Albany Basketball Association wins gripping under-19 division three final at Basketball WA State Championships

Albany Basketball Association’s under-19 division-three team had a memorable win at the Basketball WA State Championships in Perth, going through the weekend undefeated.

Albany won all four of their regular matches in the competition before defeating Perth Redbacks in the grand final to claim the title.

A dominant first half in the grand final was the key to bringing home the silverware as Albany outscored their rivals, 18-7, to lead by 11 at half-time.

Albany were narrowly outscored in the second half but they remained in front throughout and lifted numerous times when challenged as the margin got back to a single possession on four occasions.

Albany went on to secure a tense 31-25 victory as Callum Dixon received most valuable player honours for his 10-point haul while Saxon Henrickson and Louis Stratico added six each.

In their first game, Albany defeated Perth Redbacks 39-28 before recording an emphatic 58-32 victory over Margaret River in their second game.

Albany kept their winning ways going in their third game, winning 37-25 over Mandurah Magic before going on to win against Lakeside Lightning 42-34 to cap a perfect run in the qualifying games.

In the under-19 division two competition, Albany also made the grand final but missed out on the championship by the smallest of margins.

Albany went down in a thrilling decider to Binar, falling short by a single point, 45-46.

After trailing by five points at half-time, Albany did everything they could to get on level terms but despite 16 points from Jordi O’Neill, including four from long range, and 13 points from David Arthur, they lost.

Albany finished second in their pool after three wins coming against Willetton Tigers (48-8), Eastern Suns (49-26), Perth Redbacks (52-30) but they lost their opening game 28-23 to Perry Lakes Hawks before a semifinal victory over Hill Raiders 42-33.

In the under-17 division two competition Albany won one game in their four regular matches to finish fifth in the pool of six teams.

Albany lost their first three games to Warwick Senators 1 (26-31), Perth Redbacks 1 (36-29) and Busselton (38-23) but finished on a winning note against Lakeside Lightning Purple (40-34).

The Albany under-11 division two side won two games out of four to finish third in their pool.

They lost to Warwick Senators 1 in their first game 19-12 and then East Perth Eagles 14-16 but responded with wins against Lakeside Lightning Purple, 27-24, and Joondalup Wolves 2, 27-14.