SANDRINGHAM Sabres secured third-place at the 2024 Under-18 Club Championships after snagging a win in the bronze medal match on Sunday morning at HBF Arena in Joondalup.

Sandringham looked well-placed for an appearance in the gold medal game, but fell to the Perry Lakes Hawks in the semi-final. However, the Sabres still managed a podium finish after a four-point triumph over the West Adelaide Bearcats.

Sandringham was unbeaten until the penultimate clash, and almost set up an all-Victorian final against the eventual champions in the Melbourne Tigers. Although that did not eventuate, Sandringham still produced one of the better campaigns, and at its best, looked extremely tough to beat.

Speaking after the 31-point win over the Hills Hornets in the qualifying finals on Friday afternoon, Sabres coach Sally Burke said she was thrilled with the effort her team had displayed throughout the tournament.

“We’re feeling really great,” she said. “They’re flowing really well and we are playing really good basketball.”

The first final against the Hornets was always going to be a test for the Sabres to see where they are placed against some of the other contenders, and although it was not always smooth sailing against Hills, Sandy was good enough to get the job done.

“We had a bit of a shaky start to that game,” Burke said. “But we are now through the first one and we are flying with confidence. Two more to go and the girls have a really positive mindset with where they are going.”

The first half of the match was a slog for both sides, and it was not until later in the game that the Sabres truly broke free on the scoreboard.

“I think we started executing well on offence,” Burke said. “We started pushing in transition and getting transition buckets, which are the easiest ones and the ones we went.

“We also locked down defensively, rotating well and overall we felt happy about how we finished the contest.”

Although the competition got tougher for Sandringham as the game went on, Burke said the team’s mindset remained consistent throughout the entire tournament.

“I think we just keep the same goal each game, which is to lock down defensively and push in transition to get as many buckets as we can,” she said. “If we have the same mentality each game, we’ll just let that carry us through.

“There is some really tough teams that we have to face, and they’re going to be tough and grinding out wins. It’s a very physical tournament but if we stay composed, we should be alright.”

One thing that was particularly noticeable was the energy the Sabres played with, particularly in their wins, which became a strength of the team’s, and Burke said it was a combination of the coaches and the players that have inspired this.

“It’s a mixture of both,” she said. “All season I have told them that they have to have fun, and none of it matters if you don’t. I think they carry that a lot, but they’re also best friends.

“They’re 10 girls that have come from all different clubs and just found their way back together and they absolutely adore each other.”