By JARROD POTTER
THE country’s brightest, young basketball stars will take to the courts in Dandenong this week to find out which state deserves to call itself the best.
Victoria Metro is out to defend its suite of gold medals at the Basketball Australia Under-20 National Championships – after taking victories at last year’s championships.
Called up from the emergency list after a late injury, Dandenong’s Mason Peatling will be part of the Victoria Metro men’s squad set to challenge for a sixth consecutive title.
A pair of Dandenong Rangers’ WNBL players – Lauren Scherf and Rachael Antoniadou – will lead the Victoria Metro women’s side.
The Rangers duo has a wealth of experience playing together – having represented Australia for the Gems under-18 team and will likely be some of the first choices selected for the Australian under-19 World Championships team that will face off against the rest of the world in June.
Alongside the under-18 championships, Basketball Australia is also holding the Ivor Burge Championships – for players with an intellectual disability, with Victoria Metro the defending champions in both men’s and women’s divisions.
The championships run from 22-28 February at Dandenong Basketball Stadium.
