Updated April 27, 2026
Our 14.1 Boys and coach Tom Denovan enjoy their moment in Adelaide after rallying to beat local team Norwood in their championship game at the Easter Classic. The Dragons won it 56-49.
More results and photos from the Adelaide Easter Classic below:
– 12.2 Girls, Runners-Up
– 12.3 Girls, Champions
– 14.1 Girls, Champions
– 14.3 Girls, Runners-Up
– 14.5 Girls, Runners-Up
– 14.7 Girls, Runners-Up
– 16.1 Girls, Champions
– 16.2 Girls, Runners-Up
– 16.3 Girls, Champions
– 16.5 Girls, Champions
– 18.2 Girls, Runners-Up
– 12.4 Boys, Runners-Up
– 12.9 Boys, Runners-Up
– 14.1 Boys, Champions
– 14.2 Boys, Runners-Up
– 14.3 Boys, Runners-Up
– 18.1 Boys, Runners-Up
– 18.5 Boys, Runners-Up
Congratulations and thank you to our 59 teams – including players, coaches, parents and guardians – and referees who crossed the border to participate in another enjoyable and successful Adelaide Easter Classic campaign.
Drive Smart Driver Academy Easter Competition Winner: Tricia Stevenson.
• Camberwell Dragons are proud to be associated with Drive Smart Driver Academy – the official partner of our #Adelaide26 campaign. Click HERE to visit the Drive Smart Driver Academy website.
12.1 Girls
Coach’s Report
The Camberwell Dragons U12.1 Girls had a fantastic Adelaide tournament, bringing great energy, sportsmanship and a strong determination to improve with each game.
Across the tournament, the team showed noticeable improvement, lifting its intensity as it took on strong opposition from Adelaide, Western Australia and Melbourne. Each game provided valuable experience, with the girls continuing to build their confidence, teamwork and understanding of the game.
Competing in the U12 Championship division, the girls won two of their three pool games to finish second in their pool. They then crossed over to face another pool, producing their best performance of the tournament and showcasing how much they had developed in such a short time. The team played a strong quarter-final, and although they couldn’t quite convert their opportunities, it was a terrific effort all round.
We were especially impressed with the girls’ defensive intensity, teamwork under pressure, and consistently positive attitude throughout the weekend. The tournament also provided a fantastic opportunity for the group to bond off the court, further strengthening team culture and friendships, which was clearly reflected in their on-court chemistry.
Overall, the tournament was an amazing experience for the team and we are incredibly proud of this group of girls. The experience gained will no doubt set us up for a strong season ahead, and we can’t wait to get back on court.
A huge thank you to all the families and Team Manager Emma for all your support in making the trip such a success. What an awesome few days!
– Coach Prue Ainsworth
12.2 Girls, Runners-Up
Coach’s Report
The 12.2 Girls played in A1 and went 2-1 in the regular rounds, leaving us second on the ladder.
We played Perry Lakes Hawks in the crossover round and got the win, 38-15. We then played our semi-final against Melbourne Tigers 1. After a slow start the girls really picked up and played some great full-court offence and defence to win by eight points.
In the grand final we played Kilsyth 2, which we had lost to by 30 points two days earlier. The girls gave me all they had after a long weekend of games and only fell short by 12 points against a team in VC. They have all improved so much and I am so proud of all of them.
– Coach Lucy Patel
12.3 Girls, Champions
12.3 Girls
The 12.3 Girls entered the tournament coming off their first loss in 10 weeks, but as they’ve continued to to show and prove to us weekly, they were up for the challenge.
Being placed in A2 meant there were going to be some tough matches. The girls worked hard and continued to level up their intensity on the defensive end and built their patience on the offensive side of things. They finished the group stage 5-0, a remarkable effort highlighted by their commitment to each other in always stepping on court with the energy to win and support their teammates.
