Booker Named in All SEABL Team

Over the weekend the South East Australian Basketball League wrapped up its 2016 season with the Championship Finals staged at the State Basketball Centre in Wantirna South followed by the Annual Awards lunch on the Sunday afternoon.

GMHBA Miner Roy Booker was the only Ballarat player to take home an award being selected in the All SEABL Team for the third consecutive year. Booker averaged 25.1 points, 4.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds a game across his 19 games in 2016.

The GMHBA Miners had four players nominated for awards with Booker, Ollie Bailey and Earnest Ross all nominated for the All  SEABL Team and Craig Moller nominated for the Australian Youth Player of the Year.

While the Ballarat Rush also had four nominations with Abbey Wehrung, Joy Burke and Kerryn Harrington all up for the All SEABL Team and Harrington also nominated for Best Defensive Player. Ashleigh Spencer was nominated for the Australian Youth Player of the Year.

The Awards lunch followed a great night of Basketball on Saturday that saw the 2016 SEABL Champions crowned.

First up was the Women’s match with Dandenong taking on Kilsyth for the second year in a row and as was the case in 2015 Dandenong was too strong for Kilsyth on the day.

It is interesting to note that the Ballarat Rush defeated Dandenong, the now SEABL Champions twice throughout the season. The first time was on their home court by nine points when Kerryn Harrington had 23 points followed by Kasey Burton with 16 points in what was an impressive game for the Rush.

The Rush then backed this up a few weeks later beating Dandenong at the Minerdome when Abbey Wehrung starred with 20 points along with Ashleigh Spencer who had 19.

Although the Rush didn’t make the finals, finishing half a game out, the fact the Rush beat the now Champions twice is a tremendous effort, which will fuel the fire for the 2017 SEABL season.

The Men’s game followed which was a tough game between Mt Gambier Pioneers and the Bendigo Braves. Mt Gambier got out to a great start leading by 11 points four minutes into the game but Bendigo fought back to have the scores level at quarter time.

The game was tight during the second and third quarter with the lead changing several times, but it was Bendigo who surged in the last quarter and completely overran Mt Gambier taking home the Championship by 18 points.