Taree Tornadoes junior teams compete well.

Posted on 26 March 2023

The Taree Tornadoes teams in the U16 girls and boys and U18 boys age groups travelled to Port Macquarie over the weekend (25 & 26/03/2023) for round 2 of the 2023 Spalding Waratah North Eastern Junior League.

The 2023 NEJL season has teams from Ballina, Bellinger Valley, Byron Bay, Coffs Harbour, Inverell, Kempsey, Lismore, Port Macquarie, Taree, Yamba, Armidale, Tamworth, Central Coast Rebels, Central Cost Waves, Newcastle, Maitland and Cessnock showcasing their skills and again the Taree Tornadoes displayed they are capable of competing very well at this level of competition.

Results from Port Macquarie have the Taree Tornadoes teams maintaining or improving their positions on the respective competition ladders. The U16 girls split the results over the weekend winning against Central Coast Waves 65 to 42 and Byron Bay 52 to 25. The narrow loss to Inverell 57-55 was a learning experience for future hard-fought contests and after a good start which saw them ahead by 6 at the end of the first quarter, Inverell fought back to be up 30-29 at the long break. There was nothing between the two teams in the second half with the scores locked together on 43 after three quarters with Inverell holding on to claim victory in a very good game of basketball.

The Taree Tornadoes girls also ran into a very hot Yamba team, who displayed why they sit on top of the competition ladder with a 75 to 40 win, while the Taree Tornadoes who although beaten are still well placed to be in the mix for a position in the final’s series later in the year.

The U16 boys recorded winning results in two of their three weekend games defeating Inverell 86 to 41, before struggling against Tamworth going down 75-45 then bouncing back to record a very good win against Bellinger Valley 73 to 59. Like their female counterparts, the Taree Tornadoes boys are well placed to be in the mix for a position in the final’s series later in the year.

The U18 boys played four games over the weekend and returned home with an unblemished record getting past Coffs Harbour 61 to 46, Port Macquarie 84 to 70, Ballina 121 to 67 and Bellinger Valley to prove they are capable of mixing it with any team in the League. The strength of this team is their roster who at any time may have a different player leading the teams on court effort.

As well as these team performances, Taree Basketball was also represented by referees, Stormi Beale and Lachlan Adams, who as well as playing back up to hone their skills in this very important area of the game and without their efforts the Taree Tornadoes junior representatives wouldn’t be provided with the opportunity to play at this level.

Next weekend the remainder of the Taree Tornadoes teams in the U12 and U14 girls and boys age groups are back on courts from Woolgoolga to Newcastle for more basketball fun and games against other teams from the North Eastern area of the State.