VICTORIA Metro are the 2024 Under-16 Basketball Boys’ National Champions after defeating New South Wales Metro by 40 points in the gold medal game at Bendigo on Sunday afternoon.

Vic Metro was the dominant team of the tournament, having gone unbeaten heading into the deciding clash, and were widely expected to get the job done on the big stage.

The game took place at Red Energy Arena to close out the week-long fixture, with the two strongest sides poised to battle it out in an intriguing matchup. New South Wales Metro had been strong throughout their matches, but would need to bring their absolute best to defeat the form side of the tournament.

The last time these two sides faced off, it was Victoria Metro that claimed an impressive 92-73 win, and came into the medal match as favourites courtesy of this result.

It was evident from early in the match that Victoria Metro would be tough to stop, breaking out to an early lead on the back of some successful drives into the paint. Vic players were looking to attack the basket and take on NSW’s big men, and it proved to be a winning formula, as the former led by nine points at the first change.

The second term saw a much more competitive effort from New South Wales, keeping themselves in the game with a solid defensive showing to keep Vic Metro at bay. The Victorians were restricted to 17 points in the second period to hold a 12-point lead at the main change, with NSW Metro holding on by the skin of their teeth.

The game was put to bed in the third term, with Victoria outscoring the opposition 24-8 in that period, and leading by 28 points heading into the final 10 minutes. Although the result was already decided, Vic Metro was not done yet, putting the foot down to finish the contest in style and snag an emphatic 40-point win, cementing their spot as the dominant team of the tournament for 2024.

In just 14 minutes of court time, Ryda Devers remarkably top-scored, going 6/8 from behind the arc to finish with 19 points, just edging past teammate Charlie Wilson, who posted a double-double of 18 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and four steals.

Fellow Vic Metro players Alexander Mabbott (16 points, 14 rebounds, two assists) and Liam Keogh (11 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, four steals) also stuffed the stat sheet and made the most of NSW Metro’s inaccuracy.

For New South Wales, Emin Joldic was a shining light on a tough day offensively, posting 18 points to be the only player for his side that reached double-digits in the points column.

Unfortunately, Victoria Metro could not make it two from two, with the women’s side falling to Queensland South in the gold medal match after a cracking decider.