Oaklands Wolves provided the bulk of the Herte U-15 Girls team that reached the East Region final, on Saturday.
Eight of the ten Wolves players are still eligible for next season's competition where they will hope to go one better and win the competition, and the only player who didn't represent the St Albans-based club this season due to join them for the 2024/25 campaign.
Playing on their home court, Herts won a thriller 25-22 against Bedfordshire to open the competition, Eunice Wong draining a game-sealing three as she led the hosts with 11 points in the 32-minute, running clock game.
With Bedfordshire comfortably beating Suffolk, Herts needed to win their final group game against Suffolk to seal a place in the final. It proved to be another close game as Chloe Chan's late bucket proved to be the difference as Herts edged a 37-35 victory. Wong finished with 12 points, with Jane Yu adding six and Daisy Golan and Olivia Akers scoring four apiece.
The final against a taller, more athletic, Essex side proved to be a step too far for the young Herts team. The visitors never looked back after a 12-0 first period, running out comfortable winners 38-19 winners with Yu with Yu scoring 11 points and Wong six.
Wolves also provided Otis Lau-Johnston and Ricky Amrania from their 2023/24 U-16 squad as they produced a dominant display to win the boys' competition.
Lau-Johnston scored six points as Herts opened the tournament with a 52-18 hammering of Cambridgeshire. The Wolves point guard then opened the scoring as Herts clinched a place in the final with a 61-14 victory Norfolk.
Surprise package Bedfordshire awaited Herts in the final and the hosts never looked in trouble as they wracked up a 44-22 to clinch the title.
Wong and Yu were named in the girls' all-star team, while Gaurie Kohli won the girls' sportsmanship award with Lau-Johnston named in the boys' sportsmanship team.
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