Gisborne teams return with age-group titles

UNDER-11 BOYS: The Gisborne Basketball Association team who won the u11 tournament in Franklin were (from left) Keiha Blackman, Puna Crawford, Kaui Ngatai, Tipene Te Rauna-Lamont (captain), Jackson Robin-Smith, Micah Tapsell and Te Mania Taiapa-Tapatahi. Pictures by Darryl Crawford

BASKETBALL

They were amazing.

The Gisborne Basketball Association’s under-11 boys coached by Adam Tapsell, and the u13 girls coached by Thomas Tindale have returned from their tournaments in Franklin at the weekend as champions.

The u13 girls, led by captain Natasha Porter, won five games from five. On Day 1, they beat Pukekohe 36-19, Franklin 43-27 and Waikato 52-20. On Day 2, they won the semifinal against Pukekohe 29-17 and the final against Waikato 34-19.

The u11 boys beat Franklin Yellow 37-9, Franklin Black 50-16 and Hawke’s Bay Swish 28-19 on Day 1, and Franklin Yellow 53-15 in the semifinal and the Swish boys 42-16 in the final.

Tapsell was delighted with his team’s success.

“All of these boys were outstanding — it was a fantastic team effort,” he said.

Tindale was similarly pleased with the girls’ output.

“We’re super-proud because two of our girls had niggling injuries, and the team kept fighting against some tough competition — Franklin and Pukekohe used u15 players. The team showed character and heart.”

GBA chairman and head coach Dwayne Tamatea said it was “awesome” to see the development work paying off and the talent coming through.

“Congratulations to the players, coaches, management and family support on this great result.”