The Deni Junior Giants travelled to Shepparton at the weekend for their last tournament of the year, and the first tournament with all 10 teams participating.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
The under-18s boys had a solid weekend winning three out of four games for the weekend, finishing second in their pool to Bendigo Braves.
The boys started slowly in their first game against the Horsham Hornets, down by one at half time, but fought back with some controlled basketball taking away a 31-26 win.
Their second game saw them come up against Bendigo Braves.
Again starting slow and having some calls go against them allowed Bendigo to take a convincing lead, but the boys fought back but went down by 13.
Game three saw the boys combine well in both offense and defence against the Tumut Timberwolves to win 35-13.
In game four the boys travelled to Euroa to take on Mansfield Eagles.
Both teams put on a show for the audience with their tall men attempting to slam dunk.
Unfortunately there was no success for Harry Way in this regard, but the boys were able to finish on a high with a 36-15 win.
The under-18s girls had three wins and two losses.
The first game was against Benalla, which has turned into a bit of a rival.
Strong all-round play from Bonnie Everett gave the girls their first victory, 26-21.
In game two the girls matched Bendigo for most of the first half with Stella White on fire until she suffered a tournament ending injury.
It allowed Bendigo to run away with the game, 47-27.
In the third game and the girls were back and took on Wodonga in a back and forth match.
Emma Parks and Kate Westcott both found some determination in the second half and turned the game on its head.
Westcott’s enthusiasm spilled over and she was eventually fouled out but the damage had been done and the Giants won 24-20.
This was the first time the players and coach have beaten Wodonga in seven years.
The local derby was game four with the Giants taking on Echuca.
It was a physical match with Mia Parks continually having to pick herself up of the floor.
The Giants maintained composure with strong rebounding from Trinity Larcombe and a couple of nice jump shots for Jarrah Fitzpatrick. Bonnie Everett was again dominant at both ends.
The Giants proved too strong with a 26-20 victory.
The final game was against Horsham, who are a quality side.
Heat and fatigue played a role in the 61-17 loss.
A notable mention to Mia Parks who battled hard in the second half to score half the team’s points.
The under-16s boys played extremely well all weekend, taking on every task coach Chloe Way asked of them.
Tom Murray’s confidence was outstanding in his defence and teaming up with Dexter Hardman they stopped any guard that was trying to drive.
Brody Wills was a very effective guard, and played his heart out in offence and defence.
Josh Todd showed a new level of aggression and created many opportunities for his team.
Jai Park was excellent with his rebounding and played the big man perfectly.
Baxter Cowley played a composed style of basketball setting the tone for offensive play, demanding the ball and playing his role well and Spencer Cowley's knowledge of the play was evident in his “work smarter not harder “ approach.
The boys finished with one win over Mansfield and four losses for the weekend.
The under-16s girls had a fiery start to the Shepp Tournament, but settled quickly.
They were competitive in the first half of each game, but seemed to be over run in the second halves.
The exception was in round five against Rochester when, with only 10 seconds to go, Shontai O'Callaghan scored a three pointer to draw the game 35-all.
A great finish for what was her last game for the Giants.
Under-14s boys came up against a tall and well drilled Traralgon team in the first game for the tournament, going down 55-19.
Although overwhelmed they were ready to hit the court in their second game against Shepparton Gators, who have become the rival team for the boys.
Unfortunately on this occasion Shepparton got the points, 28-18.
Game three was against Wangaratta and the boys were ready for a win. They played extremely well as a team, putting together a lot of great plays and winning 29-11.
Warnambool were going into game four against the Giants undefeated.
The aim was to continue working on the plays and give 110 percent.
Deni were able to keep within three points for majority of the match, even taking the lead with four minutes to go. Unfortunately Warnambool came back and took the win, 31- 28.
The under-14s boys’ development team started off with a tough game against Shepparton and it set the bar high.
The Giants scored 22 points but went down by 10.
This gave them a target of 23 scoring points going into the remainder of their games.
A sleepy game two against Mansfield saw the Giants defeated 32-11.
Come Sunday morning the side were meeting ladder leader Tumut on the courts.
The boys did well but were far outplayed by a stronger, taller and well drilled team.
Game four was an outstanding game.
The boys were down by six at half time and dug deep, lifting their defensive pressure which amounted to many steals to put them in front with six seconds to go.
With another foul, the boys sent Rochester to the line for free throws but the pressure was too much and Deni came away with a one point win - 26-25 - in their last game.
The under-14s girls showed significant improvement from the gala day in Swan Hill in October, regardless of significant losses to Horsham (70-20) and Bendigo (66-6) in the opening games of the tournament.
The girls are combining well as a team and lifted a notch each game.
Game three gave them their first win against Benalla, 17-6, and the girls were ready to finish the tournament strong.
Unfortunately they were unable to come away with another win with narrow losses of 20-24 and 16-15 against Yarra-Mul and Shepparton respectively.
The under-12 boys were up and about after a first round win over Maryborough, 25-22.
Lachie Tritton was outstanding in the key at both ends, with Angus Henderson working hard in defence and offense with shots falling from everywhere.
In game two Deni took on Yarra-Mul and with a 1-1 score line at half time, it was game on in the second.
Unfortunately Deni couldn't get the ball to sink and Yarra-Mul took the points 11-4 in a low scoring affair.
It was Rochester Tigers in game three and the boys started slowly, giving the Tigers a 12 point lead before they decided they wanted to play.
Unfortunately foul trouble and the early lead saw the boys fall short by two points, 23-25.
On Sunday they faced ladder leaders and eventual grand final winners Wodonga Wolves.
The boys started well and were never far away, but Wodonga put their foot down and couldn't miss in the second half, taking the win 22-11.
Although it was hot and the fifth game for the tournament, the under-12s were desperate for another win.
Jed Fitzmaurice drove the ball down the court with ease and hit the ring while Ryan Bulmer and Nate Fitzpatrick were stealing the ball all over the court.
Callan Leiper showed court awareness and ball passing while Gus Burge and Jaxon Ives showed great defence and rebounding skills to pressure Mildura.
The boys took out the last win, 26-17.
The other under-12 side - the under-12 boys development team - had a great start to the tournament coming away with a close 16-13 win against Tumut in game one.
This is the first time in Giants history an under-12 boys development team has ever won.
Game two against Bendigo saw the boys play great defensive basketball, but Bendigo were too strong and took the win.
In the last game on Saturday, the boys showed some tiredness and the hot weather wasn't helping.
They lifted in the second half but the Shepparton talls were just too tall for the Giants, going down 21-14.
Sunday was always going to be tough against undefeated Mansfield.
The young giants gave it their all, and although the margin was 27 points, the scoreboard did not reflect the effort and endeavour.
The under-12s girls showed some great passages of play and it was evident that their training was coming into their game play.
Game one against Bendigo was a loss, 23-10.
The girls were ready in game two and relished plenty of shooting opportunities.
It came down to the last 10 seconds when Millah O'Callaghan took a wonderful intercept to give the girls a winning chance. But they were beaten by the buzzer, going down 12-10 to Shepparton Gators.
The girls were up against the Tumut Timberwolves in game three.
Tumut was a much stronger and experienced team, taking away a convincing 67-2 win.
In the last game of the tournament on Sunday the little Giants took on the might of the Timberwolves again, and what a game.
Each player gave everything they had left in the tank.
Defensive pressure was outstanding, which showed on the scoreboard.
After scoring 67 against Deni in game three, they were kept to only 35 this game.
The Deni Junior Giants will use the summer to prepare for their first 2023 tournament in February at Wodonga.
Contributed content