General News
29 October, 2026
Mallee connections shine in Swan Hill
There was plenty of Mallee pride on show at the weekend as the Swan Hill Flyers hosted their annual Swan Hill Junior Basketball Tournament.
Among the talented young players taking to the court were many familiar names with strong connections to the Mallee, several parents and grandparents having begun their basketball journeys through the Hopetoun basketball competition.
From first-time representative players experiencing tournament basketball to those continuing to build on their representative careers, local families continued to make their mark on the junior basketball scene.
The Warracknabeal Wildcats welcomed first-time representative players Harvey Hallam (son of Trudi Cook and Steve Hallam) and Wyatt Littlejohns (son of Tara Afford).
They were joined by Eli Simpson (son of Rainbow's Stef Newton), adding to the strong Mallee connections within the Wildcats' ranks.
The boys enjoyed a successful first tournament, finishing as division two runners-up.
Ollie George (son of Kyle and Debbie) continued his representative basketball journey with the Wildcats, taking to the court with the under 14 boys' team.
Mallee representation was also strong within the Mildura Heat program.
With origins in Yaapeet, Izzie Ratabua (son of Erin née Fisher and Joe Ratabua) celebrated tournament success with the Mildura Heat under 12 division one team, which finished as division winners.
Kelsey and Imogen (daughters of Trish Watson) are both enjoying their first seasons in representative basketball.
Kelsey is part of the Mildura Heat girls' under 12 division three squad while Imogen plays in the under 14 division two team.
Levi Poulton (son of Justin Poulton) is also stepping into the representative basketball environment for his first season.
Sophie and Harry (children of Chris Peters) are continuing their basketball journeys with Sophie representing the Heat under 12 girls and Harry playing with Border Sports.
Asher (son of Brayden Anderson) also represents Border Sports.
Flying the flag for the tournament hosts, Londyn Beasy (daughter of Jana née Overall and Todd Beasy) took to the court with the Swan Hill Flyers' under 12 division one squad.
Now enjoying her second year of representative basketball, Londyn is continuing a family tradition, her dad Todd having previously worn the Flyers' colours himself.
Another young Flyer progressing through the representative ranks is River Boyle (son of Abby née Overall and John Boyle), who is in his first year of squad basketball with the Swan Hill Flyers' under 14 boys team.
Meanwhile, Reeva Schack (daughter of Brody and Bec) was part of the Swan Hill Flyers' under 14 division two team, adding to the strong contingent of young players with local connections competing across the weekend.
In the under 16 girls, Mia Roberts (daughter of Mikala 'Goss' Roberts) continued her representative basketball journey with the Warracknabeal Wildcats.
Now in her third season of representative basketball, Mia is building on her experience as she proudly represent the Wildcats at tournament level.
The team progressed to the division one semi-finals, marking another valuable experience in their representative season.
Stella Ficarra (daughter of Renee née Howie and Mal) played for the Mildura Heat under 16 girls and enjoyed a strong tournament, finishing as a division one runner-up.
Beyond the results, the tournament provided a valuable opportunity for young players to develop their skills, build confidence, strengthen friendships and experience the excitement of competing against teams from across the state.
With parents, siblings, grandparents and plenty of other familiar faces cheering from the sidelines, there was no shortage of support for the young basketballers.
For these players and their families, the tournament was about more than just the final scores.
It was a celebration of opportunity, community and the pride that comes from seeing local talent thrive on the court.
– MIKALA ROBERTS