Victorian Secondary Schools Challenge (VSSC) Qualifier Tournament

On Friday 6th and 13th June, five teams travelled to Diamond Valley Stadium to compete in the VSSC Qualifier Tournament hosted by Basketball Victoria. The day consisted of 24-minute fixtures against talented school teams from across the state. The conclusion of the group stage marked the end of competition for our Under 15 Boys A and B teams, despite their valiant efforts. A special mention to the Year 7 students in Team B who rose to the challenge of playing up an age group.

The following three teams progressed to Grand Finals:

• The Under 15 Girls team was truly dominant on the day, winning the group games by an average of 16 points and the Grand Final by 12.

• The Under 17 Boys team battled ferociously through a number of close finishes, saving the best until last for a 15-point Grand Final victory against fellow ACS rivals Overnewton College.

• The Under 17 Girls team were trailing in a low scoring Semi Final affair, before banding together in the final minutes to take a winning 19-15 lead. Despite a Grand Final loss, the team was selected as a ‘wildcard’ entry to the State Finals.

State Finals

On Tuesday 24th and Wednesday 25th June, our three qualifying teams made the trek down to the State Basketball Centre to vie for the title of ‘State Champions’. As the games went on, it was fantastic to hear our students engage in high level discussion about their experience competing at the highest level. All three teams were true contenders to win their respective divisions but fell just shy of Grand Final berths.

Overall, the State Finals presented a landmark opportunity to showcase the skills, talents and sportsmanship of Loyola basketballers and to finish in the top handful of schools in the state is a tremendous accomplishment.

I would like to thank coaches Liv Mincone and Nick Perizzolo, as well as the many parents who offered their support over the tournament days.

Keep a look out for more exciting developments in the Loyola Basketball space!