Horsham Hornets under-12s win basketball title at 2020 Bendigo Junior Classic

The under-12s claimed the division one title with a one-point victory against Echuca in the grand final.

In a tight and tense ending, Bodey Wilde scored the game-winning free-throw for the Hornets with just 20 seconds left on the clock. Riley Downer top-scored for the side with 19 points, and averaged 14 per game for the tournament.

Coach Josh Friend said it was due reward for the hard work his side had put in.

"The capabilities they have already is unreal. Their effort and their ability is incredible - you forget they are just 10-year-olds," Friend said.

"They've been training so hard - probably about 20 hours of training a week.

"They get there half-an-hour early and stay there for half an hour after. It's just awesome to get this reward."

Friend said it was extra special after losing a grand final by one point with the same group back in October.

In other results, the Horsham Hornets under-18s finished runners-up in the championship division.

The Hornets went through the group stage of the tournament undefeated, winning all five games including a tight two-point victory against Sunbury.

The Hornets then won their way through to the final with a classy 68-58 semi-final win against the Shepparton Gators, with Hornets' star Austin McKenzie shooting the lights out.

McKenzie showed he was a class above his competition, hitting eight three-pointers on the way to a game-high 37 points. It matched his 37-point outing against the Warrnambool Seahawks in the Hornets' final pool game.

The Hornets then came up against the highly credentialed Bendigo Braves in the final, who had gone through the tournament undefeated with an average winning margin of 41 points.

Among Bendigo's starting five was Australian representative and NBA Global Academy player Dyson Daniels.

The Hornets fought hard in the contest, remaining within touching distance of the star-studded Braves and trailing by just six points by quarter time.

But Bendigo pulled away in the second quarter, as the Hornets began to show signs of fatigue after a hectic three days of basketball. Bendigo eventually prevailed 48-90.

McKenzie led the way for the Hornets across the tournament, averaging 25 points per contest, while big-man Matthew Brown had a fantastic three days, averaging 11 points per game.

the under-14 boys and under-16 girls fought hard in the championship division, competing against some of the biggest basketball associations in the state.

Horsham Basketball Association president Owen Hughan said every side learned a lot across the three days. Mr Hughan said Horsham continued to punch above its weight as a small association.

"I think every team represented the association really well and we had some great results," he said.

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