Tasmania’s top junior basketballers have finished a respectable ninth place at the 2017 Australian under-16 championships.
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The state’s boys and girls both won five of their eight matches – including both final classification games – to take capture the mantle of the best side outside of the quarter-finalists.
Tassie’s boys had little trouble in outplaying South Australia Country towards a 75-58 victory in the ninth and tenth playoff game.
Launceston’s Jackson Lowe on Saturday continued his impressive run of form, proving strong at both ends of the floor in his best game of the campaign.
He collected 25 points and 15 boards, with two steals and two blocks.
Tasmanian stars Reyne Smith and Taran Armstrong also combined for 30 points.
Armstrong below-par final 13 points had little effect on him averaging the second highest at the tournament with 19.5 points per game.
The 15-year-old had also finished with the second most steals (3.5 ppg) and third most assists (4.8 ppg).
While his North-West backcourt partner Smith shot 28 three-pointers, the third most from any of the 140 players at the nationals.
Tasmania’s girls managed to hang on for a 74-73 win over Queensland North in back-to-back thrillers that saw the lead change six times in the last quarter.
Sharni Hayward starred with 22 points from Launceston trio Micah Simpson (15), Aishah Anis (12) and Jessica Johnston (10).
Hayward also hit the most three-pointers with 37 and the fourth-best points average with 17.88 each game.