On Friday the 26th of March, the Senior Boys Basketball team headed away to Nelson for a friendly tournament weekend. Three games had been arranged to be played; Waimea College, Nayland College and Nelson College. At the end of last year the boys had lost a match to Nelson College by 30 points. With this loss, the team had a goal to achieve and dedicated a lot of time and energy to training on, and off the courts.

The training and coaching has paid off, as the boys walked away winning all three of their games. Scores as follows: Waimea College 59 - 86, Nayland College - 66 -101, Nelson College 93 - 104.

The game vs Nelson College was the big one. We know they have a really good Basketball program and they take the game seriously. This game had to be worked for. It was a tie game after the first period and Rolleston landed up by 4 points at halftime with a score of 36-40.

With no time left on the clock, we had a tie game again. A foul on Nelson, Rolleston had one shot to break the tie. To keep things interesting, this shot was missed and the teams had to battle it out in overtime. Rolleston played top notch in these final minutes, gaining over 10 points in 6 minutes and showing that we certainly were the stronger of the two teams this time around.

Each game the team’s ability to work together and stay focused strengthened. Going away was a great opportunity for the boys to form a team bond. At the end of the day, it won’t be the specifics of the game that they remember, but the relationships that they built as a team and the adventures that they had together. It’s very impressive to see how they have developed as individual athletes, but more importantly as a team.

Although there is still a lot of work to put in, the boys have placed themselves in a powerful position for 2021 Basketball. Coaches Cam Drewett and Gareth Costly are looking forward to the South Island Tournament in Invercargill this October. It is clear that the Year 13 boys, making up 8 out of the 12 team members, are also looking forward to making their last year their best year.

On behalf of Rolleston College we can not thank Stephan Hickling & Jane Hickling who were amazing support as team manager & photographer. Dave Egan also came & supported/drove the team.  Without your passion and support our awesome learners wouldn't have this opportunity.