2018 UNDER-20 AND IVOR BURGE CHAMPS RECAP- DAY 6
Victoria have once again completed a clean sweep at the Champs, winning gold medals in all four competitions on the last day of the tournament. See how they did it with the game reports from Day 6 below.
Ivor Burge Women 5th Playoff: WA 94 def. SA 32
WA pushed out to an early lead courtesy of Kristy Carter (34 points, 20 rebounds, three blocks) and her defence alongside Emily Casella (15 points, 11 steals) ensured SA could never really get going. With a big advantage at quarter-time, WA were able to play their entire roster before Amy Howard had a solid final term for SA, finishing with 14 points.
Ivor Burge Women Bronze Medal: NSW Country 78 def. ACT 44
NSW Country quickly got to work inside as they battled for bronze against ACT and Zora Hines (32 points) and Eliza Mills (22 points) proved unstoppable in the paint, leading their team to a 58-24 advantage. Trailing by 12 at the first break, ACT then tied the second term behind Brittany Anderson’s 17 points and Kim Perry’s 20 boards but with four players notching double-figures in rebounds too, NSW Country were too strong in the end.
Ivor Burge Women Gold Medal: Vic 88 def. Japan 71
Japan have featured in a few Ivor Burge Championships in the past but this year looked the most likely to claim the gold medal, despite coming up against the favourites in Victoria. Their stunning three-point shooting was on display in the opening term as they opened up a healthy lead behind Mina Sagawa (30 points on 7-17 3PT shooting). Victoria were able to settle in the second period behind Kaitlin Zonneveld and Jess McCulloch who each tallied double-doubles to finish with a combined 62 points and 33 rebounds and by the main break they had moved in front. However, Japan’s speed continued to cause headaches for the Vics as they surrendered 26 points off turnovers with Maya Senda (26 points) punishing them but Victoria held firm down the stretch, with Danielle Phillips (ten points) coming up with some big shots before McCulloch (36 points) sealed the gold medal in an entertaining contest.
Ivor Burge Men Bronze Medal: Tas 81 def. ACT 66
Leading only by three points at half-time, Tasmania looked to be in a real scrap for the bronze medal but they turned the game on its head with a 20-8 third term. Dylan Pace played every minute of the game for 25 points while the front court duo of Joshua Cleary (16 points, 15 rebounds) and Bruce Stanley (19 points, 17 boards, nine steals) took over. Stanley’s defence helped Tas to a 26-8 edge in points off turnovers and answered the best efforts of ACT’s Jack Littleton (25 points, 18 rebounds) and Lachlan Brannelly (15 and 16).
Ivor Burge Men Gold Medal: Vic 90 def. SA 63
Victoria headed into the gold medal playoff undefeated in 2018 and chasing a 14th consecutive title but SA were up for a fight and in a physical first half, they took it up to their favoured opposition and trailed by just one point at the main break. Wayne Kinross (20 points) did most of the damage but Keenan George-Dent (15 points, 19 rebounds) also battled hard under the rim. Facing a real scrap, Victoria took it up a notch in the third term and SA could not keep pace, losing the third term 13-32 with Jake De La Motte (28 points) hitting shots from all areas of the floor. Frazer Dawber and Cameron Slacik had double-doubles each, combining for 24 points and 26 rebounds with the second chance opportunities created by them proving influential. Victoria’s deep roster also made a big difference as Daniel Bell scored 13 points and they eventually ran away with the victory despite a gallant effort from the South Australians.
U20 Men 5th Playoff: NBA Global Academy 71 def. NSW 70
NSW would have been intent on bouncing back from the disappointment of Day 5 as they entered their last game of the tournament but the Global Academy got the jump on them, taking a seven-point lead at quarter-time. Francisco Caffaro had his hand everywhere, recording 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists but NSW regrouped after the first break and looked to their second unit as Will Cranston-Lown made his presence known with 17 points. That set up a back-and-forth affair down the stretch before Anyang Garang put the Global Academy up by seven with six minutes remaining. Foy responded with two long-range bombs and all of sudden, NSW had turned around the deficit to lead by four but there was one last twist left in the tale as Tamuri Wigness hit the last six points of the game for the Global Academy, finishing with 26 points while a Will Hickey (14 points) three on the buzzer made it a one-point game in the end.
