The second annual U13 Boys and Girls Final Fours took place at Holywells High School in Ipswich. This was the culmination of the area leagues that have been taking place across the county since October and the winners of the quarter finals found themselves in the Final Fours. The day started off with the boys semi final matches, which saw Breckland Middle School playing St Louis Middle School and Chalkstone Middle School play Copleston High School.

Breckland’s game against St Louis saw Breckland play some very good basketball and pass the ball around very well. They consistently made their shots and hit St Louis on the break to pull away into a clear lead. St Louis did play some good basketball and they worked well as a team. Breckland’s pace and power however were too much for St Louis as Breckland ran out 40-13 winners.

Copleston’s game against Chalkstone saw a big, powerful Copleston run out convincing winners. Copleston used the ball well at the top of the key and some excellent vision saw Copleston hit Chalkstone on the fast break with the big Copleston players dominating underneath the boards. Chalkstone did however fight back in the second half with some very good baskets and they never gave up. Copleston ended up winning 55-18 to progress to the final.

The girls semi finals saw a strong Breckland side come up against a good Farlingaye side in what would be a good game. Both sides did well and played some good basketball but Breckland’s experience and speed separated the two teams. Farlingaye got into some good positions throughout the game but struggled to make the baskets. Breckland capitalised on this and ended up winning 29-11.

The second semi final saw Holbrook dominate against a very big, strong Great Cornard Middle team. Holbrook had the majority of the possession in the first half with attack after attack but just couldn’t make the baskets. The second half saw Great Cornard take advantage of their size and some powerful driving saw Great Cornard close the gap. The final quarter saw Holbrook struggle to string passes together and some good outside shots from Great Cornard meant that they took a lead. Holbrook could not get hold of the ball and Great Cornard finished the game with a basket to take the game 21-15.

The 3rd/4th Playoffs saw St Louis play Chalkstone in the boys competition. Both teams had opportunities at both ends but St Louis played very well to run out 20-10 winners. The girls competition was an absolutely thrilling game between Farlingaye and Holbrook. Both teams were tied throughout the game with the lead switching several times. Farlingaye then pulled away in the final quarter only for Holbrook to hit a basket in the final few seconds to take the game to overtime. Overtime was deadlocked for the first minute with chances at either end, then with 20 seconds to go Farlingaye had two free throws. They managed to hit 1 of them and hold on for the last 10 seconds to take the game by 1 point.

The girls final saw Breckland face Great Cornard. Both teams were fairly evenly matched in the first quarter with Great Cornard’s size preventing Breckland from scoring. Breckland’s speed and excellent ball play then started to show as they pulled away. There was no way back for Great Cornard as Breckland won the game 33-16.

The boys final saw a technically good Breckland side face up against a quick and strong Copleston side. Copleston started off very well but couldn’t quite pull away with some excellent inter-play by Breckland keeping them in touch. Copleston however notched it up a gear and some quick basketball and some strong play underneath the basket saw Copleston win comfortably 55-34 in what was a very good game.

The U13 Suffolk Cup this year has been a great success. The county has seen an increased number of young people participating in basketball and the competition overall has been very successful. Andrew Wilesmith, Competition Manager and Suffolk Cup organiser said “the tournament gives the whole county a chance to participate in what is a very high standard of basketball. The county has built up a good reputation within the sport and as a result of this tournament we have seen young people start playing beyond their school. This can only be good for the game. What I would really like to see now is businesses and organisations get behind the competition and sport so we can grow it and provide a comprehensive quality competition”.

Many thanks go to Holywells High School for hosting and the support of Kathyrn James and Ipswich Basketball Club.