AUSTRALIA COMPLETES DOUBLE WITH TWO GOLD MEDALS AT FIBA U15 OCEANIA CHAMPS

Australian Girls:

Completing their tournament undefeated, the girls once again proved far too strong for New Zealand with a 110-30 win, backing up their 60-point victory from the group stage.

They set the tone with a 24-5 opening quarter, shutting down New Zealand’s offence with some superior D which they repeated in the second term to take a 42-point lead into the main break.

Their fourth quarter was the most productive offensively, collecting 35 points as they pushed the advantage to 80 by the final siren in a comprehensive performance.

Meg Robinson led all scorers with 15 points and three steals while her fellow starters Charlise Dunn (13 points, three steals) and Millie Prior (12 points on 6-6 shooting) also starred.

The Aussies demonstrated their depth with four players reaching double-figures off the bench including Kate Deeble who hit three three-pointers for 14 points and Shaneice Swain who finished with 13 points and eight rebounds.

“Our mantra is to respect the opposition, and we need to be disciplined to do our work,” said head coach Tracy York.

“We’re excited for the chance to create history in Australia, and it was a solid effort by all 12 players. They are an unselfish group and probably one of the best young groups I’ve had in my time.”

Find the box score here and watch the replay below.

In addition to earning the gold medal, the girls have also booked their place at the FIBA Under-16 Asian Championships next year by finishing in the top two at this tournament.

If they finish in the top four at next year’s Asian Championships, where they are the defending Champs, they will advance to the 2020 Under-17 World Cup.

Australian Boys:

The boys were aiming to recover from a heart-breaking two-point loss to New Zealand in the group stage when they re-matched in the gold medal game.

They struggled to early offensively though, scoring just seven points in the opening period and once New Zealand found their range, they quickly skipped ahead by 14 at half-time.

Things only got worse after that and New Zealand owned a game-high 17-point edge with less than minutes remaining in the third.

However, the Crocs never gave in and Sejr Deans gave them life with a three-pointer.

That sparked an 8-0 run end the third quarter with Dyson Daniels adding two points and Deans hitting another two jumpers.

Australia were highly impressive defensively down the stretch, restricting New Zealand to only five points in the fourth term and 2-14 shooting including 0-7 from long range.

It was still a long road back but Josh Duach (14 points, three steals) made things easier with three straight baskets to cap the Aussies’ run at 14-0.

The teams were then caught in a stalemate before Daniels (15 points, seven rebounds) broke the deadlock to tie the scores inside the last two minutes.

New Zealand responded to move back in front by three but Michael Walker (six points, two steals) was able to knock down a couple of clutch free-throws before Deans pulled in a monster offensive board and sunk two free-throws himself, putting Australia back in front by one with 17 seconds remaining.

That gave the Kiwi’s one last chance but they could not come up with a quality look and Deans (15 points) was able to run the ball the length of the floor to clinch an incredible 61-58 victory with one final lay-up.

“We feel blessed to get over the line, New Zealand has played fantastic all tournament, and we had two hard-fought games with them,” said head coach Nathan Cooper-Brown.

We’re proud of what the guys accomplished here.”

Find the box score here and watch the replay below.

The boys had already booked their place in next year’s Under-16 Asian Championships by reaching the final but their comeback from a 17-point deficit will give them great confidence after their first tournament in the green and gold.

They will now aim for a top-four finish at the 2019 Asian Championships to earn a place at the 2020 FIBA Under-17 World Cup.

The 2018 Boys and Girls results from the FIBA Under-15 Oceania Championships:

December 4: Australian Girls def. Samoa (111-29)
December 4: Australian Boys def. Samoa (90-49)
December 5: Australian Boys def. Fiji (119-27)
December 5: Australian Girls def. New Zealand (94-34)
December 5: Australian Boys def. Guam (113-30)
December 6: Australian Girls def. Fiji (141-15)
December 6: Australian Boys def. by New Zealand (57-59)
December 6: Australian Girls def. Papua New Guinea (155-18)
December 7: Australian Boys def. Papua New Guinea (121-31)
December 8: Australian Girls def. New Zealand in Gold Medal Game (110-30)
December 8: Australian Boys def. New Zealand in Gold Medal Game (61-58)

The post AUSTRALIA COMPLETES DOUBLE WITH TWO GOLD MEDALS AT FIBA U15 OCEANIA CHAMPS appeared first on Basketball Australia.

The Australian boys and girls have finished the FIBA Under-15 Oceania Championships in style, each taking home gold medals with victories over New Zealand.

The post AUSTRALIA COMPLETES DOUBLE WITH TWO GOLD MEDALS AT FIBA U15 OCEANIA CHAMPS appeared first on Basketball Australia.