Alongside Solomon Fleming, Jobe Shanahan and Riley Hutton, Poulton successfully trialled for the North East Bushrangers’ under-18 boys’ team and was named part of a 21-strong squad, with two teams to be decided on in coming weeks.
Meanwhile, Beth Morris and Indi Phillips have cemented their spots in the under-16 girls’ team, to be coached by Darren Burn.
Junior Pirates pipped at the post at Wodonga
Echuca Moama Basketball Association returned home from its first tournament of the summer without any major silverware.
The junior representative Pirates proved they could match it with anyone, with three of their 14 teams making their way through to the grand final.
But it was the might of home association Wodonga which denied all three teams prevailing in the deciders.
Echuca Moama’s under-18 division one boys’ squad dropped just one of its four regular games to finish second and qualify for the grand final against Wodonga.
The Pirates couldn’t close the match, losing by 16 points as a number of players dealt with foul issues.
The under-18 girls’ undefeated run through Saturday and Sunday’s regular games saw the side finish atop the ladder to qualify first for the grand final.
But lacking the legs against an extended Wodonga Wolves bench, the Pirates lost by 17 points.
Charlotte Gould led the offence all weekend, and scored an equal game-high 12 points in the decider after successfully getting herself to the foul line on multiple occasions.
The under-16 boys’ division two team finished atop its pool with two wins and a draw to qualify for an extended final series.
Meeting Yarra-Mul Lakers in a semi-final, the Pirates knocked off their rivals by 13 points, with Luke Oellermann doing a bit of everything — scoring at the three-point line, inside the paint and at the foul line for a team-high 13 points.
Meeting Wodonga in the grand final, the Pirates, led by James Hipwell (10 points) didn’t have the firepower to counter the Wolves, losing by 14.
The under-16 girls lost their semi-final against Albury, while the Pirates under-14 girls’ division one side also went down to Wodonga in a semi-final, although it improved over the weekend to make it a closer game than its previous encounter with the Wolves on Saturday.
In their first major tournament, the under-12 division one boys made it to the semi-finals, only to lose a one-basket heartbreaker to the Myrtleford Saints, a team they drew with the previous day.
The Pirates have a quick turnaround for their next time on court, with the Shepparton Junior Tournament scheduled for this weekend.
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