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SPORT SPORT Local athletes push themselves at CrossFit Thunder Games page 26 Two local basketball players were part of the winning Under 14 team

MARIA GIRGENTI

LAST month, two Innisfail basketball players Cohen and Kayden Assan, were part of the winning Under 14 Gjumbun Boys’ team in the Indigenous Community Basketball League, with all games played at Cairns Basketball Stadium.

This team is an Under 14 selection for the national tournament on the Gold Coast, playing against other states.

Going into the semi-final against Wngallie, Gjumbun went on to win and then progressed to the grand final against Kunjurra.

Gjumbun was behind by 10 points and came back strongly to win 47 - 42.

One of the younger players, Kayden, went to the free-throw line twice in the last minute, which extended Gjumbun’s margin and kept the team out of danger.

During this competition, Cohen Assan was one of the top scorers, whilst the MVP went to one of the Gjumbun players, Kitione.

Cohen and Kayden are now in their second year in the competition and have gained valuable experience.

The team logo features assorted colours, and ours is maroon for Queensland North.

Coordinators assembled the teams, and they played each week for four rounds, where they won every game.

Cohen Assan gained selection and last weekend competed in the tournament. Bronwyn Philpot was the coach, whilst Lachlan Kovocich was the assistant coach.

Indigenous Community Basketball League (ICBL) teams across Australia took part in the very first National Indigenous Basketball Tournament (NIBT) on the Gold Coast from April 13 - 18.

Last year, Cohen gained selection; however, he broke his arm and could not go. Then followed the COVID-19 lockdowns, so the teams did not end up going.

In 2021, Bronwyn Philpot from Innisfail was the assistant coach for one of the girls’ teams, with Mariah Laza being the head coach and the team finished as champions, so this is Bronwyn’s second time to achieve a medal with the Gjumbun boys’ team.

It was a bit of a family affair as Cohen, Kayden, and Lachlan are Bronwyn Philpot’s grandsons.

This NIBT is an opportunity for participants to vie for selection to represent their region in the NIBT.

The NIBT will also include a Jr. NBA clinic for selected athletes.

From the Jr NBA Clinic, one girl and one boy will have the opportunity to vie for selection to join the Jr. NBA Asia-Pacific Team to compete in the 2022 Jr. NBA Global Championship in Orlando, Florida.

Coaches, team managers and referees travelled to the Gold Coast with regional representative teams for the NIBT. In addition to competition games, they had the opportunity to attend coaching workshops led by experienced coaches in the world.