The Opens basketball team convened at Breakers Stadium, Terrigal for the annual BBSSSA basketball championships filled with anticipation for the challenge of securing a fourth consecutive title for St Edward’s College.  The campaign began on a positive note with a comfortable triumph over St Leo’s Catholic College, with Tom Lawton and Micah Nisbett exhibiting exceptional skills on both offense and defense. St Paul’s presented a tougher test, pushing our team until midway through the second half. However, Tom Roth’s remarkable performance on the boards, at both ends of the court, enabled the team to gradually distance themselves from their opponents in the final five minutes of the game.

Subsequently, our boys delivered impressive victories against St Peter’s Catholic College and St Brigid’s Catholic College. Since both teams were undefeated, the last pool match against Mater Maria Catholic College was regarded as the decisive final. Miles Henderson and Harry Bates spearheaded a dominant 15-point triumph, securing victory for our team. Their outstanding performance earned them the opportunity to advance to the CCC event in Port Macquarie.

• St Edward’s v St Leo’s 45-25 Win
• St Edward’s v St Paul’s 62-22 Win
• St Edward’s v St Peter’s 32-12 Win
• St Edward’s v St Brigid’s 41-6 Win
• St Edward’s v MacKillop 25-17 Win
• St Edward’s v Mater Maria (final) 41-31 Win

The group assembled on a sunny Sunday afternoon to embark on a journey to Port Macquarie for the CCC Championships. The boys were well aware of the daunting challenge that awaited them. Despite a narrow defeat that didn’t dampen their spirits, a second loss against St Greg’s College, Campbelltown meant that we had a crucial must-win game against Marian Catholic College. The boys started strongly, swiftly taking the lead with exceptional performances from Harry Bates and Micah Nisbett, who excelled with the ball, while Tom Lawton led the team from the forefront. At halftime, the team held a 10-point advantage and ultimately secured a much-needed victory. In the last game of the day, MacKillop proved too formidable, which meant we had to win both pool games on Tuesday morning to advance to the quarter-finals. O’Connor Catholic College, Armidale put up little resistance in a lopsided contest, and the team emerged triumphant in admirable fashion. St. John’s College, Dubbo stood in our path for the quarter-final draw. The match remained evenly balanced at halftime and throughout the final minutes. With the scores level, St John’s turned the ball over for a baseline inbound. Micah Nisbett swiftly passed the ball cross-court to Harry Bates, who calmly drained a clutch 3-point shot, putting us in the lead. We then forced another turnover, sealing the victory. In the quarterfinals, we faced a dominant St Dominic’s Catholic College team. Although the boys performed well and gave their all, St Dominic’s proved to be superior. St Dominic’s went on to claim the CCC title.

• St Edward’s v St Francis Xavier, Hamilton 32-34 Loss
• St Edward’s v St Greg’s Campbeltown 42-47 Loss
• St Edward’s v Marian College, Kenthurst 45-32 Win
• St Edward’s v MacKillop, Port Macquarie 35-65 Loss
• St Edward’s v O’Connor, Armidale 75-25 Win
• St Edward’s v St John’s College, Dubbo 45-39 Win
• St Edward’s v St Dominic’s, Kingswood 45-65 loss