HORSHAM juniors shone bright at the Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup in Albury last week with Jordie McAuliffe contributing to her team’s gold medal.
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Eloise Wills, Ben Hobbs, Austin and Jeremiah McKenzie and McAuliffe all competed for Victoria against the best junior basketball players in the country.
McAuliffe, who played junior basketball at Horsham before relocating to Ballarat for school, had a memorable week at the tournament with the under-18s girl’s Vic Goldminers team.
They went through the group stage unbeaten in their seven games, booking a spot in the gold medal match on Saturday.
They played their state rivals the Vic Bushrangers in the championship match.
The Goldminers, as they were all tournament, were strong, and put in a solid display to win gold.
The scoreline read 83-42 in favour of the Goldminers, with McAuliffe playing a big part in the win.
She shot four three pointers for the game, helping her team finish off their week on the perfect note.
It was a good experience to play against really talented athletes.
- Jordie McAuliffe
McAuliffe said the tournament provided her with a good opportunity to test herself.
“It was a good experience to play against really talented athletes,” she said.
“There were a few girls that are going to the Australian Institute of Sport. It was a really good week and I loved every bit of it. We got along really well and came together as a team.”
McAuliffe said the team clicked right from the beginning in the gold medal match.
“We got off to a good start and we gradually built each quarter,” she said. “There was a time in one quarter when they couldn’t score for six minutes.”
There were also good results for other Horsham juniors throughout the week.
Wills, competing in the under-14 girls, and Hobbs and Austin McKenzie in the under-16 boys, all went through the pool stage undefeated.
Wills’ Goldminers side fell short of the gold medal game, but had the chance to play off for third position..
They came up against fellow Victorians the Vic Bushrangers, but lost 54-29. Wills top scored for her side with seven points.
Hobbs and Austin McKenzie’s Goldminers team were put to the test when they faced NSW Waratahs in the gold medal match.
Hobbs and McKenzie had been in solid scoring form for the whole tournament. That continued in the championship-deciding game, with the Horsham teammates top scoring for the Goldminers with 15 points each. Despite their good form, the Goldminers lost a close one 88-72.
Jeremiah McKenzie also had a good tournament with the under-18s Goldminers. They finished the pool stage in third position.
That earned them a spot in the play off for third, where they went down to SA Sharks by just eight points, 42-34.
