Under 18 Girls Team Manager Fran Ioannidis was kind enough to send us her wrap of the prestegious Queen's Birthday long weekend tournament.             

Congratulations to Elias and his 18.1 girls team on their effort at the prestigious National Junior Classic, held over the Queens Birthday weekend.

To initially qualify by finishing fourth in their Victorian Championship pool, then to be invited to compete in the National comp, is a major achievement  in itself.

To then go on to qualify for the finals by beating interstate teams, Forestville and Basketball ACT, and finishing at the top of their pool, Waverley had totally exceeded all expectations.

Whilst unable to clinch a win in the finals, their efforts throughout the tournament see the team sitting at a very commendable eighth position on the national ladder....Well Done !!

Given that the team is a a predominantly bottom age team, this is no mean feat.

The 18s team, consisting of Beth Coffey, Julia Cowell,  Mel Ioannidis , Alex Kasimis,  Marli Kernich-Drew, Abbey Lloyd, Maria Nomikoudis, Katia Oversby and Zali Rayment, were joined by Hayley McPhillips from the 16.1s and Xin-Yi Chai from the 18.2s for the tournament, and were a welcome addition, providing great support.

Thanks to Elias for preparing the team so well. Coaching 2 teams in 12 games over the course of 3 days was a huge effort, and we appreciate his time, dedication and patience.

Thanks also to assistant coaches, Brad and Steph for their tremendous support over the weekend.Their input, advise and encouragement on and off the bench was invaluable.

Thanks to all the parents for diligently getting the girls to the games in good time, and to those who sat on the scorebench.

A huge thanks to those who came along to support the team throughout the tournament, including players from the senior women and u/14 girls teams, and past coaches.

Best of luck for the remainder of the season, competing against the top teams in the state. The experience you've just had at the Classic, we're sure, will hold you in good stead.