A final-second buzzer beater popping out of the ring was the only thing standing between the Orange Eagles’ under-12 side and a trip to the finals of the State Cup last weekend.
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With the Eagles down 32-31, Sage Annis-Brown put the ball up just before the buzzer went off, but it bounced off the rim to hand eventual cup winners Manly-Warringah the one-point win.
It was a matter of centimetres that saw the last-second, long range shot miss.
The one-point margin was the same difference separating Manly from the North Bears in the decider, which coach Baden Annis-Brown said was a huge boost of confidence to him and his young side.
“It could have been a play-off game,” he said of the side’s one-point loss.
“I was hoping to just win one game but they did so well.”
The Eagles took out their other two games relatively comfortably, which was held against the winners of other Waratah Junior League regions from earlier this season.
The girls played out of their skins.
- Coach Baden Annis-Brown
Before heading to Sydney for the cup, Annis-Brown said he was expecting a challenge, but the girls “played out of their skins” and took to the faster pace like ducks to water.
“They did adapt really well, quicker pace and got used to the difference in physicality – Sydney teams tend to let the contact go a little more and we call it pretty early in the bush,” he said.
“If any of them were down or tired the other girls would step up and drive them on and they really worked well as a team.”
Max Stainkamph
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
