ALTHOUGH the opposition made it work for the result, Tasmania secured a spot in the 2024 National Basketball Championship Women’s Quarter Finals after defeating Victoria Metro on Day Five of the tournament.

The stakes were extremely high coming into the match, with a top three spot on the line for the two teams after solid campaigns throughout the week.

The team from the Apple Isle looked in control for much of the match, sharing the offensive load and getting the required stops on the defensive end.

Tassie’s lead got up to as much as 12 points in the fourth quarter, but Victoria was not going to give up, getting the deficit down to five points with 44 seconds remaining. However, that was as close as Metro could get, with the Tasmanians holding on for a 63-58 victory to claim third spot in Pool A.

Victoria certainly had its chances, but shot just 29 per cent (21/72) and that level of inaccuracy proved costly.

For the victors, Andie Smith led from the front with a crucial double-double of 16 points, 11 rebounds and three assists, and was also a monster on the defensive end with two steals and six blocks on 7/12 shooting from the field.

Captain Chloe Broomhall made every post a winner with 10 points (5/8 FG), nine rebounds, six assists and four steals, while Nikki Parker (15 points, seven rebounds) impressed off the bench and Jade McCoy rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points of her own.

For Victoria, Daisy Nousis and Kendra Rivet poured in 12 points each and played a crucial role in the late-game comeback.

2024 U18 National Championships Day Five

Men

Northern Territory (66) def. by Queensland North (109)
New South Wales Country (83) def. Western Australia Country (64)
Victoria Metro (87) def. Tasmania (51)
Victoria Country (112) def. Australian Capital Territory (70)
South Australia Country (72) def. by Western Australia Metro (81)
Queensland South (75) def. by South Australia Metro (101)
New South Wales Metro (140) def. Northern Territory (53)

Women

New South Wales Country (70) def. Queensland North (67)
Western Australia Country (37) def. by South Australia Country (61)
Victoria Metro (58) def. by Tasmania (63)
South Australia Metro (72) def. Western Australia Metro (49)
Queensland South (72) def. Victoria Country (46)
Australian Capital Territory (48) def. by New South Wales Metro (87)