Grand Final Monday came along, against a strong and aggressive McKinnon 2. The girls struggled to find their rhythm, however thanks to a strong finish to the first half, and putting up eight points in two minutes to round out the game after not scoring for 20 straight minutes of game time, they earnt their second tournament championship as a team.
They continue to go from strength to strength and are building into a strong next set of games.
– Coach Josh Relph
12.4 Girls
12.4 and 12.5 Girls
12.5 Girls
Coach’s Report
The 12.5 Girls travelled to Adelaide looking for another great showing after success at January’s Eltham Dandenong Tournament.
Faced with a tough draw, the girls hit the court Friday night and won a close game against Norwood. Defensive effort was at a premium in the two-point win with a great team effort evident.
The next day was going to be the test, firstly against Hawthorn 2, which is unbeaten on top of our VJBL4 ladder. The girls played hard from the outset and led for the entire game. The contest tightened up late, but a couple of huge defensive efforts contributed to a nail-biting one-point win. Again, the effort the team displayed was first class, and a standard they must maintain against top opposition.
The afternoon slate saw us battle unbeaten Bulleen 2. After leading 8-5 at the half, our girls persisted with maximum effort but had a narrow seven-point loss. It was a great lesson, that no matter the opposition, our 12.5s can play against anyone.The cross-over on the Sunday saw a derby as our 12.5s suited up against the Dragons 12.4s.
A wonderful game, full of spectacular plays and wonderful teamwork, our girls hit a late basket to trail by two with six seconds left. The 4s caught the ensuing inbound and time ran out on a great game, and a wonderful weekend.
Splitting their results 2-2, the girls will take away even more confidence as they resume league play in the next few weeks. A big thank-you to all the players and parents for their commitment to Adelaide and a wonderful team bonding experience for everyone.
– Coach Mike Davey
12.6 Girls
Coach’s Report
It was a great tournament weekend for the 12.6 Girls (eight travelled over and enjoyed some extra court time).
They started at The Beachouse, Glenelg, and naturally went straight for the basketball shooting game system. We had a hiccup in the first game, losing to a strong team, and then won through to a final against a well-performing VJL2 team in the semi.
We started strong to take a significant lead, but their higher skill level prevailed in the end. A very fair result for a top team in Regional North. Our two missing players were our tournament MVP from the Eltham Dandenong Tournament and another player who might have won the MVP in the Southern Peninsula Grand Final loss (by a few points).
– Coach Brett Donnar
12.8 Girls
Coach’s Report
Despite not winning a game in Adelaide the 12.8 Girls had a fantastic tournament.
Each game saw the eight girls who made the trek to SA get stronger in their play and grow in confidence. We were by far the youngest, and smallest team with a lot of our opposition much older and bigger.
We also have a team that is naturally a bit more passive and we came in with a singular focus being aggression across the court (defence, transition and offence). Each game saw us grow in this regard and it was particularly pleasing to see a few of our players who were away for the Eltham-Dandenong Tournament have breakout experiences.
The tournament also gave our girls and their families an opportunity to bond and build relationships off the court, which will no doubt hold us well for the rest of the VJBL season.
Coming in we were a little bit apprehensive about whether we should sign up for this optional tournament, but we are very glad we did given the levelling up on the court and relationships built as well.
– Coach Indar Gill
12.1 and 12.2 Boys
12.1 Boys
Coach’s Report
The 12.1 Boys had an interesting tournament.
Going into Adelaide we had three things as a coaching staff we wanted to improve on – box outs, disciplined help defence, and spacing in transition.
We had a few of the boys arrive in Adelaide on the Friday so it was a pretty sluggish start in Game 1. The boys definitely switched on and reset for Game 2, coming away with a great result in which we hit two of our three focus points really well.
After a few more games we ended up finishing second in our pool and then lost in the semis. Overall definitely moved the needle in the right direction and the boys seemed to bond a lot more off the court, which is always good to see!
