Strong performances at Basketball WA State Championships in Perth from Narrogin Nets under-17 boys outfit

Narrogin Nets under-17 boys produced five solid games of basketball at Perth’s Bendat Basketball Centre in division five of the Basketball WA State Championship at the weekend. The Nets claimed three wins, one draw and one loss in the lead-up to finals. They found top form in game five, producing a solid win over Byford. “They were really competitive,” Nets manager Jo Thomas said. “We finished third on the ladder — if the stars had aligned we would have made finals but that’s OK. “The ultimate goal of the program is to make grand finals and bring home some bling from the Country Champs in February.” Claiming a 30-24 win over Hills Raiders in the opening round, the Nets were looking good with Zac Ford (eight points) finding form early with support from Rhys Reynolds (five) and Max Slawinski (five). Despite a strong effort from Raymond Kapene (nine) in the second game, the Nets went down 28-41 against Warwick Senators. Narrogin regrouped and in game three they secured a draw against eventual grand final winners Cockburn Cougars, making the unbeaten team sweat it out during their closest game of the competition. The Nets offence was led by a faultless Reynolds (nine) with Kapene (five), Ford (three), Cody Heywood (three) and Les Eades (three) also scoring. In round four an energised Nets produced a five-point win over Mandurah Magic, with Slawinski and Eades hitting nine points each. “The Mandurah game was quite interesting,” Thomas said. “We were down by 14 points at half-time but we came back and beat them. “We restricted their scoring to only three points in the last half.” The Nets’ final game on Sunday against Byford was the highlight of the weekend, with Reynolds bagging 13 points to help Narrogin secure victory 46-36. Eades (eight), Slawinski (seven), Kickett (six) and Ford (six) had a big impact on the game with Eades and Ford sending the Nets into the second half with a seven point lead 26-19. Byford came out fighting after half-time with Bailey Donegan sinking a three pointer at the 11-minute mark to put Byford in front by a point. Seconds later Reynolds would answer with a three pointer of his own and the Nets maintained the lead to the final buzzer, claiming a 10-point victory. “They were pretty pumped,” Thomas said. “They went in with no expectations and given that they competed against WABL teams they played hard and got some good results. “We’re really excited about Country Champs, the kids are having fun and their skills are developing.” The Nets country champs campaign will kick off over the Australia Day long weekend next year.