Grand Final weekend in the Ballarat Basketball Association saw five Ballan Brumbies Junior teams take to the court, with two senior sides to play their grand finals mid-week.
On Friday night the Under 16 Boys E took on top of the table Phoenix Kings, the favored Kings only loss coming against Ballan on a Xavier Winter buzzer beater mid season.
Phoenix looked to implement their physical style early, Clayton Geddes getting to the foul line in his typical battering ram style. Instantly Ballan coach Jason Handrek urged his big men in Johl Porter, Joe Seketa and Winter to stay vertical and let the contact come to them, It proved a wise
tactical choice.
Ballan got on the board through a Winter scoop and a James Prosser revers layup before Winter hit a pair of tough layups to give Ballan an early 8-2 lead.
Ballan's vaunted 3-2 zone defense baffled Phoenix who simply had no idea what to do with their usual direct attacks blunted. When they did try to attack the sides of the defense, Laz Agius and Rhys Mitchell , with some help from Prosser, controlled their wings well.
When Phoenix did get inside, Ballan's big men stayed patient and didn't bite on fakes. With their usual physical style not working, Phoenix were becoming visibly frustrated.
Porter and Prosser hit layups late in the half to give Ballan a 14-4 lead at the break, Phoenix's league best offense brought to a standstill.
With the pro-Phoenix crowd quietened, the favorites needed a lift. They got it through Jordan Krammer and Geddes, who scored a quick eight points between them as Phoenix closed the margin to four points with 12 minutes remaining. Ballan's offense started to bog down as offensive catalyst Winter went cold.
Enter Prosser and Porter, who both scored key baskets to get the Brumbies back on track. Porter asserted his dominance on the offensive glass; his put backs and Prosser's slashing drives restored Ballan's advantage. Their defensive intensity again picked up as the Brumbies sensed they again had control of proceedings.
A late Prosser three point play saw the final margin stretch to 14 as Ballan secured the championship with a 29-15 win.
On Saturday the Under 14 Boys B looked to become Brumbies first ever back-to-back champs, taking on Excies Acmy, who were on a fairy tale run.
The heavily favored Brumbies, preferring an open game, were struggling to cope with the stunted pace of a game punctuated by an astonishing number of referees whistles.
Lucas Cardona opened the scoring on a put back before Jye Hammill hit a lovely step back jumper for Excies.
Brumbies were getting baskets through league leading scorer Barney Batiste, who was simply too strong for Excies in the key. As a team though, Brumbies were ultimately struggling on offense with the usually reliable James Pace and Angus Tranter missing bunnies inside.
The over eager officials saw both teams battling foul trouble, Batiste and Pace on three fouls for Ballan, likewise Ned Williamson and Henry Hopkinson for Excies - those four the offensive drivers for their respective teams.
The game was remarkably tight in the first half, neither side leading by more than two points. A gorgeous driving layup by Will Rogers saw Ballan lead 16-15 at half time, though you felt Ballan had another gear in them.
Brumbies started the half well, Tranter and Batiste both scoring inside, though Ballan found themselves in a bind just four minutes into the half when Batiste picked up his final two fouls in quick succession, disqualifying him from the remainder of the final.
With their leading scorer sidelined, Ballan would have to win this one with defense. To the boys credit they amped it up at that end of the floor.
Slowly, Excies started to wrest control of the game as their own defensive pressure increased. Ballan scored from a long Cardona jump shot but were otherwise anaemic. With five minutes remaining Excies led 23-20, but in a game dominated by defense the margin felt larger.
Brumbies needed a shot in the arm and got it through James Pace. The lefty was ice cold through 35 minutes, but started to find his rhythm at the free throw line, hitting three of four on consecutive possessions to keep Ballan in touch.
Cooper Ryan scored to put Excies back in front with under a minute remaining. After a Pace miss, Ballan needed a stop and got it through Jack Clark, who's defense all day was exemplary. Clark stole the ball and fed Pace who bullocked his way to the basket to tie the match. Then Cruz Miller made the play of the game, stealing the ball from Hopkinson in the back court and, under immense pressure, found Pace with a wraparound pass. Pace scored a spinning layup to give Ballan the lead with under 15 seconds remaining.
Clark again came to the fore, deflecting a pass that Pace picked off. Immediately fouled with just over a second on the clock, Pace missed both free throws, committing a violation on the second. Excies had one chance to tie the game. Their Hail Mary long ball was almost tipped home by Jack Nunn, but the miss ultimately handed Ballan a most dramatic comeback victory, 27-25.
In the other grand finals, the Under 16 Girls lost their contest 22-23, narrowly missing out on a fairy tale championship. The Under 12 Girls were outclassed 15-31 and an undermanned Under 12 Boys lost 21-28.
Under 12 Girls lost to Saints Mercury 15-31
Under 12 Boys C lost to Wildcats Gold 21-28
Under 14 Boys B defeated Excies Acmy 27-25
Under 16 Girls C lost to Phoenix Rubys 22-23
Under 16 Boys E defeated Phoenix Kings 29-15
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