Watch Warragul’s basketball stars

The Warragul Warriors under 14 boys basketball team will be battling it out with the best in Australia when they compete in the National Junior Classic this weekend.

The tournament, held in Dandenong, sees the best 128 junior basketball teams from across Australia and New Zealand play off against one another.

The boys were given the opportunity to qualify in the tournament thanks to them winning the Victoria Junior Country Championships in April.

Having been crowned the number one country basketball team in the state, they’ll be taking their talents to the court once again for more glory.

The team is no stranger to success, having won the under 12 Country Championships two years ago, before that year’s National Junior Classic was cancelled due to COVID restrictions.

Having had to wait for a second chance, they’ll be out to make up for lost time.

The Warriors have been named in Pool B alongside Southern Tigers (South Australia), Eltham and Melbourne Tigers.

They’ll be playing two games on Saturday (12.30pm vs Southern Tigers and 5.50pm vs Eltham) and one game on Sunday (9.50am vs Melbourne Tigers).

The quarter finals will be played on Sunday at 3.20pm, before the semi-final or loser final at 8.30pm later that day.

The grand final or position final, should the boys make it, will be on Monday at 12.30pm.

Fans at home will be able to livestream the tournament at Basketball Victoria’s website.

The boys have also been invited to compete in the National under 14 Club Championships in September to decide the best under 14 club team in the country.

They’re one of just six Victorian teams invited to the tournament, and the first ever from Warragul.