Last Thursday and Friday we had our basketball students from Years 3 to 6 participating in the Shoalhaven Schools Basketball Challenge at the new Shoalhaven Basketball Stadium. On Thursday, St. Michael’s sent a boys and a girls team from Years 3 and 4 to compete on the day. The following day, 2 boys and one girls team were sent to participate in the day.

Each team played 4 games with every member working up a sweat running up and down the court trying their hardest to get the ball and work it towards the basket. All teams played exceptionally well and we had some outstanding results from both days.

Year 3 and 4 Boys had a mixed day winning and losing 2 games. The whole team were all eager to play and shoot hoops. All the games were extremely close as the teams were even in their ability in each team. With a first up win and a second round loss the boys became a bit disheartened. Mrs Olijnyk gave a pep talk to the team after this loss about teamwork and sharing the work load. The boys took the message on board and played well after their first loss, winning their next game and just losing their last. Unfortunately, they just missed out on the finals. These boys will be back bigger and better next year due to their experiences this year. Some standout performances on the day were Declan Field who made sure he included all his team mates by passing the ball around in order to get a hoop, Noah Jamieson was fantastic dribbling down the court and scoring and Henrik Schaefer made lots of fast breaks down the court.

Year 3 and 4 Girls had a brilliant day dominating the courts and not dropping a game all day. The girls played with great sportsmanship and competitiveness. The girls went through to the grand final match and won 10 to 4 against Terara Public School.  Stand out performances on the day were Anna Duncan, who with her height advantage, pulled down lots of rebounds. She was supported well by Leah Griffis who was great at making fast breaks and getting back in defence. A special mention must go to Ayla Clerget who despite not playing basketball was an absolute machine sinking some impressive hoops, especially in the grand final match. Well done to these girls who were crowned the Champion Stage 2 girls team on the day.

Year 5 and 6 Girls were an unstoppable force throughout the day. They played some strong offence and even stronger defence with no team scoring more than 4 points against them. They continued this form into the semi-finals and eventually the grand final. The girls again put on another dominate display running away and winning the game 14 – 2. Stand out performances were Indiana Hayburn who controlled the tempo of the games, Josie Schaefer who made great fast breaks up the court and Bridie Petre who was great pulling down rebounds and driving towards the hoop.

Year 5 and 6 Boys, Team 2 – This group of boys played their heart out in every match. They came up against some strong teams and held their own in every game. Their stand out game was their second game. The other team controlled the ball and scoring for most of the game. Coming down to the last 4 minutes the boys decided to play their best basketball. They were strong in defence and got a lot of balls from putting pressure on the ball carriers. The boys were 2 points down with 40 seconds to play until Xavier Smith hit a nice jump shot. The boys held on for a very gutsy win. They made it to the preliminary final but the opposition team were just too good. Stand out performances were Beau Lynch who controlled the tempo of the game and showed great leadership skill on court by involving the whole team in their quest to win, Kyri Pavlis who became a rock in defence and turned defence into offence and Declan Power who showed his versatility by playing hard both offensively and defensively.    

Lastly, the Year 5 and 6 Boys, Team 1 – These boys were another team who were really hard to stop once they got going. Despite not having much time together as a team they gelled extremely quickly and became a well-oiled machine. Their display of skill, sportsmanship and comradery were on full display and they were an absolute joy to watch. They went through the whole day undefeated and like the two girl’s teams, were crowned champions after taking out their grand final match 15 – 9. Standout performances from the team were Tom Duncan with his impressive rebounding and fast breaks, Harry Frew who was putting on a shooting masterclass and in the process, drained two 3 pointers, and Tahj Webb who in the grand final nullified the opposition's best player giving him no space to run or shoot.

Well done to our three Shoalhaven Schools Basketball Champions and the other teams who took part in the day. The student’s behaviour, attitude and display of sportsmanship on both days was exceptional. I cannot fault them on anything over the course of the two days. All the students who participated were outstanding representatives of St. Michael’s School. Thank you to Mrs Olijnyk for her support of the grade 3 and 4 students and all the parents and carers who transported the students to and from the venue and stayed to support and coach the students.    

The St. Michael’s Twilight Swimming Carnival will be held on Wednesday 27^th November at Nowra Pool. Notes have already gone home to students in Years 2 to 5. Please note that in order to participate in the carnival students must be able to swim 50 metres easily and unaided and make a commitment to representing St. Michael’s at the Diocesan level next year.  

I will be coming around to see students in Years 4 and 5 to see if any students are eligible to trial for a Wollongong Diocesan team for 2020 for the following sports AFL, rugby league, touch, netball, hockey, football and rugby union. Students are required to be experienced players and extremely talented at their chosen sport. If they are successful during these trials, they will go on to represent the Diocese of Wollongong at MacKillop Level Trials and might advance to represent at a State Level. Nomination forms will be going to students who meet the criteria for their chosen sport and will need to be returned to me. Students who have nominated for a sport will be informed if they have been successful or unsuccessful to attend the trials when the trial date is near. If you have any questions, please see me.

Regards,