TWO of Bathurst's brightest junior basketball prospects will get their first taste of Combined High Schools representative action this year as Jono Limbrick and Roxy George earned their places in the squads following recent trials.
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Limbrick, 17, qualified for the CHS team for the second year running, though he didn't get the opportunity for match time due to COVID-19 cancellations, and George, 15, will be joining the girls side for the first time.
Limbrick and George, who play in the Western Junior League for the Lithgow Lazers under 18s and Bathurst Goldminers under 16s respectively, succeeded in the trials held alongside the opening round of the WJL in West Wyalong.
The Bathurst duo were the only players from the city who trialled, while the rest of their teams will be made up of players from Lithgow, Orange, Dubbo and West Wyalong.
The NSW CHS Secondary Basketball Boys Championships will be held in Tamworth across April 20 to 22 while the Girls Championships will follow at Maitland from May 4 to 6.
Having made the cut for the previous year's team Limbrick had CHS representation of his list of achievable goals in 2021.
"There were a few familiar faces so I had a general idea of what it would be like. It was a tiring day and a lot of people weren't able to keep on training for the solid six hours," he said.
"We went over fundamentals, because our coach is big on that, so we spent a lot of time on our shooting form. Then we did specific spots and ran through our plays. I felt pretty confident since I made the team last year.
"After COVID, for me, it was just about getting back into the hang of it with basketball trials and local comps starting up again. I felt like I've improved, and I've done a lot of Zoom sessions with a guy who used to live in Lithgow but now lives in Germany, Darreon Tolliver."
George gained selection in the team automatically as the 10 players who turned up to the trials were all guaranteed a place.
However, George said the CHS team that's come together boasts a lot of talent.
"We did a lot of drills and fitness training and it was great to play as a team," she said.
"There were only 10 of us at the trials, so it turned pretty much into a training session instead, but it was still tough and everyone in that team is still very experienced. Every in that team is very strong.
George has been keeping a busy schedule lately, having also taken part in state trials for the under 16s team last weekend.
Bathurst hosts part of the second WJL round this weekend.
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