The Tasmanian under-16 boys bowed out of the national championships, bravely falling to Victoria Metro by 27 points in trying conditions on the Sunshine Coast.
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After a shaky start to tournament proceedings, losing their opening three games, the Tasmanians rallied to fight off Queensland North, Northern Territory and Western Australia Country to book a place in the quarter-finals.
Captain Sejr Deans, of Trevallyn, who was a shining light for Tasmania throughout the series, averaged an impressive 16.85 points per game, top-scoring with 24 points against Western Australia Country.
Tasmanian coach Nic Martin told Basketball Australia that the players began to understand what representing the state entailed as the championships wore on.
“There’s a massive focus on our behaviour and working hard on every single possession no matter the score,” he said.
“We want everyone to take immense pride in playing for Tasmania and the guys now understand that.”
The girls’ side was unable to chalk up any wins during the tournament, falling three points short of South Australia Country.
Zoe Crawford and Emerson Wells both scored 14 points.