17
Apr
U18 Nationals
Byrne, Paul lead MVP race toward golden clash
Australian teammates Luke Paul (right) and Lucas Byrne (left) are locked in a battle for the 2026 Australian Under-18 Men's National Championship in Queensland this week. Photo: FIBA.com
Luke Paul and Lucas Byrne lead WA Metro and VIC Country toward potential U18 final showdown.
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Western Australia Metro’s NBL Next Star Luke Paul and Victoria Country’s Lucas Byrne remain on a potential collision course for the Australian Under-18 Men’s Championship, but the path is no longer straightforward.
Byrne has led Victoria Country to a perfect 6–0 record and the No.1 seed in Pool B, while Paul has guided WA Metro to 5–1 and second place.
Victoria Country holds the head-to-head edge after a 94–85 win on April 13, but WA Metro now faces a tougher finals run, likely needing to get past Pool A winner Victoria Metro to set up a potential gold medal rematch.
Under-18 Men's Seeds:
Pool A
- Victoria Metro
- New South Wales Metro
- Queensland South
- Western Australia Country
Pool B
- Victoria Country
- Western Australia Metro
- South Australia Metro
- New South Wales Country
April 17, 2026 – Quarter-Finals
QF2 – 3PM
Victoria Country (1B) vs Western Australia Country (4A)
QF3 – 3PM
New South Wales Metro (2A) vs South Australia Metro (3B)
QF1 – 7PM
Victoria Metro (1A) vs New South Wales Country (4B)
QF4 – 7PM
Western Australia Metro (2B) vs Queensland South (3A)
Under-18 Men — Pool A Results
April 12, 2026
- Victoria Metro 92 def. Tasmania 51
- New South Wales Metro 92 def. South Australia Country 62
- Queensland South 106 def. Western Australia Country 74
April 13, 2026
- Queensland South 85 def. Victoria Metro 79
- New South Wales Metro 107 def. Tasmania 59
- Western Australia Country 98 def. South Australia Country 65
April 14, 2026
- Queensland South 93 def. Tasmania 66
- Victoria Metro 100 def. South Australia Country 55
- New South Wales Metro 91 def. Western Australia Country 65
April 15, 2026
- Queensland South 100 def. South Australia Country 52
- Victoria Metro 99 def. New South Wales Metro 78
- Western Australia Country 89 def. Tasmania 62
April 16, 2026
- New South Wales Metro 105 def. Queensland South 86
- Victoria Metro 89 def. Western Australia Country 67
Under-18 Men — Pool B Results
April 12, 2026
- Western Australia Metro 97 def. South Australia Metro 88
- Victoria Country 94 def. Queensland North 78
- New South Wales Country 72 def. Australian Capital Territory 70
- Western Australia Metro 109 def. New South Wales Country 85
- Victoria Country 109 def. Northern Territory 47
April 13, 2026
- Queensland North 78 def. Australian Capital Territory 62
- Victoria Country 94 def. Western Australia Metro 85
- New South Wales Country 88 def. Northern Territory 48
- South Australia Metro 102 def. Queensland North 71
April 14, 2026
- Australian Capital Territory 108 def. Northern Territory 65
- South Australia Metro 85 def. New South Wales Country 59
- Western Australia Metro 97 def. Queensland North 71
- Victoria Country 93 def. Australian Capital Territory 49
April 15, 2026
- Victoria Country 100 def. South Australia Metro 81
- Western Australia Metro 112 def. Northern Territory 50
- New South Wales Country 69 def. Queensland North 67
- South Australia Metro 101 def. Australian Capital Territory 64
April 16, 2026
- Queensland North 89 def. Northern Territory 78
- Victoria Country 81 def. New South Wales Country 65
- Western Australia Metro 90 def. Australian Capital Territory 61
- South Australia Metro 107 def. Northern Territory 51
Classification / Cross-Pool
- Tasmania 54 def. South Australia Country 51 (3PM)
UNDER-18 MEN — FINALS FIXTURES
Friday, April 17 — Quarter-Finals
- 3PM — QF2: 1st Pool B vs 4th Pool A
- 3PM — QF3: 2nd Pool A vs 3rd Pool B
- 7PM — QF1: 1st Pool A vs 4th Pool B
- 7PM — QF4: 2nd Pool B vs 3rd Pool A
Saturday, April 18 — Semi-Finals
- 3PM — SF1: Winner QF1 vs Winner QF4
- 5PM — SF2: Winner QF2 vs Winner QF3
Sunday, April 19 — Finals Day
- 12PM — 🥉 Bronze Medal Game
- 2PM — 🥇 Gold Medal Game
Classification (Men)
- 7th–13th place games run across all three days
- Includes:
- Play-Off 5/6 (Sunday 8AM)
- Play-Off 7/8 (Saturday 7PM)
- Play-Off 9/10 (Saturday 11AM)
- Play-Off 11 (Saturday 11AM)
- Play-Off 12/13 (Saturday 7PM)
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