Basketball boys rise to occasion

CAIRNS will face some tough opposition at the Basketball Queensland under-16s state championships this week.

Four members of last year’s state title-winning U14 boys team have moved into the Marlins’ U16s side, while the other six will line up for the Stingers in Division 2.

But Cairns Basketball coaches are confident our sides will feature in the medals.

“The thing with Cairns basketball is we always punch above our weight,” Marlins coach Geoff Benson said.

“I definitely think we’re in medal contention.”

The delayed tournament starts on Monday, with finals games from Wednesday afternoon.

“Playing against bigger bodies and under international rules, it’s going to be a learning experience for our boys,” Benson said.

Cairns Corals will challenge for the girls’ Division 2 title.

All of the action will be at Brisbane, and the Cairns Post will have you covered. We’ll be streaming more than 50 games from the boys’ and girls’ draws this week, with the Marlins and Stingers to feature twice in the first three days of competition. The schedule for Wednesday and Thursday is dependent on results and will be confirmed before tip-off.

You can find the livestream at cairnspost.com.au/sport

Coverage starts at 8am.

■ CAIRNS State High School has finished 10th at the Champion Basketball Schools of Queensland tournament.

The team was tipped to feature heavily throughout the finals but shock losses in the pool stage meant they missed out on qualifying for the business end. Big wins against Nudgee College and Marsden SHS on Saturday earned them a slot in the playoff for ninth, but they lost to Toowoomba Grammar School 75-72.