– Coach Chris Allison
12.2 Boys
12.3 Boys
Coach’s Report
The 12.3 Boys had a mixed tournament, going 1-4. The weekend started with a good win against Hawthorn 3 and was followed by a loss to a strong Sturt side. The boys then lost two very close winnable games before going down in another match-up with Hawthorn. Playing with seven the whole weekend, the boys put up a good fight but began to feel the effects of a long weekend of games by the end.
– Coach Oscar Payne
12.4 Boys, Runners-Up
12.6 Boys
Coach’s Report
The 12.6 Boys had two wins and three losses. Should’ve won four, though, as the losses came from terrible half-court defence.
We didn’t have our top three players, so this was a good opportunity to see the players with less playing time grow.
Three things we improved on were our overall defence after Game 3, attitude during warm-ups and during the game, as well as their physicality.
Three things to continue working on are transition defence, reducing turnovers and attacking the basket. Overall, the boys had a blast, and it was a good opportunity for them to grow as a team.
– Coach Joshua Wang
12.6 (in yellow) and 12.8 Boys
12.7 Boys
Coach’s Report
The 12.7 Boys had an excellent grading campaign, moving up multiple divisions to compete in RL1. This has been a great outcome, with every game presenting a strong challenge and providing valuable exposure to higher level competition.
Heading into the Adelaide tournament, the team was placed in a very tough pool and ultimately finished with two wins and three losses. This result was made more challenging by the absence of two members of our starting five.
The opening two games were against elite opposition. We first faced Kingston 2 (the eventual tournament winners), followed by McKinnon 5. Both teams applied intense full-court pressure, which was a noticeable level higher than the boys had faced before. Despite having a press break in place, we struggled at times to advance the ball, and both teams proved quicker and more physical around the basket.
In our third game against Magic 5 we again faced a strong, well-balanced side. While we had only one top-age player, Magic had a mix (50%/50%) of top- and bottom-age players, including two dominant bigs. We found it difficult to contain their size and physicality and went down by ~20 points.
The final two games showed strong improvement. We recorded a solid win against Norwood 8 and finished the tournament with a convincing ~50 point win in our final match, demonstrating the team’s ability to learn and respond across the weekend.
Areas of Improvement
- Stronger decision-making from guards under pressure, lifting vision and avoiding dribbling into traps.
- Greater composure from our bigs on offensive rebounds, finishing with balance or looking to pass out when appropriate.
- Improved offensive patience, creating more opportunities to settle into our sets rather than rushing possessions.
Positives
- Continued development in team-first play, with better recognition and execution of the extra pass.
- Solid rebounding effort across the group.
- Strong commitment to sprinting back on defence.
Overall, the tournament was a fantastic experience for the group. The boys represented the club extremely well on and off the court, and it was great to see the team build strong connections across the weekend. From team dinners to time spent together around Glenelg, the experience extended well beyond basketball and was thoroughly enjoyed by players and families alike.
12.8 Boys
Coach’s Report
As for the trip, the Adelaide representative games were a fantastic experience for the boys. We didn’t grab any wins, but honestly what stood out to me was the real energy and attitude coming through more and more each game, and that’s the direction that matters.
My focus as always is digging out each kid’s potential, getting them to realise what they’re capable of, and making sure they’re having fun on the court, and I’m starting to see that come through.
Moving forward, the next step for us is building better ball movement. We’ll be introducing more passing drills in training and applying that directly in games, getting all the boys equal court time, sharing the ball, and moving it with purpose. That’s the goal for this next stage.
– Coach Boxin Liu
12.9 Boys, Runners-Up
Coach’s Report
The boys really embraced the lessons from the local season and training focuses, especially defensively and with spacing and ball movement.
With strong victories in the pool games with victories of 28, 48, 23 and 33 points to finish on top of our pool and well positioned prior to the semi-final with even contribution across the board. It was great to play teams from both Melbourne and Adelaide.
