ABA 2024-25: Owls claim women’s B-grade division one title, Crabs dominant in men’s B-grade grand final win

Barking Owls have claimed a thrilling, low-scoring Albany Basketball Association women’s B-grade division three grand final, edging out Sonics in a exhilarating finish on Friday night. Though the Sonics had carved out an early lead by the long break, the Owls rallied forces and came storming back in the second half to chase them down. The foul-heavy game was a defensive affair for both sides in the final minutes, as they locked in to go shot-for-shot. After a time-out called on with 40 seconds on the clock with only a single point between them, two successful shots from behind the line had Felicity Breitkurtz giving the Owls the game 17-16, with Breitkurtz named most valuable player in the title win. Barking Owls wiped the floor in the women’s B-grade division one grand final, defeating Wet Wipes by 18 points. The Wet Wipes were hindered by their five-woman line-up, scoring only nine points to the Owls’ 27. Erin Quartermaine alone scored nine points for the Owls and was awarded an MVP trophy for her efforts. Infernos produced a strong showing against Barking Owls in the women’s B-grade division two grand final, trouncing the Owls by 10 points. Infernos’ red-hot victory was assisted by MVP Taylor Warren, who accumulated a game-high amount of six points, on par with teammate Eboni Herbert. Crabs were a dominant force in the men’s B-grade division one grand final, thumping Kinjarling by 30 points. Kinjarling managed only two points in the second half as Crabs won 45-15. Grand final MVP Clintin Burton proved most useful to his team, notching 14 points in the triumph. Sharks claimed the men’s B-grade division two title, beating Griffins Crusaders in a four-point thriller. Zac Pearson hit four late free throws as fouls proved an issue for the Crusaders. Tobyn Lowry won the MVP title for the Sharks in the 37-33 victory, while teammate Pearson proved his side’s best scorer with 17. The Nuggets secured a slim six-point win over the Outlaws in the exciting men’s B-grade division three grand final, with game MVP Chris Panton netting 12 of his side’s 32 points as they beat the Outlaws by 10. Barking Owls walloped the Crabs with a dominating 42-24 win in the men’s vets decider, with the game’s highest point-scorer Tim Button (14) securing a deserving MVP trophy for Owls. In the junior competition, the Bethel Bobcats scored a 49-43 grand final win over Sonics Blue in the Year 11-12 boys division one competition. Nathan Lillicrap from the winning side was named MVP. The Year 11-12 Boys title was won by Barking Owls, who doubled the score of rivals Sonics Grey. Owls star Ashton Henrickson was named MVP in the 44-22 win.