Basketball
Throughout the term 2 season, of our Pymble Basketball players vastly improved as each player now has a thorough understanding of the fundamental skills of basketball. The girls showed consistent effort each week, and the future of Pymble basketball looks very bright!
Below are some wrap ups of the season and some kind words provided to us by our loyal and hard working coaches.
Pymble 1 won the igsa grand final against a tough Monte team. I cannot thank our players enough for their commitment to Pymble basketball and the phenomenal culture they have built over the years. Most of this team has been in Pymble 1 for the past three years: Amarley Bron (Year 12), Madeleine Coman (Year 12), Abigail Tyler (Year 12), Natasha Newham (Year 12), Philippa Begg (Year 12), Alice Hillsdon (Year 12) and Sophie van Kerkwijk (Year 12). It was great to see the future of Pymble basketball closing the game out with our young guns Izabella Ziolkowski (Year 10), Ariana Ziolkowski (Year 9) and Gemma Stanbury (Year 9) all providing a fantastic performances. A special mention to Yvette Volk (Year 11) and her beautiful teamwork from the bench while injured.
In Pymble 2, Lucy Pennington (Year 11) kept the team energy and morale high, both from the bench and on the court. Charlotte Craig (Year 10), although new to the sport, became such a phenomenal rebounder on both the offensive and defensive ends. Both Annabel Taylor (Year 10) and Ella O’Dea (Year 10) showed heart and aggression getting to the rim and finishing against contact. Ruby Thomson (Year 12) took three pointers at crucial times and landed them. She also showed high basketball IQ on the defensive end. Ava Thomson (Year 11) showed high basketball IQ with finishing around the rim with a great display of footwork. Ashley Chow (Year 10) made crucial passes to team scoring. Their coach is so proud of how much they have individually improved and the transfer to team improvement!
What a wonderful result for team Pymble 3! Bella Walker (Year 11) was strong in defence. Georgia Bicego (Year 11) showed off her offensive prowess with some timely baskets. Claire Spring (Year 11) shot the ball with confidence and was rewarded. Special mention to these players as often they match up against either the seconds or sometimes even the firsts teams from other schools. They have progressed so well over this term!
Pymble 4 had an amazing finish to their match, fighting to the very end, going down narrowly to a determined Loreto 22 to 20. This was an end-to-end tussle and the score line was changing on the minute. Special mentions to Sophie Livingstone (Year 11) who made some determined runs to the basket and Sofia Laftsidis (Year 11) who was a menace in defence. With two wins and three losses, Pymble 4 finishes in the middle of the pack which is an outstanding effort considering the competition in this division.
Matilda Batman (Year 11) and Phoebe Bucknell (Year 10) were both awesome rebounders and teammates for Pymble 5. The cohesion and chemistry has grown over time with this team, the opposition in this grade especially was very competitive and these players showed great resilience in taking the court each week!
Olivia Radford (Year 12) played an all-round phenomenal game and has greatly impressed her coaches. Serena Leung (Year 12) was top scorer with 12 points in the win for Pymble 6! Overall, this team performed exceptionally, with six wins and only one loss they were agonisingly close to taking out the S09 division. Well done Pymble 6 on this effort!
Great game as ever for Pymble 7, who dominated their game. Special mention to; Alice Anand (Year 10), scoring many amazing layups. Melanie Tan (Year 10) consistently stole the ball and made great shots and Isabelle Hicks (Year 10) who supported her team the entire match being a great team player, not to mention bringing home-made brownies for everyone. Great game, amazing team, true Pymble spirit and were constantly a joy for their coach throughout the season.
Pymble 8 finished their season off on a high, defeating Roseville 20 to 12. An amazing effort from the players and what a way to finish the term. Special mention to the entire team being especially committed to each training session, impressing Coach Jada. It was also great to see them sharing some lunch on the grass after their match!
A tough away task for the Pymble 9 team with only six girls available for this extra game in Frensham. Skye Macleod (Year 8) showed courage on the defensive end, forcing multiple turnovers with her defence. Scarlet Oleson (Year 9) making a huge impact throughout the whole game, rebounding and making her presence felt throughout the entire match. Pymble 9 have learned so much from their coach Rowan Choi this season and we are looking forward to their continued growth over the next years!
