The 2015 INAS Global Games, held for athletes with an intellectual disability, will be held in Ecuador from September 20 in a week-long event with basketball one of eight sports eligible for competition. The Australian men’s team, the Boomerangs, and the women’s team, the Pearls, made the tough 30-hour journey, travelling from Sydney to Guayaquil via Los Angeles, Atlanta and Quito. Once arriving, the sides packed in four days of training before their Games schedule began on September 21. This year, the women played in a 3x3 competition while the men remained in a 5x5 format. A veteran of the Pearls, Molly UrquhartMorgan competed in her fourth international competition this year and her third Global Games. “I’m excited and nervous all at the same time,” she said. “We’re a very young team so I guess I have to look after the new girls but a couple of the newest additions have come in from nationals so there is some great talent coming through the ranks.” The Pearls, with their ten-player squad split over two teams named Australia Green and Australia Gold, clashed with each other in their opening game. They then confronted Japan White, Japan The 2015 INAS Global Games for athletes with an intellectual disability was held in Ecuador earlier this year in the fourth iteration of the tournament. Basketball Australia sent over a men’s and women’s team on the 30-hour flight, with basketball one of nine sports available for competition. The entire tournament was lucky to go ahead initially as volcano eruptions in Ecuador threatened to suspend the Global Games but the eruptions subsided in just enough time prior to all overseas countries arriving.
Black and France before going through the cycle again to conclude the round robin group stage.
AUSTRALIAN PEARLS: Day 1: Aus Gold (16) def. Aus Green (10) Aus Gold (21) def France (6) Aus Green (14) def. by Japan White (16) Day 2: Aus Gold (17) def. Japan Black (3) Aus Green (9) def. France (5) Day 3: Aus Gold def. France on forfeit Aus Green (9) def. by Japan White (13) Day 4: Aus Green (14) def. Japan Black (11) Day 5: Aus Gold (19) def. Japan Black (6) Day 6: Aus Gold (15) def. Japan White (5) for Gold Aus Green (8) def. Japan Black (6) for Bronze AUSTRALIAN BOOMERANGS: Day 1: Aus (43) def. by France (78) Day 2: Aus (26) def. by Venezuela (56) Day 3: Aus lost to Poland (no scores available) Day 4: Aus defeated Japan (no scores available) Day 6: Aus lost to Portugal by 12 points in Bronze medal (No scores available).
The Boomerangs kicked off their campaign against France before facing Venezuela, Portugal, Japan and Poland in the group stage. This year, the Semi-Finals started on September 26 with the medal games conducted on the final day of competition, September 27. The 2015 Australia Boomerangs: Joshua Cleary (TAS), Frazer Dawber (VIC), Jake De La Motte (VIC), Jordan East (VIC), Bradley Kinross (SA), Wayne Kinross (SA), Justin Koenig (ACT), Harrison Mallard (SA), Jarrod Thomson (VIC), Matthew Skerman (QLD) The 2015 Australian Pearls: Brittany Anderson (ACT), Taylor Anderson (ACT), Jessica Duncan (NSW), Amy J Howard (SA), Kate Leckenby (VIC), Jessica McCulloch (VIC), Eliza Mills (WA), Lois Shea (VIC), Molly Urquhart-Morgan n (VIC), Katlin Zonneveld (VIC). For further information visit www.basketball.net.au
Kate Leckenby, Jessica McCulloch, Eliza Mills, Lois Shea, Molly Urquhart-Morgan and Katlin Zonneveld were split into two sides, Australia Green and Australia Gold and in a dominant display, the Australian women took away the gold and bronze medals to sweep the competition. The men’s team, the Boomerangs, were looking to build on a fourth-placed finish at the 2011 Global Games as well as a bronze medal at the 2013 World Championships.
The Australian women’s team (the Pearls) were involved in a 3x3 tournament, the newest form of basketball that sees shorter games, smaller teams and intense play.
Playing a normal 5x5 tournament, Joshua Cleary, Frazer Dawber, Jake De La Motte, Jordan East, Bradley Kinross, Wayne Kinross, Justin Koenig, Harrison Mallard, Jarrod Thomson and Matthew Skerman faced tough competition with group pool games against France, Venezuela, Japan and Poland.
The team, consisting of Brittany and Taylor Anderson, Danni Burden, Jessica Duncan,
A victory over Japan that occurred in between three losses was enough for
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them to progress to a playoff for bronze against Portugal but the 2011 Global Games Champions proved too strong, winning by 12 points in a physical contest. The overall tournament was positive for the Boomerangs though, with several players proving themselves on the international stage. Kinross showed a deadly three-point shot throughout the week, Thomson’s hawklike vision around the court allowed him to make the difficult pass time and again, Cleary was a beast under the rim while 18-year old rookie point guard Mallard has a deft touch around the rim that saw him hit a surprising amount of tough shots close to the rim to defy his height. The next Global Games, to be held in 2019, will take place in Brisbane and will give the Boomerangs and the Pearls the chance to showcase their talents in front of a home crowd. n