Sport
26 April, 2026
Players show much promise
THE Cairns under-16s girls’ basketballers have returned from the state championships with mixed results.
Cairns sent down three teams Dolphins (Div. 1), Corals (Div 2) and Pearls (Div. 3).
The girls, through their grading matches (NQJBC), showed some great signs with both the Dolphins and Pearls coming away with a silver medal, while the Corals finished third but won several games in the process.
The Dolphins were placed in division 1 where they saw some fierce competition of players with aspirations of WNBL and even WNBA.
In the pool stage the Dolphins finished 2-3 with some nail-biting and close games to send them into the playoffs.
While being out of medal contention, the Dolphins still put on a show winning both of their games against Gold Coast and Ipswich, who they had previously lost to in the pool games.
This effort gave the Dolphins a fifth-place finish leaving coaches, players and parents alike incredibly proud of the girls and their efforts.
The Corals competed in division 3 for the tournament, excited to see how they’d perform after a promising NQJBC circuit.
In their first game they were defeated by 14 points, which flicked a switch amongst the playing group as the Corals then won their next three matches and finished first in their pool.
These results gave the Corals a chance to play in the semifinals, with a win placing them in the gold medal game.
Unfortunately for the Corals, the Brisbane Capitals proved too strong, defeating them by 15 points.
The next morning saw the Corals playing off for bronze, where they were unable to beat the inform competition hosts Southern District Spartans, finishing fourth in their division.
The Pearls were placed into division 5 for their state championships campaign after a season of hurdles with injuries.
Through the pool games they finished with a 2-3 record, also eliminating them from medal contention.
Through the play-offs they saw some very tough opposition, losing their quarter and semi-final games, but were able to finish the tournament on a high, defeating their North Queensland counterpart Mackay in their final game finishing seventh overall.
