TAMWORTH hosted the PSSA basketball trials yesterday with four teams rolling up to the Sportsdome.
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Primary school kids from Tamworth, Armidale, Quirindi, and Gunnedah went head-to-head in some trial matches before the two teams were selected.
Judy Docksey from Armidale City Public will be coaching the girls’ side, while Manilla Central’s Johnno Willis will take the boys.
Quirindi and Tamworth dominated the girls’ games, with Tamworth dominating the PSSA team with five girls selected.
In the boys’, Armidale was the best team going through the day unbeaten.
They do have the region’s best player in Mangarchot Maluach, who is now in his fourth year of PSSA representation.
Docksey believes the girls’ side will gel quite well together with some skillful players.
“It won’t be easy for them but they will hold their own at the State Championships.
The girls have a long trip ahead of them to the champs in Albury-Wodonga on the week of May 20.
The boys on the other hand do have a chance of contesting the title after winning it two years ago. That year they had Mangarchot as well as his older brother Mataur.
“We came fifth last year after winning the year before,” Willis said.
“This team has the ability to score a lot of goals and has some good athletes in it.”
“The goal this year is to make the top four and see how we go from there.”
The boys’ State Championships will be played in Bathurst in the week of May 6.
The teams have one training run booked at the moment, although are looking to squeeze another one in at some stage.
Today the attention moves up to Armidale for the first round of the Division 2 Waratah Northern Junior League.
Teams from Ballina, Lismore, Port Macquarie, Tamworth, Kempsey, Quirindi, Bellinger Valley and Armidale will take to the courts at Sport UNE and the Armidale High School.
It will be a full weekend of action with games running from 9am through to 8pm today and then again 8am to 5pm
tomorrow.