Pymble 10 had a tough loss. A special mention to Ruby Watson (Year 8) for contributing to her team’s success, no matter how small. Alannah Tang (Year 8) showing true leadership and enjoying seeing her teammates succeed. This was a tough division for Pymble 10 however with determined Pymble spirit never gave up and left nothing on the court at the end of a match.
While Pymble 11 had a tough loss, some highlights included Ellie Pointon’s (Year 8) numerous blocks on defence, Annabelle Johnston’s (Year 8) strong ability to bring the ball down the court and Iman Utteridge (Year 9) and the team banking so many shots. Lucy Lakeman (Year 8), Annie Liebmann (Year 9) and Lucinda Martin (Year 8) were dependable for a rebound, dishing out to teammates such as Charlotte Henderson (Year 8) and using the skills of getting low, using pivots to get the ball to an open player. Team spirit was led by Imarni Woodroffe-Mulholland (Year 8), Wynter Woodroffe-Mulholland (Year 9) and Ella Mitchell (Year 9). Nicole Zhang (Year 8) along with the team improved greatly in defence, keeping their hands out and finding a player to mark. Overall, it’s been a great season, and the players in Pymble 11 have learnt a lot about Basketball and teamwork.
Yilin Xie (Year 9) was great defensively on transition and attacked the basket in a tough loss for Pymble 12. Coming up against the competition leaders was always going to be a tough task for this team. Pymble 12 finished in the middle of the pack in this division and did notch up a couple of valuable wins. Well done and we look forward to seeing you back in 2024.
Pymble 13 were in a very tough Year 7 Firsts division this term and played a determined Wenona side on the weekend. With three wins and four losses, they were only a win or so out of the top two teams in the division. This is a phenomenal effort and I cannot wait to see these players in action in the Junior Division next year.
Pymble 14 finished on a high – all players have improved so much over the season should be very proud of their efforts this season. Emma Chen (Year 7) had a phenomenal game, scoring 8 points, blocking shots, and getting lots of steal, Savannah Lorimer (Year 7) played another great game pushing herself to be more aggressive producing four fouls for the first time ever. Isabella Benjamin (Year 7) played a determined defence game, trapping the players at half court and producing four cross court violations while putting fantastic pressure on the opposition.
In Pymble 15’s game, Claudia Sherlock (Year 7) had an incredible shooting game, making a fantastic shot only a step in from the three-point line. The whole team worked hard the entire game and had an excellent second half. Olivia Pragassen (Year 7) made an amazing shot for Pymble 15.
Pymble 16 played very confidently for their last game, working together in the last few minutes of the game. Nicole Fan (Year 7) and Isabella Du (Year 7) tried their best to help the team on the court, finding gaps and making easy passes when throwing in the ball with Nicole Fan (Year 7) on fast transition.
Everyone put in such a great effort for Pymble 17 and really showed an amazing improvement from the start of the season. Emma Koorey (Year 7) made an excellent free throw and chased every ball. Valerie Zhao (Year 7) made an excellent shot and made some great steals! Well done to Pymble 17 on your first year in igsa Basketball! We are all so proud of your commitment each week and see you back on court in 2024!
The final results are listed below:
| Team | Opponent | Score |
| Pymble 1 | Monte Sant Angelo 1 | 34 to 29 |
| Pymble 2 | PLC Sydney 1 | 36 to 31 |
| Pymble 3 | Loreto Normanhurst 2 | 30 to 20 |
| Pymble 4 | Loreto Normanhurst 3 | 20 to 22 |
| Pymble 5 | Tara Anglican School for Girls 2 | 20 to 42 |
| Pymble 6 | Wenona School 3 | 31 to 8 |
| Pymble 7 | Loreto Normanhurst 15 | 63 to 5 |
| Pymble 8 | Roseville College 8 | 20 to 12 |
| Pymble 9 | Frensham 7 | 15 to 13 |
| Pymble 10 | Tara 7 | 23 to 35 |
| Pymble 11 | St. Catherine’s School Waverley 4 | 18 to 52 |
| Pymble 12 | Loreto Normanhurst 26 | 10 to 68 |
| Pymble 13 | Wenona School 12 | 12 to 42 |
| Pymble 14 | Tara Anglican School for Girls 13 | 23 to 11 |
| Pymble 15 | Abbotsleigh 31 | 6 to 28 |
| Pymble 16 | Loreto Normanhurst 29 | 8 to 38 |
| Pymble 17 | Abbotsleigh 33 | 3 to 26 |
Rachel Maenpaa
Head Coach – Basketball