Deni Junior Giants travelled to Wodonga last weekend to participate in the 2022 Wangaratta under-16s and under-18s tournaments, with three out of four teams making the grand finals.
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The Wangaratta tournament took a new format to what the Giants usually play, with each game consisting of four quarters and a shot clock.
This new format did not phase the determined Giants.
The under-18s boys started their campaign strong playing great defence and offence.
They came away with one of their highest scoring games against Mansfield 49-27.
The boys were up and about and keen to take it to the historically strong Wodonga Wolves Maroons team in game two, but it wasn't to be going down 53-24.
In the last game for Saturday, the Giants came up against Myrtleford.
They started strong and were able to hold on to an eleven point win, 42-33.
The last game of the round was against Wodonga Wolves Navy at 2pm, so the boys had lots of time to wait.
The first quarter was a hotly contested low scoring game with neither team giving an inch.
The Giants fired after quarter time and in a solid defensive effort kept the Wolves to only 17 while putting on 47 points themselves.
The boys finished third on the ladder with a semi final berth against Yarra Mul.
The boys got off to a flyer and couldn't miss on the score board but Yarra- Mul were not going down without a fight.
With only two points difference in the game at three quarter time, the last quarter became quite a tussle.
A great three pointer by Brodie Elphick in the dying moments cemented the 38-33 point win and a grand final spot.
The Giants came up against the strength of Wodonga Maroons again in the grand final, a great first quarter seen only a four point deficit at quarter time.
Some unlucky calls and foul trouble saw Wodonga pull away to a 50-24 win.
It was a gallant effort by the boys with only five players left in the game for the last 15 minutes, and finishing with only two players on the court.
They were able to pull their first round margin back by three points.
For the under-18s girls, it was their first time playing together as an entire team.
Although the first game was a little disjointed in patches, the girls rallied to take it to the benchmark side, Wodonga Wolves.
The girls competed in a split division for the finals.
They won a nail biter 29-28 game against Benalla and lost a close 33-30 game to Wangaratta, securing a semi final show down with Benalla.
The Giants were keen to duplicate their round win over Benalla and came away with a competitive 33-20 win to advance to the grand final.
The grand final was against Mansfield who started off with a bang, leading at quarter time 18-6.
The Giants girls were not deterred and through pressuring defence from Mia Parks, Kate Westcott and Stella White were able to turn the ball over, creating scoring opportunities for Bonnie Everett and Emma Parks.
The game came down to the last quarter where Hayley Noonan, Jarrah Fitzpatrick and Trinity Larcombe all scored fourth quarter goals to give the Giants a chance.
It was just too big of a gap with Mansfield coming away the final winner 46-33.
The under-16s girls had a great tournament and showed improvement over the course of the weekend’s six games, earning them a grand final place.
The Giants came up against tournament hosts Wangaratta in their first game and the strength of Wodonga Wolves in their second game.
With two first round defeats they were still hungry for a win, and in their third game of the weekend defeated Benalla Breakers in a low scoring game, 18-10.
The last game of the round went goal-for-goal and unfortunately the girls were beaten by a narrow three points.
Due to the way the under-16s girls division was played, the win and narrow loss gave them a semi final opportunity against the Tumut Timberwolves.
The girls were not ready for an early finish. They played strong defence and their shots fell, securing them a 29-20 win and a place in the grand final.
Myrtleford got the early jump in the grand final but the the under-16s girls rallied and played it out until the buzzer.
The lead given was too much to chase with the Deni being defeated 41-30.
The under-16s boys had a tough tournament coming up against some much stronger and taller teams.
Although height wasn't on the Giants’ side, that didn't bother the boys who fought hard in every game using their bodies and skills to their advantage.
The side applied some solid defensive pressure and showed some great passages of play in offense.
Coach Chloe Way said she can already see the improvement and tightness within the team, and is looking forward to seeing what they can achieve at the Shepparton tournament in coming weeks.
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