WESTERN Australia Metro claimed a tense nine-point over New South Wales Metro in the Men’s competition of the 2024 National Basketball Championship on Wednesday afternoon.

Wednesday marked day four of the tournament, with seedings becoming much more in the balance as the fixture rolls on. With just a few days left until the finals begin, each game carries plenty of importance in the race for a gold medal.

Kicking off the action for the day was a clash between the two sides from opposite coasts of Australia, and it was a close match that lived up to the hype.

New South Wales Metro (72) def. by Western Australia Metro (81)

Despite the final result, it felt as if NSW had plenty of ascendancy in several key areas of the game, but a poor third quarter proved to be the difference.

After going back and forth in the first half, Western Australia was the better side coming out of the main break, outscoring the opposition 31-18 and breaking away on the scoreboard. Although NSW finished strongly to bring it back to as little as five points in the closing minutes, the damage was done as the opposition sealed it with some clutch shots from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.

Despite trying to get it going from deep, New South Wales made just three shots from behind the arc at just 21 per cent, and these misses proved costly, as did leaving half of their free throws at the line, going 11/22.

Western Australia got it going in the third quarter, finding easy looks inside and having its way with the opposition’s defence in a powerful display.

For the victors, Cyril Mulot was the star of the show with a stat-stuffing performance on both ends of the floor. The skipper was at his impactful best, and posted 18 points, five rebounds, 10 assists and seven steals, doing a bit of everything and leading from the front as his side snagged an important win in the context of their tournament.

Also impressing was Aaron Gashaw, who poured in a game-high 22 points along with four rebounds, a steal and a block. His ability to score across all three levels was a key factor in the Western Australians getting over the line.

For New South Wales, the duo of James Dyson Merwe (20 points, nine rebounds, two assists) and captain Joaquin Gonzales (16 points, three rebounds, nine assists) kept the team in the hunt and was one of the biggest positives to come from the match.

2024 U18 National Championships Day Four

Men’s

South Australia Metro (99) def. Western Australia Country (49)
New South Wales Metro (72) def. by Western Australia Metro (81)
Tasmania (71) def. New South Wales Country (65)
Northern Territory (45) def. by Victoria Country (122)
South Australia (77) def. by Queensland North (85)
Queensland South (92) def. Victoria Metro (90)
New South Wales Metro (76) def. Australian Capital Territory (51)

Women’s

Western Australia (60) def. by Australian Capital Territory (65)
Western Australia Metro (64) def. by New South Wales Country (68)
Queensland North (48) def. by Tasmania (79)
Victoria Country (56) def. South Australia Country (46)
New South Wales Metro (59) def. Queensland South (56)
South Australia Metro (70) def. Victoria Metro (60)