 regular season at 11-5 in fourth place but they had beaten top team Logan Thunder along the way and had pushed the Cairns Dolphins to give them heart of what they were capable of.

Mackay then beat the Northside Wizards and Logan to reach the Grand Final series but still they had to do it on the road to Courtney Woods and the Townsville Flames.

But the Meteorettes produced dominant Game 1 and 3 performances and to now have been living life as NBL1 North champions since that Sunday triumph has been a dream come true for Nikita.

"Honestly it means more than anyone would know," Muscat said.

"I’ve played at Mackay Basketball for 20 years, in every rep team, and now in this program.

"I used to sit and watch the Meteorettes hoping one day I would have the opportunity to represent my club and that’s a dream that came true, but to win, is so much more than that."

Mackay championship a dream come true

What makes a club like the Meteors/Meteorettes so special is the connection they have with their community in Mackay and it also means that a lot of the players grow up playing together, and can end up playing NBL1 with each other.

That's exactly what has happened with Nikita with this Meteorettes team having now played for a long time with the likes of Charli Kenny, Chelsea Brook, Monique Bobongie and Cheyenne Bobongie.

A championship at a club she has spent a lifetime at would always be special, but to do it with some lifelong friends makes it mean all the more to Nikita too.

"Winning the championship was always something I dreamt of, especially with this group," Nikita said.

"Having known so many of these girls especially the young ones since they were so small, it was like winning something huge with your family.

"Winning that third game is something we knew we would do, but having it come to light was a dream come true."

Grand Final Series with Townsville

Considering Mackay and Townsville both beat this season's top two teams Logan and Cairns to reach the Grand Final series, it always was going to be a fascinating best-of-three series up in Far North Queensland across a weekend.

The Meteorettes came out and dominated Game 1 winning 107-78 with import centre River Baldwin showing the way but the Flames had the league's MVP Courtney Woods and responded to win Game 2 82-76 to force the series to a decider.

Townsville were rocked with Woods being unavailable having been ruled out with concussion, but considering how dominant Mackay were in Game 1 that shouldn’t take away the performance they produced in Game 3 to win the championship on the Sunday.

The Meteorettes went on to win 120-87 to win a first championship since the 2012-13-14 three-peat, and Nikita was glad they did it by playing their way in Games 1 and 3.

"We definitely played our style of basketball the first and third game, and everyone knew their role and played to their strengths," Nikita said.

"Having some amazing shooters in this team and then also the inside presence of River and Chelsea, we looked good when we played our game. It was still a battle but we did it together, all 10 people contributed in a huge way."

Coach Jensen deserves plenty of credit

It's one thing to have a group of players who enjoy each other's company and playing with one another, but it all needs to be brought together by the person in charge.

Mackay coach Ross Jensen has grown as a coach with a lot of the Meteorettes players which has undoubtedly helped and as the likes of Monique and Cheyenne Bobongie have grown into superstars, he's been there to provide them with their chance to shine.

He continues to maintain that core group of locals with the Meteorettes while then finding the perfect fits to bring in from the outside and in the end, the additions of River Baldwin and Sammie Puisis were the ideal fits to deliver Mackay the 2026 championship.

"Ross has known lots of these girls for a long time so he just knows how they play and he’s coached some of them and built them into the players they are today," Nikita said.

"So the combination of that and then him knowing and seeing how the rest of us can contribute in our own ways definitely made us all play to our strengths and get the outcome that we wanted especially in this finals series.

"Ross was big on the fact that this team has 10 scorers not just two, so we always felt empowered to go at it."

Couldn't ask for a better team

Win or lose, make finals or not, win a championship or not, and this Meteorettes team that Nikita is part of is like a family to her.

Some of the teammates are lifelong friends, some of them she might have only met this year but has developed a bond that will last forever. It's how the team chemistry also grows by being in a community like Mackay that Nikita feels makes it such a special environment.

"These girls are my family," Nikita said.

"The young ones I see as my little sisters and we protect them on and off the court at all costs, but we train hard, and they match the intensity and energy every single week.

"These young girls have so much they can still do in basketball and we are so proud of them. And then us 'older' girls, we all just look after each other, there’s no segregation, we all hang out, everyone gets along, which I think really translates into our chemistry and the way we play on court."

National Finals in Adelaide

There is still one more job for this Meteorettes team of 2026 to complete too and that's the NBL1 National Finals this weekend in Adelaide.

That will see them in a Friday match up against the Waverley Falcons of the NBL1 South. Even if Mackay are down a couple of key players, they aren’t alone in that and Nikita is looking forward to the weekend away with her championship teammates.

"We are definitely looking forward to this weekend," Nikita said.

"Even though we are down a couple pieces we know we can all play, and we are going in with the mindset to win."

Can't complain about life away from basketball either

While her basketball career is at a high point right now following the championship with the Meteorettes, Nikita has no complaints away from the court either and couldn’t be happier with married life with husband Justin.

"Married life has been good, I’m fortunate to have a husband who understands all of the craziness of basketball and supports my dreams," she said.

"He sits and cheers at every game and overall everyone is great."