Basketball
28 March, 2026
Wildcats star at state champs
Three Warracknabeal Wildcats sides produced stellar performances at the Country Victoria junior basketball championships, held at Shepparton on March 14-15.
Both the under-16 boys and under-18 boys sides reached the grand final in their respective divisions before being defeated in the decider.
The under-16 girls' side also performed valiantly before going down in the Division 5 quarter final.
The under-16 boys side dominated the Saturday pool games, producing a 54-38 win over Swan Hill, defeating Bacchus Marsh 46-27, and overcoming Sale 48-26, which saw them progress to the Division 3 quarter finals.
In the quarterfinal against Maryborough, scores were level at halftime before a strong second half from the Wildcats, led by Tyler Templeton’s 18 points, saw them win 48-30.
In the semifinal, the side led most of the way before holding on to defeat Shepparton 42-37.
In the grand final game against the Surfcoast Chargers, the Wildcats fought all game, eventually going down 52-34.
Finishing as the third-highest scorer in the division, Tyler Templeton led the team in scoring with 77 points across the six games, including an 18-point quarter-final performance.
Charlie Williams and Tobias Arnel contributed 64 and 62 points throughout the tournament, respectively.
The under-18 boys comfortably won their opening two games, 43-24 over Benalla, and 52-36 over Mansfield, before a come-from-behind 38-34 victory over Maryborough ensured they finished first in their pool and advanced to the Division 5 finals.
The Wildcats then won 41-39 in a nail-biting quarterfinal game against Morwell.
Then in the semifinal against Tatura, the under-18 boys trailed late in the game before a Hayden Polack basket in the final minute saw them prevail in a 43-42 thriller.
In the grand final against Ararat, the Wildcats were within reach of the Redbacks most of the game before being defeated 55-36.
Hayden Polack starred for the side, scoring 82 points across the championships to finish as the third-highest point scorer in the division, while Charlie Martin scored 60 points over the weekend.
The under-16 girls' side lost their first two games, 29-17 to Benalla and 51-22 to Bairnsdale, before defeating Rochy 36-17.
In the Division 5 quarter final, the Wildcats reduced a 12-point deficit to one against Mansfield before the Eagles proved too strong, winning 34-26.
Piper Knorpp led the way for the side with 47 points from four games, including a 16-point performance against Bairnsdale.
