Sport
3 February, 2025
Young Hornets come out firing to begin Portland basketball tournament
Horsham had three teams compete in Portland on February 1 and 2.
Basketball
Portland
The Horsham Hornets junior representative teams have had a strong start to the Portland junior tournament.
Three teams took to the floor on February 1 and 2.
The under-16 girls Morrison went undefeated on the way to the championship, while the under-18 girls Grace squad were defeated in the grand final.
For the under-16 boys Dougherty squad, they claimed two wins from four matches.
Daniel Morrison's team had wins against Hamilton, Port Fairy, BDU Lightning, Warrnambool and a tie with a second Warrnambool side in pool play.
Before nine points from Nyah Dougherty and Maya Przibilla secured the 28-26 victory in the decider.
Przibilla was the stand across the six matches with 81 points.
Matt Grace's squad had victories against BDU Lightning, Koroit White, and Koroit Red in pool play.
They cemented their play in the championship game with victories against Koroit Black and Koroit White, before 53-19 loss to the home town Coasters.
Both Ilze Van Zyl and Hannah Plazzer had impacted the tournament on the offensive end.
Van Zyl scored 58 total points while Plazzer added 56.
Hugh Dougherty's side had pool victories against Ararat and Mount Gambier and defeats to BDU Lightning and Warrnambool.
Zac Martin finished each game with double-digit points and totalled 60 for the tournament.
Horsham's under-14 girls Webb squad will round out action from Portland on February 8 and 9 before the focus shifts to the junior country championships.