Victorian Country basketball came together once again for the third instalment of the 2026 Junior Country Championships, this time in Ballarat, 11-13 April for the boys and girls U14 event.
873 players representing 88 teams from as far as Orbost and Bairnsdale in eastern Gippsland, Portland and Hamilton in the South-West to Mildura and Swan Hill in the Mallee descended on the Ballarat region for the weekend, making it the heartbeat of basketball in Victoria for the three days. Players were seen to compete hard and whilst grand final teams are easily recognised; many other teams achieved smaller goals that they’d set themselves. One of those was Leongatha, their boys making Division 1 – a terrific achievement in itself for an association of their size!
The weekend represents a chance for officials from across country Victoria to receive education, development and to show their skills for future opportunities at higher levels. 96 of these officials including referees, referee coaches and support staff ensured games were played safely and smoothly. With every game having a referee coach appointed to it, it ensured that referees received advice and guidance on every match they officiated, hopefully taking with them more experience and knowledge to continue to improve on within their own association competition.
Importantly as an additional benefit, 15 referee coaches undertook their Grade 1 accreditation course and a further 25 referees completed their A Grade course during the event, supported by the ‘Play Our Way’ funding grant.
The teams competed hard, but fairly throughout the weekend, with all players representing their associations and towns with passion and in a positive way. The future is bright for country Victorian basketball!
The Junior Country Championships represent some of the very best things that make our sport terrific. We see people coming together, competing at their best and representing their local association against others from right across the state.
Thank you once again to everyone who attended, competed and participated within these editions of the Junior Country Championships. With one more 3-day Junior Country Championship event still ahead, the U12s in Bendigo, an exciting weekend is in store!
This amazing event would not have been possible without the support of key partners and host venues. Basketball Victoria extends its thanks to the Ballarat Basketball Association, staff at Selkirk and Minerdome stadiums and the terrific support of the City of Ballarat.
Grand Finals:
U14 Boys Division 1: Geelong United 65 defeated Ballarat 42
U14 Boys Division 2: Wallan 55 defeated Surfcoast 40
U14 Boys Division 3: Benalla 59 defeated Kyneton 41
U14 Boys Division 4: Mildura 57 defeated Moe 39
U14 Boys Division 5: Morwell 55 defeated Portland 45
U14 Girls Division 1: Traralgon 35 defeated Warragul 34
U14 Girls Division 2: Bacchus Marsh 37 defeated Maffra 35
U14 Girls Division 3: Wodonga 35 defeated Wonthaggi 23
U14 Girls Division 4: Wallan 42 defeated Bellarine 18
U14 Girls Division 5: Macdeon Ranges 45 defeated Myrtleford 36
Click the buttons below to check out the action from the event!
