The Under 16.1 Girls had a terrific weekend at the tournament, playing in the B1 division, which will hopefully have them in good shape for the next phase of grading.

The weekend started with a game on Friday Night against Collingwood, it was obvious early that this would be remembered at a 'cobweb classic' with both teams looking rusty from the time off. Nonetheless, the Falcons were able to grind out a slender win.

Saturday morning saw us travel to the newly referbished Ringwood Stadium and take on Warrandyte, who had beaten us in an important grading win before the break. For most of the game it looked like the Falcons would reverse that result, however Warrandyte made plays at the end and snuck out a three point win.

The Falcons endured another close loss in the afternoon game, this time to Eltham (2), going down by just two points. The Falcons looked flat and needed a better effort in the night game against Camberwell. After a close first half, the Falcons found the energy they were looking for, going on a big run in the second half to put away a comfortable win.

With the Tournament entering Sunday, the Falcons knew the equation, win both games and cement fourth place and a spot in Monday's finals. A business-like performance in the morning against Blackburn got the Falcons half way there, although at the expense on an injury to key guard Eleanor Symon.

Now the Falcons needed just one win and they got this on Sunday afternoon with a slick performance against Hawthorn (3). It was a confident looking Falcons outfit that was heading into finals, although it was going to be a tough ask, going up against undefeated Coburg.

It was a lunchtime semi-final on Monday where the Falcons struggled early with Coburg's size. While some up-the-floor pressure was effective, it was the Falcons' seldom used Zone offence which kept the scoreboard ticking over. The Falcons edged ahead in the second half and hung tough defensively down the stretch to record a suprising win and a spot in the Grand Final.

Templestow Leisure Centre was a buzz with energy on Monday Night as the Falcons lined up against Warrandyte once more. The game didn't start well for the Falcons, who fell behind and had to sit key playmaker Grace Beasley with foul trouble. Some early hoops by Kat Ellis and a great effort at the point from Gillian Harris kept the Falcons within reach. The Falcons made a run in the second half, with Beasley back controlling the tempo, and Mia Parsons and the other undersized Falcons talls doing a great job against tough opposition. The Falcons tied the ball game at 30-30 and Christine Nancarrow hit the go-ahead basket with 30 seconds to go. The Falcons got the stop defensively and held on for a nailniting 32-30 win. Grace Beasley Grand Final MVP.

A great weekend for the team, and one which wouldn't have been possible without help and support from a great parent group and some excellent Team Managers. Photos are courtesy of Cathy Angus.

Team: Jemima Sennitt, Mia Parsons, Caitlin Angus, Molly Beasley, Katherine Ellis, Elaenor Symon, Gillian Harris, Ciara Richardson, Christine Nancarrow, Grace Beasley. Coach: Drew Kelly.