Basketball
29 January, 2026
Junior Hornets star at Bendigo
The Horsham Hornets' junior basketball teams had a successful weekend at the Breach Apparel Bendigo Junior Classic, played between January 24 and 26, with the girls' under 16 team taking out their division at the tournament.
With the tournament including some of the best country associations in the state, the under 18A girls, under 16A boys and under 12A boys teams also made grand final appearances.
Hornets coaching director Matt Lovel said it was one of the Hornets’ best appearances at the Bendigo tournament in recent years.
“To have four teams in grand finals, one team win, and some other teams make semi-finals or qualifying finals, it was a really good weekend,” Lovel said.
“I’d probably say it was one of the more successful Bendigo tournaments we’ve had in the last few years.”
The under 16 girls' side, coached by Jordyn Burke, went through the tournament undefeated.
After a close 27-23 win over Mildura in the semi-final, the team defeated Ballarat 28-15, taking control of the game midway through the first half.
Ruby Bethune and Luella Burke each scored 10 points in the decider, with Bethune earning the grand final most valuable player award.
“It was a pretty physical affair, with a defence focus early and both team showing their nerves with shots,” Burke said.
“Once we were able to get our offence going, the girls took control of the game heading into half-time and never really relinquished it after that.
“They were able to defend really well in that second half and got a solid win in the end."
Burke credited the whole team for their smart basketball and acknowledged Ruby Bethune for a standout weekend after she finished with 51 points across the tournament.
“The whole team did an amazing job; they all held their own and did a great job,” Burke said.
“There were some really close finishes where they had to think through the end of the games, be really strong with their decision making, and it's stuff that was worked a hell of a lot on.
“In three of the close games, the girls were able to actually run the clock down and ice it out really well, which is pretty cool, because junior sport can be unpredictable at the best of times.
“Ruby Bethune got MVP in the grand final, which was awesome – she had a great weekend.”
The under 16 girls' side will now prepare for the Basketball Victoria under 16 and under 18 division one and division two junior country championships, to be held at Red Energy Arena in Bendigo on February 14 and 15.
Along with the impressive team performances from the Junior Hornets, there were several individual standouts.
Ilze Van Zyl (under 18A girls) led the under 18 girls' division two competition with 54 points across five games; Charlie Hobbs (under 16A boys) led division two in scoring with 98 points in six games, including a 28-point performance against Macedon Ranges; Tex Askew (under 14A boys) led division two with 63 points in six games; Ted Smith (under 12A boys) was second in division two scoring with 78 points in seven games; and Stephanie Plazzer (under 14A girls) led division two in points per game (14) and scored an impressive 24 points against Colac.