In the semi-final we faced the Adelaide Dragons and the pattern of fast starts continued going out to a 10-2 lead and never looking back. Speed, passing and finishing at the basket was fantastic. The full-court press on defence worked and the boys capitalised.
In the grand final we drew another undefeated 12.8 Nunawading side that despite our early lead were able to grind us down on defence and force some uncharacteristic turnovers as well as spread us out using their passing game in attack.
The boys continued to fight hard and we were proud how we fought back to within eight points of the higher-ranked opponent with only four minutes to go. Unfortunately eventually going down 51-36 in the end but affording all players time to get exposure to the faster pace of finals, that will serve us well in their future development.
All in all, a fantastic tournament for the boys and a great bonding and learning experience to take back into the remainder of the local season.
– Coach Mark Mastores
14.1 Girls, Champions
Coach’s Report
Going into this tournament our goal was to have fun, build some confidence and to play a brave and exciting brand of basketball. Credit to the team for buying in. They executed everything we put to them and we executed our actions and reads in offence nicely and made it very hard for the opposition to defend us.
When it came to defence, we wanted to consolidate a variety of different defensive set-ups. The girls took this in their stride and rose to every challenge we put to them.
We went undefeated for the weekend and came out Champions! Huge growth was shown both as a group and individually and we could not be prouder of this group.
Thanks to all the parents for the support and for making it such a fun tournament!
– Coach Cara Jeffers
14.1 Girls (Champions) and 14.1 Boys (Champions)
14.2 Girls
14.3 Girls, Runners-Up
14.4 Girls
14.4 and 14.5 Girls (Runners-Up)
14.5 Girls, Runners-Up
14.7 Girls, Runners-Up
Coach’s Report
The 14.7 Girls arrived in Adelaide short-handed – just seven players, and only one with Adelaide tournament experience. It didn’t matter.
Friday opened with a statement: a win over Nunawading 14.4, the very team that held them to a draw earlier in the regular season. From there, the momentum built.
Game after game, they surged forward, earning a place in the semi-finals. That’s where the real test came. Down four with just 2.30 left, they showed composure and determination, fighting back to force overtime. Then, with 30 seconds remaining, one of the tournament’s top scorers nailed a clutch two to send them to the Grand Final.
The final was tight from start to finish. With 30 seconds on the clock, a guard hit her first-ever three-pointer to level the score. But in the final moments, a single free throw from the opposition proved decisive. Silver, not gold; but nothing left in the tank. They leave Adelaide with heads high, medals in hand, and smiles all around. And as their coach, I couldn’t be prouder, even if we’d won
– Coach Tammy
14.1 Boys
Coach’s Report
The 14.1 Boys came into Adelaide off the back of two tough losses in the regular season and were looking to get back to their winning ways.
With strong wins in their first two games over local teams, the real test presented itself against Keilor on Saturday night. Despite going down 7-0 early, the boys fought back with a 26-4 run during the second quarter to eventually secure a crucial four-point win. With back-to-back wins over Norths Bears on Sunday, one being a semi-final, the team found themselves in the grand final against Norwood.
Despite being down most of the game, the boys relied on their superior perimeter shooting, hustle and defensive pressure as the game went on to run out seven-point winners and leave Adelaide as winners of the Championship division. The boys got back to their best basketball and will be looking to take this momentum back to Melbourne. Thanks to all the parents for making the effort to take the boys over to Adelaide, to team manager Damien for keeping us all organised, and to the boys for playing some great basketball and making it such an enjoyable weekend.
– Coach Tom Denovan
14.2 Boys, Runners-Up
14.3 Boys
Coach’s Report
The 14.3 Boys had a fantastic Adelaide Easter Carnival, finishing the tournament with a 5-1 record and with runners-up medals around their necks.
An undefeated run through the pool play set up a semi-final showdown with Keilor 3, which the boys won in dominant fashion. That victory qualified the team for the Grand Final, where they were ultimately overpowered by a team made up of athletes from a skill development academy based in Bendigo.
