First V Nswchs Basketball

On Monday of the Long Weekend in June the First V squad travelled to Sydney to take part in the last 8 in the state for NSWCHS basketball. Two pools of four teams each play a round robin system before winners move through to decide finals and other placings. Our pool saw us play Terrigal first. It was a hotly contested match where the lead changed multiple times. At the end of the game Terrigal had come away with a close fought victory 53 points to 49.

This close encounter spurred the boys on and our next game against Fig Tree High saw us come away with a win, 58 points to 48. The boys were feeling positive and upbeat. Our final round game was against Albury High school. Albury came out all guns blazing, and we got off to a slow start. The boys worked really hard in each quarter to chip away at the lead, but time was not on our side, unfortunately. Albury won 57 points to 49. This placed us 3rd in our pool and meant we would play off for 5th and 6th the following day.

Wednesday morning’s match against Sydney Boy’s High started at a furious pace. The older and more experienced team were up by 19 points at one stage however grit and determination saw our boys claw their way back to a 4-point deficit with a quarter to play. In the end the Sydney team was too strong beating us 71 to 64 points. We came away placed 6th in the State, and I could not have been prouder of the boys! What a terrific achievement after a fabulous rep season.

I would also like to congratulate Charlie Whale who made the NSWCHS State team. Considering Charlie is only in Year 10 and playing Open basketball, this is an even more impressive feat! Well done!

Special thanks go to Mr Toby McVey who travelled with the team as our waterboy/bus driver/motivational cheer squad. We really appreciate your support. Similarly, we would like to thank Paul O’Brien and the refectory staff who fed us in healthy, hearty meals and sent us off with good wishes. Our final thanks are to Mrs Christina Havyatt and Mr Rich Williams who came to cheer/supervise/cook/motivate and be our champions. We really appreciate all you did to make our trip successful and easy.

Mrs Kylie Milne – Coach First V Basketball