Three of Basketball Mount Gambier’s talented juniors, Lachlan Hunter, Tenille Gray and Brenna McKay, will represent SA Country at the Australian Under 16 Basketball Championships being played in Geelong from July 5^th to 12^th. All three Lakers came home from Albury with Gold Medals after wins in the Australian Country Cup in January. Gray and McKay played pivotal roles in Albury while Hunter finished the week in impressive form after recovering from injury.

They are leading players for their respective clubs in Under 16 competitions and are gaining valuable experience in the SECBL competitions. Tenille is currently the leading scorer for Cougars women and Brenna McKay is quickly developing her game inside the paint for Panthers who are in desperate need of a “tall”. Lachlan Hunter is making the most of his court time in Bulldogs senior Men’s team and has forged his way into their starting five in recent weeks. Melissa Rathjen of Mount Gambier is Manager of the Girls’ team.

Millicent players Alana Winter and Olivia Fuller are also members of the state team along with Millicent’s Basketball Manager Peter Seebohm, in the role of Assistant Coach.

These National Championships provide the pathway from participation through to elite competitions for the nation’s junior basketballers. They allow the top juniors of each state to display their talents against the best in their age group across the country.

The Girls’ Championship Trophy is named after Queensland coaching legend, Maureen Connolly and the Boys after Robert Young, one of the most influential figures in Queensland Basketball. As part of the ongoing strategy to promote respect of the officials by players, coaching staff and supporters, Basketball Australia has introduced the Fair Play Award, which is based on the positive values of respect, competitive understanding and cooperation.

Last year the titles were won by the NSW Country Girls and the Victoria Metro Boys for the twelfth year in a row. SA Country Girls won Silver medals in 2009 when they were defeated by Vic. Metro 61-55. Mount Gambier’s Sam Loughhead was captain of the team but missed the title match through injury and Trevor Semmens was Head Coach.

WNBL players Stephanie Talbot and Alex Wilson were also members of this team.

The 2014 Championships present huge assignments for the SA Country teams; they both meet powerhouse Vic. Metro in their opening games on Saturday July 5^th. The SA Country Girls play at 1pm while the Boys play after the Opening Ceremony before one would expect a big crowd of Victorian supporters. 

Other teams in the SA Country Girls’ pool are last year champion NSW Country, New Zealand, ACT, WA Metro and Queensland North. The SA Country Boys will line up against NSW Metro, Queensland North, Tasmania, ACT, and WA Country.

The Grand Finals and Classification Games will be played on Saturday July 12^th. 

Photo courtesy - The Border Watch