Well done to all the boys for their outstanding efforts across the weekend – you guys played so hard and developed so much, both as individuals and as a team.
Thank you to the parents for their great support – the boys benefit greatly from your assistance and encouragement. Special thanks to assistant coach Keane Vivas, team manager Cameron Ramsay and videographer Beverly Vivas – your support is very much appreciated.
– Coach Liam Santamaria
14.4 Boys
Coach’s Report
The 14.4 Boys took on the tournament with just six players from the regular squad (Caiden, Elliott, Gus, Sam, Benji and Liam).
While there was nervousness pre-tournament about fatigue with the low numbers, it ended up being a blessing for the boys, giving them all significant court time and continuity as a playing group. If they tired, they didn’t show it as they battled hard relentlessly all tournament.
They bonded further both on and off the court and played some amazingly determined and competitive basketball.
In the pool games we won two and lost two, placing us third heading into the finals. We faced a knockout game against a Nunawading team that only nine days earlier had beaten us by 32 points in VJBL. But this time around, our pumped-up Dragons team fell short by only five points, holding the potent Nunawading team to just one point in the final 10 minutes of the game.
It was an inspiring performance by our boys, and it capped off a competitive and really fun tournament. It was sad that it had to come to an end. A big thanks to Hadi for taking on team manager duties for this tournament.
– Coaches Lewis O’Flynn and Mark Pawsey
14.5 Boys
Coach’s Report
The 14.5 Boys’ Adelaide tournament was as much about connection as it was competition, with friendships growing stronger through pool sessions, shared meals and plenty of laughs.
On the court, the group played a fun brand of basketball – pushing the pace, sharing the ball and bringing relentless defensive energy – to earn a spot in the semi-finals.
They left Adelaide full of confidence and a genuine joy in playing for one another, and are pumped to carry this momentum into when the VJBL season resumes.
– Coach Nem Devic
14.6 Boys
Coach’s Report
The 14.6 boys headed to the tournament down two players and faced some tough opposition but came away with two good wins against upcoming VJBL opponents. The boys had a great time bonding both on and off the court. Exciting to see what the boys have to come when the season recommences next week!
– Coach Belinda Oakley
14.8 Boys
Coach’s Report
We were all extremely excited to travel to Adelaide this year. Despite being placed in a very tough pool, we welcomed the opportunity to compete against high-level teams and learn from the experience.
Round 1 saw us face Forestville 14.6, a side made up mostly of top-age players. We dominated the first half and led by five points at half-time. However, Forestville increased its defensive pressure in the second half, and with our shots not falling, we narrowly lost by four points.
In Round 2, we came up against Southern Tigers 14.4. The boys played outstanding basketball throughout the entire game, executing well on both ends of the court and securing a convincing 16-point victory.
Our third game on Saturday night was against a very strong and tall Waverley 14.4, a team competing four divisions above us in Met 6. We held our own for much of the game, but their sustained pressure proved too strong, and we went down by 28 points.
On Sunday morning, we faced the top team in our pool, Keilor 14.6, in an early 8.30am game. With nothing to lose, the boys came out firing and delivered our best defensive performance of the tournament. We led by one point with five minutes remaining, but Keilor’s full-court pressure eventually wore us down, and they secured a five-point win, but we kept them to only 27 points for the game. Competing so strongly against a Met 5 team was a highlight and arguably our best performance of the tournament.
Our final game was against Melbourne Tigers 14.7. After a slow start, with the Tigers shooting exceptionally well, we trailed by 10 points at half-time. The boys responded brilliantly in the second half, turning the game around to take a two-point lead just six minutes in. They maintained composure and held onto the lead, finishing with a well-earned five-point victory.
Overall, it was an amazing tournament filled with valuable lessons, strong team performances, and great development opportunities. The boys showed resilience, teamwork, and determination throughout, and we’re now ready to tackle the remainder of the season with confidence.
Go Dragons!
