The Mount Gambier Lakers Under 18 Men’s Basketball team made it four Division 1 titles in a row by winning the 2015 Championship in Adelaide over the weekend of March 7^th, 8^th and 9^th.

The Lakers Under 18 Men won the Division 1 SA Country Basketball Championship in 2012 under the guidance of Coach Warwick Kettle after finishing runner-up to arch rival Eastern Hills in 2011. Ray deWit coached the Lakers to back to back titles in 2013 and Simon Berkefeld made it a three-peat in 2014. This year Mount Gambier’s Junior Development Officer, Trevor Semmens, led the Lakers to a four from four result. These continuing successes reflect the quality of the Association Development Programs and the commitment of the players and coaches over the years.

The 2015 Lakers Under 18 Division 1 Men faced a daunting task of playing 7 games in the 8 team competition followed by a grand Final between the top 2 sides. The Lakers finished with a 6/1 win/loss record. Their wins over Eastern Hills and Mildura were full of merit while the one point loss to Great Southern proved to be a “wake up” call for the team. The Championship win over Eastern Hills, 44-33, was impressive, showing the quality of the side and team strategies set up by Coach Trevor Semmens. State player Brad Rathjen was the leading scorer in the final while Brad Close played consistently well as playmaker, setting up scoring opportunities for team-mates throughout the Championships.

Brad Rathjen, Brad Close, Todd Lockwood, Damon Argy, Liam Beckman, Lachlan Hunter, Zach deWit, and Kurt Rodis are the 2015 SA Country Basketball Under 18 Division 1 Champions.

The hard luck story of the Championships belongs to the Lakers Under 18 Women. Their minor rounds record shows 5 wins and 2 losses, one by the narrowest margin of 1 to Murray Bridge and then by 3 to Mildura after they had secured a place in the grand final. These results set up a rematch against Murray Bridge in the in the Championship game. The Lakers led by small margins for the majority of the title game but could not hang on in the closing minutes resulting in an agonising 2 point loss.

Whilst the players and Coach Bryan Green are bitterly disappointed by this result, they have had an outstanding season highlighted by their success in the Bendigo Classic, one of the premier Junior Basketball events in Australia. All involved with the team can be justly proud of their overall successes.

The Lakers Under 18 Men’s second team coached by Troy Bird also enjoyed a successful weekend. They won 5 of their 6 games, going down to Port Lincoln by just 4 points, 45-49. They displayed composure to defeat a strong and physical Jamestown 42-38.

The final was a rematch against Port Lincoln, who had an Under 16 state squad member in its line-up. The Lakers matched Port Lincoln for the majority of minutes apart from a several minutes when Port Lincoln set up their winning margin. Overall it was a pleasing result for the team and Coach.

The Lakers Under 14 Boys’ and Girls’ Division 1 teams faced tough assignments in their 10 team, 2 pools competitions. Both teams won 2 of their four pool games but then bowed out in their respective quarter finals. The Lakers’ Boys lost to grand final winner Mildura while the Girls also went down to Mildura, a grand finalist in this division. The Lakers Boys were somewhat unlucky not to finish higher in the pool ranking losing to Yorke Valley by just 2 points. Inconsistency appeared costly for the Girls, who defeated winner Broken Hill 30-25 in a pool game, but did not produce the same form in other contests.

The Lakers Under 14 Girls second team finished with a 2/3 record, having played some periods of solid team basketball. Michelle Whitehead spoke positively of the progress the players have made since she took over as coach.

The Lakers second Under 14 Boys’ team was competitive in the Division 3 competition. They started with a 2 point win against Willunga, who played off in the grand final. The Lakers then met first teams from three Associations. Port Pirie proved too strong, but Millicent and Port Lincoln had to fight hard for 7 and 4 point wins against the Lakers. The players were determined in their efforts against bigger and older opponents.

The Lakers third Under 14 Boys team did not score a win but continued their improvement over the season. Coach Ebony Cunningham felt that trainings and games were positive learning experiences for the players.                     

In summary, the Lakers Under 14 teams were competitive in their respective divisions.