Competing at the Australian under 14 club championships basketball tournament and the NSW Primary School Sporting Association (PSSA) athletics and PSSA basketball finals will cap off a busy year for Annika Scott from Taree.
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The 12-year-old has already represented NSW in the Australian All Schools basketball championships played in Darwin.
Annika is the Manning River Times-Iguana Sportstar of the Week, earning a $50 open order from Iguana. She was nominated by Taree Basketball.
Annika gained a place in the NSW side following the State championships played in Broken Hill.
She was a member of the Hunter side that finished fourth. This was the third successive year she’d made the Hunter team.
Annika said she was ‘kind of’ confident about making the State team after being told she only just missed a place in 2017.
NSW finished fourth at the nationals after going into the championship as one of the favourites. They were on the wrong end of a couple of close results. Annika alternated between the shooting guard, centre and power forward positions.
“My shooting was a bit off,’’ she admitted.
“But I was happy with my defence.’’
Her basketball season started in March as a member of the Taree Tornadoes in the Northern Junior League. This team has enjoyed a memorable campaign, highlighted by qualifying for the Australian championships to be played in Shepparton at the start of October. They were also runners up at the recent NSW championships.
Team members are currently training three afternoons a week in preparation. Annika said she doesn’t know how the Tornadoes will fare.
“But it’s going to be a great experience,’’ she added.
Annika started playing basketball four years ago with the Taree Public School side in the Saturday morning competition run by Taree Basketball.
From there she progressed to junior competitions and eventually into the Tornado representative program, playing initially in the under 12s before moving into the 14s.
Last year she was a member of the Taree West Public School side that finished fifth in the State. The side has again qualified for the final eight in NSW and heads to Cronulla on September 17 for the playoffs.
Away from the basketball court Annika is a record breaking high jumper. She has again qualified for the State PSSA championships to be held at Homebush in November after winning at zone and regional level.
Annika finished eighth last year but has improved her personal best significantly in the last 12 months.
