New Champs crowned in the Sunshine State

Recap the final day of the 2024 Foot Locker Australian School Championship, as the winning teams were crowned champions after a massive week of basketball action up in the Gold Coast.

Berwick College and Brisbane State High School took out the Championship Men’s and Women’s titles at the Gold Coast Sport and Leisure Centre with an electrifying crowd experiencing the best of Australian school talent.

The Gold Medal Men’s Championship final saw Berwick College take home a nail biting 10-point victory over Trinity College.

The fiercely competitive performance from Trinity had the crowd roaring with excitement, as Deng Manyeng threw massive dunks and Aiden Schubert dominated the boards. Despite Trinity’s best efforts, Berwicks star players including Phoenix Windsor, Seb Rault, Cedric Rault and Heath McPherson clutched up in the final moments securing some crucial baskets to win the game.

Brisbane State High School put on a showstopper performance in the Gold Medal Women’s Championship final to finish undefeated the entire tournament.

The 11-point win over Immanuel College was a thrilling watch as Australian Sapphires teammates went head-to-head for the title. Brisbane State High School were stacked with talent including Prasayus Notoa, Sharni Reisinger, Alleah Hanson and Gia Vukona, daughter of New Zealand basketball great Mika Vukona who all put on a whirlwind performance over Australia Sapphires teammate Sienna Lehmann.

The excitement of Championship division finals didn’t stop there. Lake Ginninderra College defeated Brisbane Boys High by 3 points in an action-packed overtime performance in the Bronze Medal final. Brisbane, with Charlie Winks and Emerson Juhasz set the tone for the 20-point break-away halfway through the third quarter.

Despite their best efforts to contain the lead, Australian Boomers debutant Jacob Furphy was an unstoppable force hitting six threes and his side’s first 18 points as the break-away took hold. He landed a whopping 28 points in that quarter and overtime alone ending the game with 39 points all up. Working in with Furphy’s magic, Aleer Chol was the real hero for Lake Ginninderra in the final moments, nailing a free throw with 10 seconds left to send it into overtime.

Barker College proved how good the underdogs can be, after defeating the reigning school champions Rowville College by eight points in the Championship Women’s Bronze Medal final. It was an even playing field for majority of the game up until the final minute when Leah Fowler splashed a three-pointer to give Barker a chance to take off.

Lucy Mead and Jessie May Hall were a powerful force in this winning performance, despite being up against Southside Flyers WNBL star Manuela Puoch, who put on an incredible performance and top scoring the game with 27 points.