EUROA Basketball Association came into last weekend Benalla Basketball Association Junior Tournament looking for an opportunity for their Representative Teams to continue to build towards the Junior Country Championships for each age group in the coming months. With teams entered in all age groups from under 12s through to under 18s, it was already seen as a positive weekend for the association, but by the end of the action on Sunday afternoon both the under 16 Boys and under 18 Boys had taken out the division two titles in their age group which was a fantastic result for the association. EBA representative coordinator Amanda Gebauer was proud of the efforts of all the teams, recognising the two titles, “Amazing results for our small association to have two teams win the Benalla Tournament," she said. "Hard work and effort from players, coaches and parents has been rewarded." The U16 Boys started their weekend with a loss to Myrtleford but were able to turn that around to take wins against Mansfield, Wodonga and Wangaratta to finish top of their group on percentage from rival Myrtleford. This saw the talented Euroa team face off against Deniliquin, who had gone through their pool games undefeated, in the grand final. Deniliquin showed they were a quality side and started with a 11 to three point run before Euroa regrouped and found themselves with a five point lead at half time after a 15 to two run. In a tight second half the margin was never more than a few points and ultimately Euroa was able to seal the win late in game through some free throws, after Deniliquin got themselves into foul trouble, coming out winners 35 to 33. Coach Luis Cassanova said of the weekend, “After a season of ups and downs the U16s showcased what Euroa Basketball is about, hard work, determination and a team first approach.” The under 18 Boys faced Cobram, Myrtleford, Kerang and Mansfield in their pool games and put together strong performances in each game to come away undefeated through their qualifying games. With Euroa and Cobram finishing top two on the ladder they would again do battle in the grand final to decide who took out the tournament in the division two competition. In what started as a repeat of their earlier pool game on the Saturday it proved to be a defensive battle between the two teams as scoring was proving difficult in the first half, ending six to four with Euroa holding the small advantage. The second half saw the Euroa boys gradually build a gap through patience offence and a continued focus on team defence as the game started to come to the Magpies and the final buzzer saw them finish with a six point win, 29 to 23. Euroa U18 Boys coach Sam Gebauer was impressed with his team’s performance after one player sustained an injury on the Saturday leaving them with only six active players for the final day. “After a season riddled with injuries, going undefeated to win the final was such a rewarding way to cap off the regular season," Gebauer said. “Each of the athletes embodied the spirit and culture we have worked hard to build in this club, proud to be a Magpie." The under 12 mixed and under 14 Boys teams continued to show positive development across the weekend with some competitive results. The two teams will head to the Wangaratta U12 and U14 Junior Tournament over the weekend of March 9 and 10 to continue their representative seasons. EBA ‘held’ their AGM Monday evening and are looking for locals to get involved, if you would like to get involved by being part of the committee or just want further information about the programs provided by EBA, please contact the association on euroabaskatballassociation@gmail.com.
