Two Emerald stars have been crowned bronze medallists following an impressive run in the Basketball Queensland Under-18s State Championships.
Playing for the Rockhampton Cyclones, Emerald exports Bre Walsh and Libby Kelly helped guide the team to a third-place finish in Division Two on the Gold Coast.
Walsh was a scoring machine in the carnival coming up with four double-digit scores.
Twice the superstar produced scores of 19 while also contributing an important bucket in the bronze medal match against Mackay.
Kelly’s best game came in the final pool game where she produced a personal best eight points in a crucial contest against RedCity.
Having locked down their position in the medal finals following that win over RedCity, the Cyclones played Toowoomba for a spot in the gold medal game.
The Cyclones would go down to the wire with the Mountaineers but eventually fall just four points short.
Eager to capture a well-deserved medal the Rockhampton girls collided with rivals Mackay in the bronze-medal final.
And on the biggest stage the whole team stepped up to earn a 62-53 win and the bronze medallion.
“It was really good to go down south and pick up the medal,” coach Tabitha Allen said.
“It was five of the top aged girls’ last carnival, so it was good to go out with a bit of a bang.
“None of them have won a medal before in their junior careers, so it was really exciting for those girls to do that.
“And to win over our rivalry town in Mackay in the bronze medal match made it that little bit more exciting.”
Allen said the tournament was built on a strong team performance but there were individuals who stood out on both ends of the floor, including one of Emerald’s own.
“Our captain Molly Barclay always leads from the front, whether she’s on the bench or on the court, she’s always encouraging everyone.
“Our defensive efforts came from the whole team, but Alexis Bichel, Aryiana Pianta and Bre Walsh really stood up.
“Our offensive play really built through Lily Thomasson and Pippa Reoch by getting some offensive boards for us and getting some put-backs in our bronze medal match.
“But it really was an all-team effort, everyone hit the floor for our big game which was great.”
The bronze medal win, alongside the Rockhampton Storm’s matching feat in Division 3, has showcased a purple patch of women’s basketball in Central Queensland.
“The development program is really exciting and those girls are pushing for Queensland selection,” Allen said.
“We are running the same training and drills as the bigger clubs are running and it shows the girls where they need to be.
“They can also see where basketball is going in the future for women.”
