IT was another warm weekend for the Mansfield Eagles U16 gold boys' trip to Wangaratta for the Benalla Basketball Tournament. The boys played Myrtleford first up and came away with a comfortable win of 58-33. Next up came the Wodonga Wolves Navy. The boys played a fast paced game with Sam delivering his personal best 24 points, securing another win 42-29. The team then travelled to Benalla for their third game of the day to take on Albury and although the boys fought hard, the game didn't go their way resulting in a loss of 17-30. Sunday saw the boys return to Benalla to face off with Tatura. They did all that the coaches, Justin and Brent asked and worked well as a team taking the win 54-15. The team had made it through to the semi finals to battle it out against Shepparton Gators. It was a tough game but the boys consistently gave it their all and came out victors 45-34. Then came the big one. The Grand Final had them matched up with Wodonga Wolves Maroon. It was always going to be a huge undertaking to get up on this team, but our boys were determined. Taj was first to hit the scoreboard and away they went. Jack's speed saw him tearing down the court and landing layups while Chance hitting his 3 pointers gave us some breathing space. But Wodonga were also playing to win. They too hit some 3's and our lead decreased. Sam and Zac were great under the ring, taking rebounds and landing goals in the offensive and delivering some great blocks in the offensive, helping to hold the lead. Oscar also delivered his share of 3 pointers, intercepts and blocks, while Josh's speed, ball control and ability to read play saw him take plenty of intercepts and charging through to score. However, Wodonga kept pushing back narrowing the lead to just a few points. Justin and Brent kept the boys focused and performing to their best. All taking their share of intercepts, blocks and goals. With 2 minutes on the clock the game was neck and neck. We'd score, they'd score. Our team fouls gave them free shots that reduced our lead to 3 points, the smallest margin of the game. With less the a minute to go Taj was up to the free through line for our turn at foul shots. The pressure was on but Taj was able to deliver. A few more tense seconds and the siren sounded, drowned out by cheers from a strong Mansfield Crowd. The boys had won with a final 37-32. Congratulations to all the boys and to Taj who took home home the tournament MVP award. It was a great weekend that the boys should be proud of. A huge thanks to the commitment of coaches Justin and Brent and to all the parent helpers that make it all possible.