U20 Men Bronze Medal: Qld 86 def. by WA 94
Both teams had fallen in tough Semi-Finals on Day 5 but were desperate to finish on the podium as they came out firing in a brilliant offensive display through the first quarter. Qld’s shooting stroke could not be maintained in the second period though and WA took their chance, moving in front by double-digits at the main break. Four players finished in double-figures including Isaac Gattorna (15 points) off the bench as well as Alex Ducas (20 points), Kyle Bowen (20 points, 12 rebounds, six assists) and Rowan Mackenzie (18 points, ten boards, six assists, four steals) who each had double-doubles. Queensland had a resurgence in the third behind their impressive duo of Sam Froling (28 points, 11 rebounds) and Kody Stattmann (22 points) but WA kept their noses in front and then managed to hold off Qld in a frantic final quarter.
U20 Women 5th Playoff: ACT 89 def. WA 74
WA were never far from the reach of ACT as Georgia Denehy (21 points) and Maddison Hooper (16 points) kept the scoreboard ticking over while Carla Drennan added another 15 points off the bench. Leading by 12 points at half-time proved to be enough for ACT though and in the end, all five starters notched double-figures in scoring while Isabelle Bourne (29 points, 21 rebounds) and Callie Bourne (12 points, 13 rebounds) finished what had been a brilliant week for both players, in style.
U20 Women Bronze Medal: NSW 74 def. SA 61
NSW flew out of the blocks with a 21-9 opening term with Jasmine Simmons (18 points, 12 rebounds, five assists) and Natalia Beaumont (eight points, 13 boards, six assists) having a hand in almost every basket. SA had not gone down without a fight throughout the week though and their expected comeback came via Sam Simons (15 points, five assists) and Jasmin Fejo’s eight points off the bench. They trimmed the deficit to eight at half-time and then closed within three in the third quarter but Lara McSpadden (ten points) and Shakera Reilly (14 points, five assists) chimed in to help hold off the fightback and secure the bronze medal for NSW.
U20 Women Gold Medal: Qld 62 def. by Vic 72
Having just witnessed the Ivor Burge teams win gold for their state, the Victorian Under-20 women hit the floor looking to back up their state team mates but a loss to Qld earlier in the week would have been playing on their minds. They quickly put any Qld hopes of a repeat performance to bed as they attacked the post to open up a five-point lead at quarter-time and then their small-ball approach worked well as Kiera Rowe (15 points) and Steph Gorman (six points) hit the scoreboard. The length of Jessica McDowell-White created a few concerns for Victoria and they were never truly able to gain a healthy lead with Miela Goodchild (18 points) and Haylee Andrews (19 points) getting buckets at the other end of the floor. Kara Tessari’s three-pointers helped her tally nine points and then in a defensive grind down the stretch, Jazmin Shelley was able to secure a hard-fought win for Victoria. She finished with nine points, ten rebounds and seven assists while also claiming the Bob Staunton Medal to cap off an astounding week.
U20 Men Gold Medal: SA 59 def. by Vic 72
Aiming to complete the sweep, Victoria looked switched on from the opening tip and they moved in front by six points. However, SA showed they were not going to go down lightly and a brilliant turnaround in the second gave them a two-point edge at half-time. Keli Leaupepe (16 points, ten rebounds) and Puoch Puoch continued to hound the SA forward down low but SA had answers for them off their bench in the form of Brodie Nathan (15 points) and Michael Harris (ten points). Alex Mudronja (who claimed the Bob Staunton medal) also collected 13 points but the hot shooting of Victoria came to the fore in the third quarter as they blew the game open with a 25-11 term. SA got back within five points down the stretch and it looked to be anyone’s game but Tyler Robertson finally finished off the relentless performance of SA with two massive three-pointers securing the gold medal.
For all the draws, results and LiveStats, click here.
Under-20 Men Final Standings:
1. Victoria
2. South Australia
3. Western Australia
4. Queensland
5. NBA Global Academy
6. NSW
7. Tasmania
8. ACT
Under-20 Women Final Standings:
1. Victoria
2. Queensland
3. New South Wales
4. South Australia
5. ACT
6. Western Australia
7. Tasmania
Ivor Burge Men Final Standings:
1. Victoria
2. South Australia
3. Tasmania
4. ACT
5. New South Wales
6. Western Australia
Ivor Burge Women Final Standings:
1. Victoria
2. Japan
3. NSW Country
4. ACT
5. Western Australia
6. South Australia
Basketball Australia
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