The FIBA U15 Oceania Championships were held recently. It was a great experience for our four ABSL athletes as they competed against teams from Guam, Fiji, Samoa, Australia and host country Papua New Guinea.
Ethan Skelton (Waitakere West Auckland), Levic Kerr, Sataan Tawera and Sera Taei (Basketball Auckland) travelled along with the rest of the AON U15 New Zealand boys and girls squad members to showcase their skills after a long representative season. Prior to the beginning of the tournament Sataan was named team captain; a great individual achievement!
Over the five-day tournament the AON U15 Boys finished unbeaten in pool play even defeating Australia 59-57, while the AON U15 Girls finished with a 3 win, 1 loss record. Both teams manage reached the grand finals of their respective competitions but eventually fell to the strong Australian teams. After disappointing results in the finals, there were positives as both teams managed to qualify for the 2019 FIBA Asian Championships. A great result for both teams as they now look forward into the future.
Congratulations to Ethan, Levic, Sataan and Sera for representing New Zealand and making us proud!
U15 New Zealand Boys Results
Win – 131 – 41 vs Guam
Win – 163 – 51 vs PNG
Win - 105 – 27 vs Fiji
Win - 59 – 57 vs Australia
Win – 105 – 63 vs Samoa
Loss – 58 – 61 vs Australia (Grand Final)
U15 New Zealand Girls Results
Win – 108 – 15 vs PNG
Loss – 34 – 94 vs Australia
Win – 65 – 63 vs Samoa
Win – 86 – 27 vs Fiji
Loss – 30 – 110 vs Australia (Grand Final)
Player Tournament Averages:
Ethan Skelton – 6.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1 steal
Sataan Tawera – 11.2 points, 2.2 rebounds
Levic Kerr – 9.0 points, 4.8 rebounds
Sera Taei – 3.8 points, 1.6 rebounds
Photo Credit - FIBA