– Coach Lawernce Furlan
14.9 Boys
Coach’s Report
The boys finished third in Pool B.
Casey and Darebin don’t specify a level, but they were too good for Pool A and played off for the final.
Apart from a slow start, the team defended well, only conceding 28 against Casey in Game 1 – most in the first half – and 32 v Darebin.
All players contributed to the team offence and defence. By focusing on switching modes within the game allowed us to stay competitive. The boys bonded well away together, enjoying a lunch in Glenelg before our first game, and again in Hahndorf on Sunday.
– Coach Simon Armstrong
14.10 Boys
Coach’s Report
The 14.10 boys started the tournament strong with two wins against Ivanhoe Knights and Sharpshooters 14.2.
However, we came up against some bigger top-age teams in Woodville Warriors 14.5 and JoFlow 14.2, where we managed to keep up with both teams until the last couple of minutes of the second half.
Unfortunately, the loss to JoFlow by three points meant we missed a semi-final spot. Our last game was a good win against Ivanhoe Knights.
Our composure when more physical and bigger teams intimidate us will take a little more time to work through with the boys, however the signs are looking good.
Some positives:
Our bigs managed to dominate boards for most of the games and were effective in the low post.
The guards have improved a lot after a video review session during the tournament emphasising the importance of quick transition, ball pressure and denying drives/open looks.
All boys got an equal amount of court time during the tournament, which will help their development and strengthen our depth during the regular season.
– Coach Glenn D’Costa
16.1 Girls, Champions
Coach’s Report
Our 16.1 Girls had a fantastic tournament, which was much needed after a slow start to our VC campaign. It was pleasing to see the girls rally to win some close games across the weekend and take the win in the Championship Division against Sturt Sabres. Special shout-out to the parent group for making the effort to head over and support the girls and for their fantastic babysitting!
– Coach Mark Jeffers
16.2 Girls, Runners-Up
Coach’s Report
Coming off two wins on Friday nights and with three players returning from camp and injury, the 16.2 Girls headed to Adelaide in high spirits.
This was seen from the get-go as we took on Epic Dream and worked for a convincing win.
The girls took this momentum and worked to comfortably win against Coburg and South Adelaide. Celebrating three wins from three games we had a team dinner with a cheeky Yo-Chi run. Into the quarter finals fuelled by frozen yogurt against Hawthorn, the girls worked for a 26-15 win.
Continuing our winning streak, we took on Keilor in the semi-final and had a strong game, winning 27-20. Unfortunately however, one of our players had taken a big hit and was going to be unable to play in the grand final against Greenhill!
Down a player, the girls came in with just as much intensity as the first game. Greenhill took the lead from the start, however, we weren’t backing down and were right there with them. With one minute of the match to go it was neck and neck. The bench and supporters were going crazy!
Unable to get the ball back, the girls earnt a silver medal. It was a fantastic fight and it was great to see everyone band together for an exciting game. It was a special tournament for the girls and was great to see them play and bond as a team.
The entire 16.2 Girls crew had a blast and are looking forward to the rest of the season.
– Coach Amy Dingle
16.3 Girls, Champions
Coach’s Report
Successful weekend for the 16.3 Girls, who went undefeated across six games and won their grand final against Sandringham 3. In a tough pool featuring three Melbourne-based teams from higher VJL grades, they played some fantastic basketball at times and thoroughly deserved their grand final win. Team camaraderie and good vibes gets better by the week, too. A great platform for the rest of the season.
– Coach Matt Clayton
16.4 Girls
16.5 Girls, Champions
Coach’s Report
The 16.5 Girls and their families had a great time over the Easter weekend. They enjoyed not only playing basketball but lunches, dinners and hanging out with their teammates. The girls played well, giving 100 per cent very time they stepped on the court.
The girls listened to the coaches and adjusted some minor things to make the grand final. They came up against the only team they lost to during the early rounds. Again listening to the coaches and playing with composure they made a 14-point turnaround and won the grand final by four points.
