The littlest Deni Junior Giants teams headed to Wodonga on March 9 and 10 to compete in the Wangaratta tournament - the last of season 2023-24.
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It was the under-12 boys who showcased how far they have come over the season, taking out the grand final by one point over Wodonga Navy and proving the third time’s the charm.
Deni Junior Giants will end the 2023-24 tournament season on Friday, March 22, with their presentation night.
Under-12 boys
Coming up against an unknown Echuca Pirates team in the first game, the boys were keen to set the tone for the tournament.
The Giants got a quick three baskets before letting Echuca score.
The fast-paced game resulted in many turnovers, which the Giants took advantage of by consistently sinking goals.
Jordie White had a great first game, scoring 14 points and helping the Giants secure a 42-16 point win.
With only two games on day one, the boys were keen to finish on a high.
They started strong in the first half, leading 27-4.
Nate Fitzpatrick scored a quick 10 before fouling out with 18 minutes left.
The remaining players continued to run their plays, securing their second win, 39-15, against Shepparton Gators.
Jed Fitzmaurice was on fire in game three, hustling down the court. It resulted in many steals and drives to the basket to finish with eight points.
Jed was well supported by Braxton Leetham, trapping the Euroa players down the court and getting in the correct position in offence to finish on seven points.
The Giants had a big win in this game, 42-13.
The boys had been busy studying the ladder and wanted to finish with a win to secure the top position.
The Giants held a 17-9 lead at halftime, but Mansfield would not give up.
They levelled the scores with six minutes left; a nail-biting couple of minutes saw the teams score a goal for goal.
The Deni boys showed great teamwork and commitment to the gameplay, finishing winners 35-27 and heading into a semi-final against Wodonga Maroon.
What a game that semi-final was!
The nerves were high, and it was evident from the first jump that it would be hotly contested.
Wodonga got a slight first-half lead of 16-13, but the Giants kept their heads up and played a full 40 minutes.
Charlie Murray put on the defensive pressure, resulting in errors for Wodonga, and contributed five points to the scoreboard.
Oscar Strongman created pressure as a tall player, putting the Wodonga shooters under pressure and taking some good rebounds.
It was a great team game, resulting in a nail-biting two point win, 28-26, and a grand final appearance.
Deni came out strong against a well-drilled and tall Wodonga team in the grand final.
Cormick Hardman hit the scoreboard first and was reliable all game, driving the court and shooting.
Callan Leiper came into the shooting game in the second half, sinking three beautiful jump shots to give the Giants an eight point lead.
Wodonga pushed hard but was in foul trouble, providing the Giants with plenty of opportunity to seal the game.
But the Giants only converted one free throw, allowing Wodonga to stay in the game.
Wodonga tied the game with one minute left, and everyone was on the edge of their seats.
With 28 seconds to play, a foul on Wodonga sent Jed to the line.
He converted one, but there was still time for Wodonga.
Wodonga drove the court quickly and put up the shot, which rimmed out.
Mr Reliable Jimmy O’Connor put pressure on the shooter, took the rebound, and controlled the ball for the last seconds.
Deni secured a one point win.
This was the boys’ third grand final appearance, so it was a fitting way to end the season.
Congratulations to Cormick Hardman, who was awarded MVP in the grand final.
The BLT Fabrication Tournament Award went to Charlie Murray.
Charlie has shown massive improvement in offence and defence throughout the season. He was consistent in every game, and you could rely on him to make the right decisions when the games were on the line.
Under-12 girls
The U12 girls also had a successful tournament, featuring in a semi-final.
The first game saw the girls up against a strong Wangaratta side.
They took the lead early, shooting the first three goals.
Unfortunately, Wangaratta didn’t let the early lead rattle them and were just too good, winning 42-12.
Credit goes to Aysha Bartlett and Bailee Dunn, who were consistent throughout the whole game and put pressure on the Wangaratta girls.
The girls recouped from their loss and came out very strong in game two against Myrtleford.
Stevie Williams and Harper Bulmer picked up their defensive pressure to stop their scoring, while Indi Conallin and Izzy Goodear scored 30 points.
Maggie Burge shot her first tournament goal and continued to run, applying pressure to her opposition.
The Giants won 42-22.
The girls were hot and getting tired, but it didn’t stop their enthusiasm to finish their day with a win in game three.
Stella Butcher’s performance in defence was outstanding, and she had a hunger for the ball. She applied immense pressure to stop the fast breaks.
Rori Dean also did what she was asked to, guarding the key to stop the shots.
