Ballarat played host to an electrifying week of basketball action, culminating in championship clashes which saw three peats, clutch moments and young stars making long lasting impressions.
Kim Larkin Fair Play Award - ACT Ivor Burge Women
U20 Men’s
Victoria Navy def Queensland (95-77)
The top two teams in the tournament locked horns in a highly anticipated final. Victoria was ferocious in the opening quarter and stamped their authority early on by jumping out to an eight-point lead at quarter time.
Queensland wrestled back control with a big second quarter led by a strong first half showing from tournament back-to-back tournament MVP Roman Siulepa to take the lead into the half, 41-44. The third quarter continued to be a tussle, with multiple lead changes before a Kynan McMahon three-pointer gave Queensland a one-point lead into three quarter time.
However, Ryder Cheesman and Austin Foxwell silenced Queensland to run away with the game and win convincingly by 18 points to leave Ballarat with the Jack Terrill Trophy.
MVP - Roman Siulepa (QLD)
Defensive Player - Jacob Furphy (TAS)
U20 Women’s
Queensland def by New South Wales (64-69)
Queensland and New South Wales set up for a state of origin decider for the gold medal which didn’t disappoint.
Both teams had waves of momentum, trading the lead multiple times throughout the match. Queensland led at both quarter time and half time before Ruby Perkins willed New South Wales back into the contest, knocking down crucial three-pointers to get New South Wales in front at three quarter time.
The fourth quarter was an arm wrestle, However Perkins continued to knock down big shots, finishing with 25 points.
New South Wales prevailed by five points, 64-69 to claim gold and take the Arthur McRobbie Trophy.
MVP - Ruby Perkins (NSW)
Defensive Player - Tianna Bond (QLD)
Ivor Burge Mens
South Australia def by Victoria (51-116)
Victoria claimed their three-peat at the Ivor Burge Men’s competition with a comprehensive victory over South Australia in the final. Victoria held a lead at the first break after a tightly contested opening quarter, 25-20. However, after the first break Victoria broke the shackles, running rampant in the second quarter with a massive 21-point differential for the term, extending their lead to 26 points at the half, 29-55.
The remainder of the match followed suit, with Victoria navigating their way to a 65-point win to claim the gold.
Victoria had a plethora of contributors on offense - none better than Jake De La Motte, dropping 39 points on an impressive 14/22 shots and seven rebounds. He was accompanied by Jack Inella with 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
The duo put the game beyond belief to secure a third consecutive gold medal for Victoria at the Ivor Burge Mens championships.
MVP - Jake De La Motte (VIC)
Defensive Player - Zachary Georg-Dent (SA)
Ivor Burge Women’s
Victoria def Australian Capital Territory (94-51)
The Ivor Burge women’s Gold Medal game opened the account at Ballarat in what proved to be a decisive showing from Victoria.
Victoria was the team to beat for the entire tournament and showed out in the final with an all-around display.
The opening quarter saw both teams trade blows as Victoria scraped to a narrow three-point lead at the first break, 18-15.
In the second half Victoria began to take control of the game, extending the lead to seven points at the half, 40-33. From there it was an emphatic showing from Victoria, commanding the second half and walking away with an emphatic 43-point win to claim the gold.
MVP - Montana Haag (VIC)
Defensive Player - Brittany Anderson (NSW)
Box scores from the National Champs can be found here.
