Four teams from the Moss Vale and Disrtict Basketball Association attended the Barrengarry Conference at the Snakepit in Wollongong on October 16. 

More than 70 games were played in both the men’s and women’s divisions at the annual competition. 

The Highlands were represented in the under-12 men’s division, the under-14 men’s division, the under-16 men’s division and the open men’s division. 

Moss Vale Basketball representative director Clint Bentley said it was good to have a strong Highlands presence at the conference. 

“We had four teams that did exceptionally well and showed off some great basketball skills,” he said. 

The under-12s, under-14s and under-16s played a round robin competition and the top four teams progressed to the semi-finals. The semi-final winners then played in the grand final. 

The open men played for points throughout the season and their games represented the top four teams in the semi-finals, the winners of those games then played in the grand final. 

The under-12s played four ordinary games before they progressed to the semi-final. The team won their semi-final matches and progressed to the grand final against Canberra. 

The match was close right throughout the four quarters, and both teams took the lead at different stages. Moss Vale and Canberra were tied at 19-19 with just a few seconds left on the clock. 

Moss Vale took a 21-19 victory when the ball hit the net just as the buzzer sounded. 

The under-14 boys played six games and showed off some strong skills. The team finished the ordinary round games but did not have enough wins to progress to the semi-finals. 

The under-16 boys also took home a win in the Barrengarry grand final. The team played four ordinary round games and remained undefeated. The team also took victory in the semi-final and progressed to the grand final. 

The team faced off against Sutherland in the final and took a 27-15 victory, after they demonstrated strong handling skills. 

The men’s open team were knocked out in the semi-final round after they were defeated 52-44 by Illawarra. 

Although Moss Vale took home numerous wins, competition ladders were not a major concern.

The Barrengarry Conference encouraged players to have fun and develop their skills.

The conference aimed to provide players with experience in higher levels of the basketball competition.