Using her height, she rebounded strongly, allowing her to drive down the court looking for her teammates.
The Giants won 31-21.
The girls knew they had to win game four to stay in and go through to the semi-finals.
It was a fantastic game for all the girls, who showed dedication and determination.
Two points separated the Giants and Wodonga at halftime.
The girls listened to coach Adam Goodear and did precisely what they were asked.
Wodonga struggled to get it over halfway, which allowed the girls to win 25-21.
The semi-final against another Shepparton team was always going to be tough.
The girls worked hard on defence to try and stop the Gators but unfortunately couldn’t prevent a defeat from another well-polished side.
The Giants had a lot of opportunities, but the shots didn’t fall.
Fatigue and emotions started to overcome the girls, but they fought hard to reach the final whistle.
The Giants lost 13-32.
The BLT Fabrication Tournament Award went to Harper Bulmer.
Harper’s confidence has grown since her very first tournament. She has developed great skills with her teammates and has enjoyed her season.
Under-12 boys development team
The U12 boys’ development team came out firing with a lot of intensity in their first match of the tournament.
They put much of what they have been practising in training on the court.
This resulted in one of the best team games they have played all season, with all the boys looking for a pass-off option when they were available.
Although they lost 15 to Myrtleford’s 31, it boosted confidence.
Jetta Macdonald’s driving and shooting under the ring and Jett Boyer’s tenacious defence and attack to incept multiple passes greatly impacted the game.
The boys came up against a well put together team in Wodonga in game two.
A huge positive is that the boys didn’t leave their structures.
Angus Priest put a lot of pressure on across the court, forcing the other team to make some unforced errors.
Wodonga was too strong, 46-8.
In the next game, the boys started on fire, and every player on the team scored in this game.
Unfortunately, the boys ran out of legs, resulting in a one-point loss to Mansfield, 29-28.
Lenny Leetham topped the scoring, putting 11 points on the board, which was a massive effort in hot conditions.
Chris Plant hit the scoreboard for the first time this tournament.
The boys played their hearts out in this game against Wangaratta.
Their never-die attitude is a huge credit and resulted in the boys stringing together some great plays.
Justin Purtill was unreal, getting some important ball back for his side and using his vision to create scoring opportunities for his team.
Wangaratta defeated the Giants 30-17.
A huge hustle by the boys in the last game resulted in Deni being up by two at halftime.
This was a game that had it all. Emotions were high after a huge tournament, but the boys stuck to it and all put in 100 per cent effort.
Shepp Gators defeated the Giants, 41-18.
The Wired Entertainment tournament award went to Lachlan Jeffery for his consistent effort across all the games.
Lachlan’s ability to bring his teammates into the games, his hard work in defence, and his ability to finish strong at the hoop, scoring an impressive 24 points for the tournament, have seen him be the well-deserved winner.
Under-14 boys development team
The team had the best finish to the tournament season, securing their first win.
It shows that commitment, practice, and determination are needed to succeed.
The boys started slowly in game one, but after some hard work in defence, hassling their opponents, they were rewarded with a three-point score.
After the halftime break, the boys were determined to increase their score.
Great drives into the key and desperate defence by the Giants saw points start to add up on the scoreboard.
In arguably their best game this season (and a huge confidence booster), the U14 boys went down to Myrtleford 23-33.
After a great first game, the boys took the court for game two with a little extra spring in their step and in front of the largest crowd they had played in front of all season.
Shepparton started strongly, but Deni settled just as fast and forced Shepp to make mistakes in offence.
It paid off for Deni, and the boys kept the scoreboard even for most of the first half. At halftime, they trailed by only three points.
The desperation from both teams was evident when they returned to the court.
Deni forced turnovers but had trouble converting these to scores.
The Giants went down 20-28 at the final bell but again showed they were competitive in this tournament.
Game three saw a first-time match-up between the Giants and Cobram Tigers.
After two very close games already, the Giants were hungry to get their first win.
Both teams started strong, converting their shots at goal.
The Deni boys threw everything they had been practising at Cobram and were in front at the halftime break.
Baxter Cowley reminded the boys to remain steady and play as they had throughout this tournament.
The result was the largest score they had recorded all season and finally a win.
Deni defeated Cobram 51-23.
Tournament host Wangaratta was the side’s final match-up for the tournament.
Having not yet beaten this team this season, the boys knew they would have to work hard to get two wins in a row.
Coach Baxter Cowley encouraged the team to take control of the game, be steady and use possessions.
Deni’s defensive pressure was strong, but converting turnovers was difficult.
