Basketball
12 November, 2024
Hornets claim four titles in successful tournament
The Horsham Hornets representative teams won four grand finals and came runner-up in another at the Horsham Intersport Junior Classic Basketball Tournament on the weekend.
The Hornets won the Under-12 girls' grand final against the Colac Kookas by one point at St Brigid's College.
Georgia Skurrie was influential in the first half as the Hornets took a five-point lead at halftime. The Cookas came back in the second half, but the Hornets held on to win by a point, 21-20. Skurrie finished with six points, and Torah Perry shot five in the victory.
In the under-14 division one girls' grand final, the Hornets lost by one point. Trailing by two at halftime, the game was close, and it was decided in the final seconds, with Hamilton winning 25-24. Stephanie Plazzer scored a game-high nine points for the Hornets, with Lexi Kleinitz the next best on the court with seven.
The Hornets' under-16 boys division one side defeated the Colac Kookas by four points. Leading 23-16 at half-time, the Hornets held on in the last quarter with the Kookas charging at them hard.
Charlie Hobbs scored an equal game-high 12 points in the win, with Aiden Reinheimer scoring 11.
The Hornets' under-18 boys defeated the Terang Tornadoes by three points in the last grand final on Sunday.
It was a tight first half, with the Tornadoes taking a two-point lead into half-time. In the second half, the Hornets started to get on top with Harrison Millar the star with 13 points as the Hornets won 38-35.
The Hornets' under-16 girls division one team cruised to a nine-point win over the Hamilton Hurricanes.
They led by nine points at half-time and then held that lead in a tight last quarter to win 28-19. Lani King led the way with seven points, and Hailey Tippet scored five.
Under-16s girls coach Jordy Burke said he was proud of the girls.
"They did well, and I am extremely proud of them," Burke said.
"We came runners-up in Warrnambool, and the girls, at home, in front of their friends and family, wanted to win, and they did.
"We had a good tournament overall, and it was a good game, and even though the scoreboard may have said differently, we didn't feel comfortable at any stage. The girls played well."
"Lani King is a leader for us and was great, and Ruby Williams coming back from an ankle injury was solid, and Ruby Janetzki was good as our main tall."
"I told the girls after the tournament that they all contributed at different stages and all pitched in. It takes a whole team to contribute over the five games."
Burke said the nerves were there even though they were excited to play in front of their home crowd.
"I told them to focus on the game, and that's the joy of basketball, especially when you can play in front of big crowds," Burke said.
"When the nerves settled, they soaked it up, and it was a good experience for kids that age.
"To have their family and friends there that they wouldn't have at other tournaments was nice for them to share it with."
"It was also good to see some good results from the local sides. The crowds were good, and I thought it was a nice tournament."