Our fantastic basketballers picked up well deserved bronze medals in the Grand Finals at the Vertu Motors Arena in Newcastle on Friday night.

Since qualifying for the finals, I have been very impressed with how the children have been driven to enjoy their practises and improve. A difficult draw saw us paired with Stanhope in the semi finals who had beaten us (10-2) in qualifying.

However, our team had grown a lot in recent weeks and were more than ready for the challenge. Despite falling behind in the first few seconds, we responded by taking the game to the opposition. A mixture of good passing and driving runs forward saw us build up pressure, as we searched for an equaliser. Half way through the match we deservedly drew level with an excellent looping shot from Joseph. We continued to maintain the initiative and were unfortunate on a few occasions not to take the lead.

However, Stanhope were an excellent opponent and were always a threat on the break. Literally on the hooter, against the run of play Stanhope scored a decisive basket to book their place in the final and to conclude a spectacular contest.

I was so proud of our players for not only their response to going behind, but for the way they showcased their skills in such a grand arena. After getting past us in by far the game of the night, Stanhope went on to comfortably win the final.

Congratulations to our basketballers on contributing so much to a brilliant match. With the majority of our squad being so young, it felt that this wasn’t just the end of a great cup run, but also just the beginning of an exciting new side.

Thank you to our amazing parents and staff who supported the team so positively in Newcastle. Our children did themselves and their school proud, as they grew immeasurably on a wonderful sporting night.