Sport
26 January, 2026
Basketballers still contenders
CAIRNS Basketball teams delivered a solid showing at the latest under-23 tournament, with strong performances across both the men’s and women’s competitions and a tight ladder heading into the final round.
Cairns Basketball general manager Luca Vergari said the Cairns women won two games during the tournament, while the men recorded one win.
On the men’s side, Townsville Blue finished on top of the table, though Mr Vergari said there was still one more tournament to be played in Townsville. Regan Blachford led Townsville’s scoring with 76 points.
Cairns finished second behind Mackay and Townsville in the women’s standings. Eden Catip was the leading scorer across the women’s competition.
Taj Goodwin led the men’s scoring overall with 92 points, including a high score of 28 in a single game. Mr Goodwin also topped the competition for three-point shooting, finishing with 12 made three-pointers, while Cairns recorded eight.
For Cairns, Jacob Beattie led the men’s scoring with 62 points, while Leah Pearson was the Dolphins’ top women’s scorer with 50. Mia Brown was Townsville’s leading women’s scorer, finishing the tournament with 54 points.
Mr Vergari said Cairns teams received strong local support across the weekend, with good crowd numbers creating a positive atmosphere.
“The level of competition was incredibly close,” he said. “It’s anyone can kind of still win it going into this final tournament in Townsville.”
He said the tournament featured a smaller field, with only one age group and one division competing, but the standard of basketball remained high throughout.
With the final tournament still to come in Townsville, results remain open across both competitions, with Cairns still in contention alongside the leading teams.
Teams will now prepare for the final tournament in Townsville, which will determine overall standings across the under-23 competitions.
