The side triumphed 58 to 48 against the Gunners in the Club Championships. 

Hornets coach Damien Kilpatrick said that it was a good win for the young side.

“If someone told me before we came to the competition that we were guaranteed a top 10 spot in the nation I would have taken that with two hands,” he said. 

“We were in control of the whole game, we probably just couldn’t shake them the way we hoped.” 

The Hornets have put in a stella performance so far in the championships with young Benjamin Hobbs being in the top five goal shooters for a majority of the competition. 

Kilpatrick said his side probably should have won by more but commended how well Canberra chased the ball. 

“I had the opportunity to give all of the boys a run, which was also good,” he said. 

“Sam Breuer got going again this game – when he gets running the whole team plays well.” 

Kilpatrick said the younger boys had less time on the court but would benefit from the experience. 

“It was satisfying to get the win today, now we earned a shot on Saturday to get ninth,” he said. 

“Last night’s loss was disappointing but that’s reality, when you win earlier in the tournament teams just get harder.”  

Hornets were defeated by Knox in the first round of the second pool games by 20 goals, a side that was runners-up in the Victorian Junior Basketball League.  

“Knox will come away with a medal this tournament,” Kilpatrick said. 

“We didn’t embarrass ourselves while we were here – we were more than competitive for the tournament.

“This experience will make all the players better basketballers and hopefully we can get back together next year and defend our Victorian title.”