IN A thrilling encounter that saw plenty of lead changes and momentum swings, Victoria Country has claimed gold at the 2025 Under-18 National Championships in the men’s competition, defeating New South Wales Metro.

After an entertaining first half with excellent performances from both sides, Vic Country pushed away in the third quarter, and although NSW answered to start the fourth, Victoria delivered when it mattered most, winning by nine points in an extremely engaging decider in Queensland.

As expected, Vic Country star Will Hamilton led the way for the winning side, stuffing the stat sheet for a huge double-double of 17 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Coming into the tournament, he was flagged as one of the best players in the tournament, and lived up to those claims in the most important game of all.

Also impressing for Victoria Country was Sonny Maxwell, who led all comers for his side with 18 points on 8/14 shooting from the field, while Lucas Byrne also poured in a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds (7/11 FG) and Alex Gray had 15 points including a huge and-one in crunch time to help seal the result.

For NSW Metro, there was no one more influential than Antonio Browne, who was immense in the first half with 19 points in the first two quarters in a heroic performance. His three-pointer late in the second quarter was huge in shifting the momentum back in his side’s favour, as were his three first-half blocks, showcasing his impact on both ends of the floor.

He finished the match with 26 points, the most of any player in the game and can certainly hold his head high with a performance that was probably deserving of a win. Although much more tightly guarded in the second half, NSW Metro would not have been in the contest if not for his start to the match.

Bol Diing was the other standout for NSW Metro, posting 16 points and overcoming a tough night shooting the ball from behind the arc (0/5 3PT) to still have a say in keeping the game tight with some timely makes.

It was a dominant performance scoring the ball inside from Vic Country, with 60 of their 83 points coming from inside the paint. They hit just two three-pointers, and clearly put an emphasis on driving inside and finishing at the cup.

It was a fitting finale to the tournament from Vic Country, who defeated a previously unbeaten WA Metro side to book a spot in the decider, and looked extremely dangerous all tournament.