LAST Saturday a basketball team from Hennessy Catholic College travelled down to Bankstown to compete in the year 11/12 division of the NSW 2009 High School Basketball Competition.
This was an open invitation extended to every high school in NSW and the ACT to take part in this tournament.
The team consisted of Bradley Slater and Shane Tierney (year 12), Andrew Garvey (year 11), Will Burstal and Daniel Slater (year 10) and Duncan Cameron (year 9).
Our first game was at 3pm on Saturday and the boys took on St Pius X College Chatswood (semi-finalists), where they soon found out how games are played in the ‘big smoke’.
The action was fast and furious from end to end with plenty of skill on show.
There was never more than a few points in the game and Hennessey eventually went down 37-43 in a game that could have gone either way.
At 6pm the team from Hennessey took to the court to play Killara High School (grand finalists).
In a great game of basketball, Hennessey were totally dominating and should have been deserved winners after holding an 11 point lead at half-time, but lost a golden opportunity in heart breaking circumstances, going down in the dying seconds to lose a thriller 53-55. Hennessy had a three-point opportunity to win with 0.3 seconds on the clock but the ball hit the rim and bounced away to really rub it in.
On Sunday Hennessy took on Cranbrook Blue, where they were given a bit of a lesson and went down fighting 36-59.
Hennessey only had six players all weekend and in this game finished with four on the court.
A quick field excursion out to Unilever-Streets ice cream plant in Minto was just what the boys needed as they got a good sugar fix and were very impressed with the factory.
I think a few of the boys could handle working there. Thank you, Dean.
Rushing back for the game at 1pm the boys had a minute to spare and took to the court for their last game against Cranbrook White.
Right from the first whistle the boys found their mark with all shots sticking with a wonderful display of basketball.
The boys pressed well and forced many turnovers, nailed their three-pointers and drove to the basket with speed and agility to bamboozle their opponents who were getting a tad frustrated. Hennessey ran out deserved winners 71-28.
The team is to be congratulated on the manner in which they displayed themselves, on and off the court, especially after losing several close games.
Their sportsmanship was of the highest standard.
The team would like to thank the school for the opportunity, Michael Robertson for all his commitment in coaching and Kelly Slater for managing the team.
This was a wonderful experience and the boys have come home much better for it! Well done!
(For the record, Castle Hill High School won the tournament).
Paul Cameron
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