Dok Mamer scored an incredible 65 points to lead the Armidale Lions under 18 basketball team to victory in the grand final against Ballina. Trailing by 19 points early in the third quarter, Mamer took control of the game on both offense and defense, scoring baskets including five three-pointers, rebounding, and getting steals to lead the Lions to a comeback win. The coach said it was the best individual performance he had seen in over 30 years of basketball in the region. Meanwhile, Armidale Public School student Ashley Waters was selected for the NSW PSSA girls hockey team and will travel to Sydney for training before competing in the national tournament in Melbourne next week.

1. Sport
Armidale Express
Email sport.armexpress@ruralpress.com
Pg24 Bowls
Pg25 Ward wins
Pg25 Northern Inland Football
Pg26 Rams fall to Tigers
Pg27 City’s intra-league win
PAGE 28 Wednesday, August 3, 2011
AN EPIC indidvidual perform-
ance by an Armidale basketballer
has led the Armidale Lions under
18s to a grand final victory on
Sunday.
Lions point guard Dok Mamer
scored a staggering 65 points in
the Northern Junior League
Division 2 Grand Final against the
Ballina Breakers at the Tamworth
Sports Dome.
Mamer was well supported by
fellow Armidale High School stu-
dent Liam Monaghan who scored
21, but it was the play of the
Sudanese youngster which
turned the match in Armidale’s
favour. Trailing by 19 points early
in the third quarter, the Lions ral-
lied behind the stellar play of
Mamer to come back and take the
lead in the fourth and eventually
win the grand final booking them-
selves a place at the State Cup in
two weeks time, again to be held
in Tamworth.
Monaghan said when Ballina
began the game so strongly the
Lions were unsure whether they
could comeback.
“We were down by 19 just into
the third, then cut that to ten by
the end of the quarter then went
on to get a five point lead,”
Monaghan said.
“At first we really didn’t think
about it (winning), but thanks to
some skill by ‘magic man Dok’ we
were able to come back into it.”
he said.
The miraculous win was made
even more significant by the fact
the Lions had earlier lost to the
Breakers in the major semi-final
on Saturday.
Mamer was forced into taking
personal control of the match by
the performance of Ballina’s
Grant Knight, who had a massive
game scoring 41 points.
The under 18s coach Peter
Monaghan said it was as if Mamer
‘flipped a switch’ and took the
outcome of the game upon him-
self.
“One of their players Grant
Knight was just hitting every-
thing, and they got away a bit on
us and it was just like Dok just
thought, well I’ve got to do some-
thing here and he just took over,”
he said.
“He was not only scoring
including hitting five three point-
ers, but he was rebounding on
both ends and getting steals in
defence, he was just every-
where.”
Monaghan said Mamer’s game
was the best he had seen in
decades of being involved with
the sport locally.
“It’s the best individual per-
formance I’ve ever seen by an
Armidale basketballer and I
have been around basketball
here since 1983,” he said.
Monaghan and Mamer are
sadly too old to be eligible for
under 18s play next year,
Monaghan expressing an
interest in ‘playing in a youth
league somewhere’ and
Mamer showing interest in
attending university once he
finishes year 12.
DDookk ttoo tthhee rreessccuueeMamer scores a massive 65 points to lead Armidale to victory
staff
writer
Josh Paterson
ARMIDALE Public
School student Ashley
Waters is this morning
on a plane to Sydney to
attend a two day train-
ing camp ahead of next
week’s national PSSA
hockey titles in
Melbourne.
Waters, 12, was
selected in the NSW
PSSA girls hockey team
for the week long event
after six stellar perform-
ances in as many match-
es playing for North
West in Wyong last
month.
Ashley, who has been
played squash for five
years will join her team-
mates in Sydney for
Thursday and Friday’s
camp where she will fur-
ther hone her skills
before flying to
Melbourne on Sunday.
For Ashley, the trip
will be a once in a life-
time experience.
“It will be my first
ever time on a plane,”
she said of her flights to
Sydney and
Melbourne.
“It’s also the first
time I’ve left NSW so I’m
very excited to get to
Melbourne and play
well.”
Ashley, who plays half
or back, will play match-
es on Monday and
Tuesday with
Wednesday a rest day
and an opportunity to
do some sightseeing in
Melbourne.
The tournament will
resume on Thursday
and finish Friday.
A merit team will be
named after the tourna-
ment announcing those
who have performed
above average at the
event.
Ashley’s off to Melbourne
sports
editor
Michael Warren
RIGHT: Ashley
Waters will fly to
Sydney today
before heading to
Melbourne to play
for NSW
Dok Mamer seen above against the BellingerValley Braves,
scored a massive 65 points in the Northern Junior League
Division 2 grand final against Ballina on Sunday
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