The Echuca Pirates were hard at work over the Labour Day long weekend with three teams taking home grand final treasure at the Echuca Junior Basketball Tournament.
The Pirates’ under-14B boys, under-18 girls and under-18 boys teams all won their respective grand finals at the tournament that saw over 110 teams compete.
Echuca’s under-18 girls had a dramatic 35-30 overtime win over the Wodonga Wolves in the grand final, while the under-14B boys topped the Benalla Breakers 29-24 and the under-18 boys had a thumping 21-pint victory over the Eltham Wildcats.
The annual tournament saw teams face off in the group stage, with the top sides advancing to the finals.
After finishing second in their group, the under-18 boys secured their spot in the grand final against the Wildcats.
Coming off a two-point loss to Eltham in the group games, the Pirates bounced back with a fantastic performance to claim a dominant 40-19 win.
Under-18 boys coach Jack Lees said his side saved their best performance of the tournament for the grand final.
“The grand final game was probably our best game of the tournament where we really came together and played as a team,” Lees said.
“It was a better team performance from all of them.
“It was an awesome tournament. We had one or two games where we fell a bit short, but we were able to bounce back in the grand final.
“These boys have played unreal right from the start of the season. To get the win at our last tournament as well as our home tournament was great.”
He said the grand final clash was a lot tighter than the scoreboard suggested.
“The scoreboard doesn’t really reflect how well Eltham played in the grand final,” he said.
“Eltham had really good defensive pressure at the start of the game, but we came through at the end.
Lees said the crowd and the atmosphere for the tournament decider really gave his side an extra boost.
“The crowd was huge in that grand final game,” he said.
“The louder the crowd got the better the boys played.
“Their confidence lifted, and team morale was lifted too, it was really good. As soon as the crowd got louder the boys lifted.”
Lisa Baker is the president of the Echuca Moama Basketball Association, and she said the support throughout the tournament was phenomenal.
“The crowd was amazing, we had a very strong Echuca crowd,” Baker said.
“Most players that went home after their games came back to watch and support, so it was just absolutely electric. It was an amazing feeling in the whole stadium.”
The Pirates’ under-18 girls punched their ticket to the grand final after going a perfect 4-0 in their group games.
Squaring off against undefeated Wodonga, Baker said it was a tough, physical match, with both teams trading baskets throughout the clash.
The two teams could not be separated at the end of regulation, with the score locked at 28-28.
The Pirates put the Wolves to the sword in overtime, outscoring Wodonga 7-2 to claim a thrilling five-point win.
For some Echuca’s under-18 players, the tournament saw them play their last games as juniors, with the grand final win providing the perfect send off.
“For five of the boys it was the last tournament ever as a junior pirate, so getting the win and taking the home tournament was a fairy tale ending for them,” Lees said.
It was the last junior game for eight of the under-18 girls platers.
Baker echoed the same sentiment, saying it was a great way for the youngsters to finish their junior careers.
“It’s a really good way for some of them to end, especially for the under-18s,” Baker said.
“There’s a lot of kids there that are top age, so it was a really nice way for them to end their junior basketball commitments.”
Baker said she hopes that those top-age players will stick with the club at a senior level.
“We’ve got some kids that have already indicated that they will play in the CBL [Country Basketball League] which is really good, and that’s usually the natural progression if they want to continue their basketball,” she said.
Echuca’s under-14B boys finished on top of their group after winning all five of their pool games by an average margin of 34 points.
They faced a tough test in the grand final against fellow undefeated side Benalla, but a strong start helped them hold off the Breakers to claim a five-point victory.
Baker said it was a fantastic result, adding that it bodes well for the future of the club.
“There are a lot of bottom-age kids, so a lot of them will still have another season in under 14s which is very, very promising for the club,” she said.
The tournament is normally held over AFL grand final weekend, but after the last two were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic Baker said the club jumped at the chance to hold it now — with the tournament to be staged again later this year in September.
She said it was great to have the tournament back in action once again.
“I just love seeing the kids back on the court, because after two years it’s nice to have something normal,” she said.
Baker said the tournament was not only a significant fundraising opportunity for the club, but it provided an economic boost to the whole region.
“People need accommodation, they need to eat, they need to do other stuff as well so it’s a good injection to the town of Echuca Moama as well,” she said.
Both Lees and Baker made sure to thank the volunteers, parents and everyone involved in the tournament for making it such a successful event.
“All the work in the background is unreal,” Lees said.
“I don’t think people really know the amount of work that goes in behind the scenes.
“I think Lisa Baker and the committee did an excellent job with this tournament, it was really fun.”