Deni eventually went down to Wangaratta, 10-39.
The That Pizza Tournament Award went to Angus Knuckey.
Under-14 boys
The U14 boys were pumped for a ripping season finale and did not disappoint.
They battled and fought through nail-biting matches to bow out in a close semi-final.
Round one was against the Wodonga Wolves.
The boys started the game at full speed, a little erratic but giving it their all.
Once settled and having found their rhythm, the goals were quick to follow.
They focused well on defensive play and were strong at both ends, resulting in a convincing win.
The Giants defeated Wodonga 50-27.
Deni was slightly rattled in the first half of their next game, against Euroa.
Going into the break, they were in front by three narrow points.
The boys gathered at halftime, and after a few words from coach Bobby Hall, the boys lifted and went out firing with a brilliant second half.
There were quick turnovers, strong defensive and goals aplenty.
Every team member contributes strongly and works hard.
The Giants defeated Euroa, 61-32.
The boys went into the last game of the day, fired up and hungry to get another win against our friendly but fierce rivals, the Pirates.
Taking advice from the coach to back themselves and not drop their heads when things go wrong, they were then full of voice and determination.
It was a brilliant battle all the way through.
Deni remained composed and fought, walking away with a two-point win.
The Giants defeated Echuca, 44-42.
Heading into game four bright and early on the Sunday, the boys knew they needed a strong performance against the Gators to take out a fourth win.
Our big guys stood strong and worked hard to get to the basket, while our smalls never gave up hustling and slowing the Gators through the centre.
It was another game that could have easily gone either way until the final seconds.
Alternating free throws and quick turnovers, it was an edge-of-the-seat thriller.
Unfortunately, the boys went down with a narrow loss, 38-41, but it was a brilliant performance.
The boys were excited and nervous heading into the semi-final against a strong and well-groomed Wodonga team.
The first half saw two very even sides, and we went into halftime only two points down.
Into the second half, the Giants worked hard to make the score even.
After a few missed opportunities and missed goals, the Wolves ran away in the final minutes with a win, ending our season.
Giants lost to Wodonga, 23-28.
The Murray Construction Tournament Award went to Ari Strongman.
Bobby continues to be impressed with Ari’s confidence at both ends, his strong drives and rebounds, and his ability to be a leading voice for the team.
Under-14 girls
The girls had another successful tournament, finishing runner-up to Echuca.
In their opening match against the Yarra-Mul Lakers, the Giants displayed remarkable strength.
With a commanding lead of 24-5 at halftime, the team showcased a diverse range of scorers.
Nina Glowrey led the charge in scoring, closely supported by Jorja Woolston and Ava Braybon.
Lexi Butcher’s defensive prowess and Zoe Harvey’s exceptional intercepts contributed significantly to the team’s dominant performance.
Deni defeated Yarra-Mul, 60-7.
Facing the unfamiliar challenge of the Echuca Pirates, the Giants demonstrated resilience in the next game despite falling behind by 12 points in the first half.
Lilly Boyer’s accuracy at the free-throw line and Stella Andrews’ pivotal score after the break highlighted the team’s determination.
Although they ultimately lost by seven points, the Giants fought bravely till the final whistle.
The Giants then showcased their prowess in a match-up against the formidable Benalla Breakers, particularly in the night game setting where they traditionally struggle.
Ava Braybon’s stellar performance in scoring and rebounding propelled the team to a convincing 41-20 victory.
Lara Horne’s defensive contributions and pressure on the Breakers were instrumental in securing the win.
The intense encounter with the second Echuca team saw the Giants initially unsettled by the game’s stop-start nature.
However, they regrouped and heeded coach Amelia Chalmers’ advice to play their game enthusiastically and fairly.
Ava Braybon, Nina Glowrey, and Jorja Woolston delivered standout performances, leading the team to a 20-point victory and securing second place on the ladder after the rounds.
The Giants exhibited unwavering determination and skill in a highly anticipated semi-final against arch rivals Wodonga.
Zoe Harvey’s aggressive play and Lara Horne’s rebounding prowess set the tone for the match.
Lilly Boyer’s sharpshooting propelled the team to a resounding 27 point victory, earning them a spot in the grand final against Echuca Pirates.
The Giants faced tough opposition from the Pirates in the grand final.
The Pirates ultimately emerged victorious with a 21 point lead.
Jorja Woolston’s tenacity and impressive scoring earned her the Stubbs Wallace Tournament Award for persistence and drive.
Her skilful drives to the basket were a highlight of the game, showcasing the team’s determination until the final buzzer.
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