Glass House Mountains and Landsborough on display at Queensland competition
By Kirra Livingstone
TWO Glass House Mountains teenagers went head-to-head in the grand final of the U16s Purple Division at the Basketball Queensland State Championships—proving the hinterland is home to some serious hoops talent.
Held in Logan from April 5–8, the four-day tournament attracted teams from all over Queensland.
In a thrilling finale, Kiahn Crouch claimed gold with the Moreton Bay Suns, while Ziggy Evans earned silver representing the Sunshine Coast Phoenix.
For Ziggy, it was a debut at state level—and one he won’t forget.
“It was really great to come second, our team from the first games we played, we’ve improved a lot,” he said.
“We didn’t really know each other and then all of a sudden it just clicked and we became a lot better.”
With the tournament now wrapped, the young guard has his sights set on the next challenge: U18s trials.
“The next division up will have a lot more stiff competition, I think I have a chance of making the team but I need to improve before trials begin,” Ziggy said.
“I will need to do a lot of training, lose a lot of weight and get a lot better with my agility.
“I’m a lot slower than the rest of the players, and I also need to work on my sprinting and shooting.”
Despite falling short in the final, Ziggy said the experience taught him plenty.
“It’s a lot harder than just a normal club, you have to worry about mistakes, but it’s also a lot more fun at the same time because it’s rewarding when you win,” he said.
“The main thing I learnt was teamwork.
You have to work together and it really showed me that with teamwork, any team can win.”
Landsborough’s Jayden Blake also hit the court for the Phoenix in the U16s Black Division, with his squad finishing a respectable eighth overall.