A great result and reward for the girls’ hard work.
– Coach Michael Fowler
16.5 Girls Parent Group, the team behind the team
16.6 Girls
16.2 Boys
16.3 Boys
Coach’s Report
The 16.3 Boys may not have brought their best performances to Adelaide but it did not stop them from having fun together.
They started off slow, losing to Hawthorn 16.1 Boys, but sported awesome-looking pink bucket hats that evening following the game and for the remainder of the tournament.
They then bounced back with a win against Sturt 16.4 with a great win. This was followed by a one-point loss at the buzzer to a tough three-pointer against the Adelaide Warriors where the boys did a great job of smiling off the defeat, instead of letting it ruin their weekend!
They then fell only five points short of completing a 20+ point comeback where the game was tied with two minutes to go!
They finished off the tournament on Sunday night falling to the Adelaide Warriors once again before sticking around to do a great job of supporting the 14.1 Boys, cheering them onto the Grand Final!
– Coach Liam O’Hoy
16.4 Boys
16.7 Boys
16.8 Boys
Coach’s Report
The 16.8 Boys had a very enjoyable Easter Classic tournament, where we saw some incredible growth and determination.
We started strong, winning our first game with ease, as the boys showcased fantastic spirit, cohesion, and a high level of both offence and defence, setting the tone for the weekend.
On the second day, we faced a significantly older, more physical team from Sydney. Though we struggled in the first half, the boys fought back valiantly, winning the second half, even though we ultimately lost by 19 points.
Later that day, we were edged out in a heartbreaker against a team we should have beaten, as they hit four late three-pointers. Despite this, the boys kept their heads up, and we recognised areas to improve, particularly against the zone defence.
On the final day, we bounced back with a fantastic morning win against the Norwood Nines, holding our nerve and playing with both spirit and poise down the stretch, winning by nine points.
This propelled us into the crossover game, where we faced a strong side from Western Australia. Once again, the boys showed grit, staying within eight points despite being outsized. Overall, it was a positive, character-building tournament, and we’re excited to carry these lessons into the rest of the season!
– Coach Jimmy Reid
18.1 Girls
18.1 Girls
Coach’s Report
The 18.1 Girls found themselves in Champs division with three VC and two Adelaide teams. With the opportunity to grow as a team on and off court, the girls developed on-court leadership while displaying grit and team work to have a successful weekend. A 3-2 win-loss record, with two wins against VC teams, showed the girls they have a lot to play for in VJBL1 and the ability to go deep in the season.
– Coach Shane Maycock
18.2 Girls, Runners-Up
Coach’s Report
The 18.2 Girls travelled to Adelaide with just seven players, making every game a test of fitness and resilience.
In our pool saw three wins and two narrow losses, finishing second and securing a spot in the finals.
The semi-final was electric, a 17-0 run at the start of the second half powered the team to victory and a place in the Grand Final.
Although a slow start in the Grand Final saw us chasing the game and losing by 13 points, the girls’ effort was nothing short of heroic. With only seven players all tournament, their endurance, teamwork, and determination shone through every match. I couldn’t be prouder!
– Coach Scott Bazley
18.2 and 18.3 Girls
18.3 Girls
18.1 Boys, Runners-Up
Coach’s Report
The 18.1 Boys delivered a strong and competitive performance across the Easter tournament, finishing with three wins, one loss and two draws and showcasing consistent effort and growth throughout.
We opened with two tightly contested games, drawing with both Bulleen Boomers (62-62) and Eastside Rams (50-50). Despite not getting separation on the scoreboard, both games highlighted how good we can be when we execute and apply ourselves.
We then secured a solid win over North Adelaide Rockets (54-48) to close out pool play and progress to finals. We carried some momentum into the finals, starting with a composed win over an impressive Camberwell 18.2B (51-40). We followed this with a consistent defensive and interior performance against North Adelaide, winning convincingly (54-32).In the grand final, we unfortunately didn’t find our rhythm and went down 61-48 to Bulleen.
