THE UNDER-20 National Basketball Championships wrapped for 2023 over the weekend, with Western Australia topping off a dominant campaign with the Boys title after downing New South Wales in the final.

Western Australia went undefeated over the course of the tournament, but came up against a New South Wales side that had lost just one game itself, and looked the best chance of knocking off the opposition.

However, the team from out West proved far too good, claiming an emphatic 37-point triumph, cementing their claim as the best team in the tournament. It was evident across the fixture that WA was the best side, so winning it all seemed a fitting way to finish.

The victors rallied behind a pair of excellent performances, with Ben Henshall and Alex Condon both firing on the big stage. The duo dropped 24 points each as Western Australia cruised to a triple-digit score, with two reliable sources of offence the catalyst for this.

New South Wales (71) def. by Western Australia (108)

Western Australia was able to cap off another terrific trip to the National Championships with an outstanding showing in the big game, dominating on both ends of the court.

WA was able to get out to an early lead, with the team’s offence flowing in the first quarter as the Westernmost state pushed out to a double-digit lead by the first change. A similar pattern followed in the second period, with Henshall, Condon and Alex Kovatchev leading the charge. At half-time, it was evident Western Australia was fully in control.

A third-quarter fightback from New South Wales was the best the side looked all game, holding the opposition to just 16 points, although a miraculous effort was required in the final quarter. Instead, the Western Australians took off in the fourth, outscoring the opposition 33-14 to close out the match in seriously strong fashion.

Henshall capped off a terrific campaign with the Bob Staunton Medal for the best Men’s player of the tournament. He averaged 18.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists over that span and was an outstanding leader for Western Australia. In the final, he recorded 24 points, five rebounds and five assists in yet another crucial performance. His work is not done yet, with the talented youngster set to don the green and gold for the Boomers on Thursday in the FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifying matches.

Condon was also terrific at scoring the ball, ending the match with 24 points and nine rebounds on 10/14 shooting from the field in an accurate shooting display. He was accompanied by Kovatchev, who had 20 points of his own (9/16 FG), with Western Australia having no shortage of scoring options.