It was a close match to decide the junior basketball champions to open proceedings at the PCYC on Sunday afternoon, but the 36s have come out triumphant at the end of the game.
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Both teams boasted players from the Under 16s representative team, which led to a big 56-50 scoreline as both squads attempted to out-score the other to win.
The first quarter ended with the 36s on top in the affair, with most of their points coming through Steven Marshall, while Lachlan Mitchell, Toby Scoular and Jordan Harris put the points on the board for the Hawks.
The 36s kept their lead at the end of the first half, 27-22, but the five point lead didn’t accurately represent how close the Hawks had come to taking control in the game.
They tied the score up at 14-all at one point, and the scores locked again at 16-all and 20-all through the first half of the decider.
Marshall’s three late baskets pushed the 36s into the lead for the break however.
The Hawks took the third quarter 12-10, but Nick Ghanem’s crucial points near the end of the period gave them a 37-34 lead heading into the final quarter.
The 36s quickly broke the lead out to six with Marshall and Ghanem, but the Hawks had answers in the form of Mitchell and Harris.
It wasn’t enough for the Hawks however, and the 36s held on to their lead to claim the championship.
The quality of the juniors is promising for Mudgee basketball.
36s: Steven Marshall 42, Nick Ghanem 10, Hamish Saint 4.
Hawks: Jordan Harris 22, Lachlan Mitchell 14, Toby Scoular 12, Levi Jacobs 2.