Across the weekend, the group demonstrated strong defensive intent, competitiveness, and the ability to respond well after tight games. The team continued to build cohesion and showed clear improvement as the tournament progressed.
The experience gained in close games and finals play will be valuable moving forward, with plenty of positives to take from the overall performance. I look forward to getting back to Melbourne and continuing to push towards our team goals.
– Coach Conor Mathews
18.4 Boys
18.5 Boys
Coach’s Report
A really pleasing and enjoyable trip for the boys and families of the 18.5 Boys.
Travelling with seven players, we won our first five games pretty comfortably to progress through to a grand final on Monday morning (a couple of these games we were down to six players).
Battling through fatigue, the boys all battled really hard and right to the end in the grand final but were beaten quite comfortably by a much bigger and stronger team from Melbourne Grammar. We got them in regular play and they certainly came out with revenge on their minds.
Overall, a fantastic trip with strong improvements in our team play, active contributions from all players and a chance to connect socially and form stronger friendships. Well done to all the boys and families that made the trip – it was a very memorable experience
– Coach Sam Jackal
20.1 Girls
Coach’s Report
The girls kicked off their Easter tournament on Good Friday with a group lunch at Geelong Surf Club followed by their first game that evening.
The game was fast paced and a little scrappy, scores were evenly matched throughout the first half. In the final quarter of the game the girls rallied and made some brilliant three-point shots to pull away from their opponents, defeating the Wildcats 35-22.
Our second game of the tournament was against Norwood, whose strong defensive play, consistent rebounds and fast playing style allowed them to secure a decisive win over our girls 56-25.
Our third round game against Southern Valley Spartans was late in the evening and the girls didn’t let the day’s earlier loss drag them down. They started the game playing a strong defensive game, never letting up on the opposition, keeping them from scoring any points for the first five minutes.
At the same time our point guards ran strong attacking plays, making a succession of quick baskets to take the lead. For the rest of the game there was a tight contest between the two teams who played hard defensively against each other and traded basket for basket. This made for an exciting and tense game that ultimately Camberwell won 40-38.
Entering the fourth game of the tournament the team knew they needed to win if they had any chance of securing a finals match. This game was against another Victorian team, Ballarat District United. The game started with both teams making fantastic three-point baskets and employing strong lockdown defence.
After the first five minutes it was clear our girls were out to win the match, they played with intensity, quickly shutting down the opposition’s offensive attacks and forcing turnovers resulting in consistent baskets from the Dragons. At the half-time break the girls were ahead 17 -7.
This game was heavy on contact fouls as both teams in the first half and our team in the second half reached the maximum fouls allowed. In spite of this our girls continued to play hard keeping up a strong defensive game while making some brilliant offensive plays to win decisively, 41-29, setting us up to play a semi-final match against Nunawading later that evening.
The girls knew they were up for a tough match against a team as strong as Nunawading, especially considering most of the girls knew each other so well. The first half of the game was really close as the teams consistently matched each other basket for basket. Both teams had strong defensive games, excellent rebounding and fast offensive breaks resulting in a half-time score of 32-30 Nunawading’s way.
Our girls were on a high as they were playing such fantastic basketball and had done so well in keeping Nunawading within their sights. Unfortunately for Camberwell, the Nunawading girls came out from the half-time break firing, making six baskets to our one free throw allowing them to pull ahead by 10 points in the first five minutes.
After a time-out our girls managed to rally and pull back the gap to a six-point difference with five minutes to go but couldn’t quite get on top of the strong Nunawading team, ultimately losing 45-38.
Despite the loss the girls had a brilliant game and showed what a strong team they can be when they play hard defensively and work together. The girls had a brilliant tournament and should be proud of the hard work and effort they put into every single game.
We wish to thank all the parents and the girls for making the time to travel to Adelaide and support each other and the club and making the weekend such a memorable one.
