CSHS agonisingly close
State High pips Cairns to top CBSQ pool
BASKETBALL A HEARTBREAKING loss after leading with just 18 seconds to go spoiled a near perfect opening day for Cairns State High School at the Champion Basketball School of Queensland tournament.
Cairns led by five points with 70 seconds to go in the contest against Brisbane State High before the GPS heavyweight found a way to win, with just one bucket separating the teams.
Brisbane, who finished third in the GPS competition, jumped straight to the top of Pool B after its 75-74 win against Cairns. Earlier, they beat GPS champion school Gregory Terrace 83-79 to finish Day 1 with a 2-0 record.
Cairns coach Brad Burdon said it was tough for the young team to take, but highlighted the importance of learning from losses as they develop.
“We probably should’ve got it but that comes back to our experience in games like this,” Burdon said. “We made a massive comeback, we were down by 19 in the third quarter and led in the last minute but we panicked a bit.
“It’s tough, but it’s only a positive if you learn from it.”
Cairns will take on Gregory Terrace this morning in their third and final game before crossover fixtures, and with both teams locked in second with 1-1 records the result will have an impact on where they finish. Gregory Terrace thumped Hillcrest Christian College 76-41, and they will play off for second in the group. After the first game, in which Cairns beat Hillcrest 72-64, Burdon was proud of the way his young squad reacted to being under pressure.
“The win was great but we don’t get too many close games up in Cairns, we don’t get put in that position too often,” Burdon said. “So to get put in a position where we have to execute and try to grind out a win in the last few minutes of the game where it’s really tight, the boys were awesome.”
The difference between the teams was Cairns SHS’ lethal accuracy from long range, sinking 13 three-pointers to Hillcrest’s six.
Australian junior rep Ky Stattmann scored 28 points, including four three-pointers, while Rivar Evans (11), Tysei Hutchinson (9) and Isaiah Grabau (9) also contributed heavily on the scoresheet.