Macedon Ranges Basketball Association is on a high following the recent Under 16 Boys’ Division 1 Country Championship.
This was quickly followed by the inclusion of MRBA rising stars Finn McGinty, Sonny Maxwell, Samuel Haslett and Alex Gray in the Country Victoria U16s team to play in the National Championships in July.
The Express highlighted this achievement in the March 21 edition.
The tournament to decide the U16 division 1 championship was played at Bendigo.
MRBA junior co-ordinator Belinda Maxwell said for the little Macedon Ranges association to win the title against some of the powerhouses of Victorian basketball was a tremendous feat.
Starting as the number one seeds, Macedon Ranges defied the odds and won six matches in a row, backing up from two years ago when they also won the division one U14s championship.
This means the age group is on a 16-0 runs over the two events and once again is ranked the number one VIC country boys’ team in the state.
To say the Macedon Ranges U16s were impressive is not an understatement.
Every game the opposition came out firing, trying to dethrone the top seeds.
Day one saw three wins to top their pool, thereby qualifying for the play-offs.
On finals day they toppled the strong up and coming Traralgon team, then faced Bendigo in a semi-final.
In a very hard-fought contest Macedon Ranges lost the lead for the first time all tournament, but rallied in the last five minutes to eliminate Bendigo.
Another big test in the grand final, this time against Ballarat.
With plenty of support from the sidelines, Macedon Ranges led throughout for a 46-40 victory.
All 10 players showed flashes of brilliance over the six matches, and the grand final was highlighted by an unstoppable performance by Alex Gray.
SOON BE 40 YEARS UP
The MRBA began in 1985, with games initially played at Tony Clarke Reserve, Macedon.
Now Buffalo Stadium in Woodend is the main venue.
The all-inclusive association serves the entire Macedon Ranges.
The MRBA runs fun-orientated Aussie Hoops, skills development sessions for U10s boys and girls, intermediate age groups, all-abilities training and modified games, a mixed competition, and open women’s and men’s competitions.
Basketball is regarded as a tremendous social activity as well.
The MRBA strives to provide opportunities for personal growth and development of youth athletes, also reinforcing positive influences, self-confidence, self-esteem and the ability to excel on and off the court.
As an exercise, basketball is a great cross-training activity.
