2024 SENIOR FINALS WEEKEND

The 2024 Spalding Waratah League and GTK Waratah Wheelchair League Senior Finals Weekend was a Hills Hornets event this year, with 4 teams making it through to the semi-finals, more than any other association in NSW. We then successfully pushed all 4 teams through to the Grand Finals, including our Waratah Men who aimed to grasp their third consecutive banner. Whilst this didn’t play out as our storybook ending, the teams gave their all and are a testament to the amazing season we’ve had. On Grand Final day, it was our Youth Women 2 who brought home the championship banner, after an undefeated season. The successes of our teams have only spurred us on to be bigger and better for next year and we’re ready to bring on 2025! We also had a total of 7 officials nominated for the finals weekend, with 5 being selected for a grand final. Thank you to all members of our community for your support and contributions, this weekend was made by the dedication and passion of our supporters.

YOUTH WOMEN 2 RECAP

Over the weekend, our Youth Women 2 took on their first ever Senior Finals Weekend, after completing their first season as Senior players. As a mixture of junior players and freshly graduated players, the girls proved that our women’s program is overflowing with talent. Between our NBL1, Youth Women 1 and now, Youth Women 2, our senior women are going from strength to strength and developing well beyond our expectations.

The girls went into the weekend with their eyes firmly on the championship banner and after a win over St George in the Semi Final, they were placed as the favourites. A strong start in the Grand Final then kept them ahead, against a competitive side in Moss Vale Magic. The grand final game proved the breadth of talent in the program, with Leah Fowler (25 pts), Hannah King (18 pts) and Alannah Ellis (24 pts), all dominating the scoreboard. Alannah Ellis was chosen as the Grand Final MVP for her incredible performance.

Along with coach, Lachlan Hudson, the team have shown their effort and skill over a tough and long season. The banner is well deserved and a reflection of their determination. Congratulations to all.

YOUTH MEN 1 RECAP

Our Youth League Men 1 had an incredible weekend at the Spalding Waratah League Finals Weekend. Despite a disheartening loss, they showed their strength and determination for next season. Taking on Norths Bears in the Semi Finals, the boys took total control in the 3rd quarter to secure us the win. Jack Giddens dominated, with an impressive 31 point game. The signature drive-and-dish from Ethan Moss also likely gave him close to as many assists as points, ending the game with 18. The boys finished 114-96 and moved them onto a repeat of the 2023 Grand Final.

The Grand Final was against the favourited-to-win and 2 time banner winning Maitland Mustangs team. The first quarter was a shake out of nerves, but even after a good run, the rocky start unfortunately saw us down 45 – 32 at half time. Despite that, our boys fought tooth and nail to stay close the entire game. Josh Morgan (20pts) top scored, with his determination and will to win shining through in his performance. Special mentions to Jack Giddens (19pts) who kept fighting despite a nasty injury in the second half.

The entire team did an incredible job all weekend and should hold their heads high for what was an amazing effort. Our Hills Hornets community is very proud. We have something to prove next year and will be ready for the 2025 rematch against the Maitland Mustangs. #bannerin2025

WARATAH WHEELCHAIR RECAP

After schedule conflicts cancelled the final round, our Waratah Wheelchair team finished the regular season undefeated and our Hornets came into finals ready to fight. Heading into the semi-finals, we knew the battle would be tough considering our Head Coach and player, Annabelle Lindsay, would be unavailable as she was coaching in Paris for the paralympics. Yet, our Hornets took the lead in the final quarter to see us win the semi final against Central Coast Waves, 33 – 29. This game was a real nail-biter, but All-Star 5 player Louis Richards and Richard Engles came in clutch in the final quarter to see us through to the Grand Final game.

Our Grand Final was up against the Canberra Gunners. As the underdogs heading into the game, we held close with the team throughout, but the MVP of the game and ex-Australian representative player, Jontee Brown, was virtually unstoppable with 38 points. Despite the tough loss, our Hills Hornets Wheelies made us incredibly proud, leaving it all out on the floor.

This is an incredible achievement considering this is just the beginning of our Hills Hornets journey with Waratah Wheelchair basketball and we can’t wait to see how the league grows and evolves.

WARATAH MEN RECAP

Our Waratah Men came back this season with a point to prove. After making history, having gone back to back as champions in 2022 and 2023, the team this year were now up against a new batch of young teams and overseas talent that threatened their shot at the 3-peat. It was a battle throughout the season to stay at the top of the ladder, with our experience and knowledge of the game as our advantage, we qualified as second heading into the finals.

Despite our qualifications, the Hills Hornets were underdogs heading into the semi-final. Up against the Port Macquarie Dolphins, the first half saw us consistently down by around 10 points. Our boys fought hard and stuck with them, keeping the margins close. In total, our boys were in the lead for around 2 minutes. The most important final 2 minutes of the game. It was a steal from Robert Meyrick into a pull-up 3 pointer from David Hayman that changed the tides for us, followed by some timely free-throws from Zach Stosic. With 50 seconds remaining, our boys kept calm and collected, with Jayden Prakash delivering the final dagger 3 pointer that sealed our ticket to the Grand Final. In those final 2 minutes, Marcus Duffy proved he deserved his defensive player of the year award, shutting down their import player and blocking any attempt at a comeback. The crowd on that Saturday night was unmatched and truly showed that our Hornets community is the biggest and best.

This put us through to the Grand Final, but the work was not yet done. After a tough game on the Saturday night, coming up against Tamworth was going to be a difficult challenge. All of our boys pushed hard and gave all their effort, but the basketball gods were not on our side this time, with shots just bouncing out and energy dwindling. The Tamworth Thunderbolts are a talented team, with Garric Young, the MVP of the league, imported from Colorado State University & Mount Saint Mary’s. Along with Max Clark, another talented import, from Montana Western.

Whilst we didn’t get the storybook ending we wanted, this was unfortunately the heartbreaking part of sport. Despite this, our Hills Hornets crowd provided an electric atmosphere. Every single team member gave an all-effort performance and left it all out on the court. The coaching staff are incredible and our community is so proud.

A special mention goes out to Jason Strong, who played his final game as a Hills Hornet on Sunday. Jason posted on his social media some important stats about this team that are truly incredible and deserve repeating. This team have a combined 212 playing seasons for the Hills Hornets and over 100 coaching seasons, with 11 players having coached or are still coaching in the Junior program. This is a legacy that is a once in a lifetime and this team have earned a very special place in our Hornets history.

OFFICIALS RECAP

Additionally, we had huge success in our Officials Department over the weekend, with 7 referees nominated for the entire weekend. Of the 7, 5 were given Grand Final games, which are selections based on performance and skill. Congratulations to all officials on their success: