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THE action came thick and fast at Bendigo Stadium on Wednesday during Bendigo Basketball’s 3x3 tournament.
And when it was over seven teams were left standing tall as the winners in their respective divisions.
Nearly 300 senior and junior players hit the court to vie for honours in the round-robin tournament and three-point and slam dunk contests.
For the large number of junior players, it served as the ideal warm-up for next week’s Bendigo Junior Classic on Australia Day.
Bendigo Stadium Limited community engagement officer Bianca Dufelmeier said more than 70 teams registered for the competition on what was a great day for the local community.
More than eight-hours of basketball action tipped-off just after 10am, with the open men’s final completed after 9pm.
Among those keeping a close eye on the action was Ben Harvey, coach of the Bendigo Braves’ SEABL men’s team.
The 2016 national championship coach also oversees the Braves’ under-12 girls A team, which was split into groups of four to contest the event.
Harvey said the popular tournament was an ideal and fun opportunity for the many junior Brave basketballers involved to brush up on their skills in preparation for Australia Day.
“Obviously they have been on school holidays and down the beach, or having some family time, so this prepares our kids for next weekend,” he said.
“When they are away from basketball for four weeks, these kids wants a bit of a fix.
“But more importantly it’s just great seeing all the kids – from a domestic level and a junior Braves level - out here having a good time and enjoying themselves.”
One of those junior Braves, Holly Swatton said the 3x3 format was a definite hit with players.
“You get passed the ball a lot more,” the 10-year-old said after her side’s thrilling 7-6 overtime win against LAMM.
“Our first Braves tournament is next weekend …. This is a good way to get ready.”
The open men’s division was bolstered by the inclusion of four teams comprised of senior Braves squad members in an early pre-season hit-out.
Tim Long and Jackson Penman captured the individual honours as winners of the respective junior and senior three-point shoot-outs.
Team winners included the creatively named Big Baller Boyz (under-12 boys); Jet Stars (under-14 girls); Stay in your Lane (under-14 boys); Chicken Fingers (under-16 boys); Vic Country Boys (under-18 boys); Grand Theft Rondo (under-23 men); and Kawhi Bother (open men).
The 3x3 version of basketball will be included at the Olympics for the first time in Tokyo in 2020.