Victorious: Metro stars Ryan, Basaran land double gold

• Full Coverage of Junior Australian National Championships
• Every player at the 2026 Under-18 National Championships‍
• Leuluai, Moke lead Vic & QLD into U18 gold medal clash‍
• Blues' Browne sets up golden clash with Vic Metro

Australian junior representatives Madi Ryan and Yahya Basaran led Victoria Metro to a clean sweep of the 2026 Australian Under-18 Men's and Women's National Championships in Queensland today.

Ryan was elite with 27 points and 13 boards as Victoria Metro won the gold medal 69-68 against Queensland South while Basaran delivered an 18-point, 12 rebound double-double in Victoria Metro's dominant 101-78 win against NSW Metro in the men's gold medal clash.

Women's Gold Medal

Victoria Metro 69 def. Queensland South 58

South Pine – Show Court

Game Snapshot

• Quarter Scores: VIC 27–15–7–20 (69) │ QLD STH 22–17–9–10 (58)
• Largest Lead: Victoria Metro +11
• Game Flow: Victoria Metro set the tone early, absorbed a low-scoring third quarter, and closed the game with a controlled fourth.

Star performance leads the way

Madi Ryan delivered a championship performance with 27 points, 13 rebounds, five steals and three blocks, impacting both ends across 34 minutes. She set the tempo early and provided the separation late.

Supporting cast steps up

Victoria Metro’s depth and defensive pressure shaped the result:

• Victoria Leuluai – 11 points on 4-from-6 shooting, 5 rebounds, 4 assists
• Sophie Richardson – 8 points, 5 assists
• Matilda Trout – 6 points, 11 rebounds

Metro forced 25 turnovers and converted them into 17 points, while holding Queensland South to just 10 fourth-quarter points.

Queensland South fights hard

Olivia Olechnowicz led all Queensland South scorers with 26 points on 10-from-18 shooting, carrying the offensive load across 40 minutes.

However, Queensland South struggled for efficiency from the perimeter (4-from-22 3PT) and couldn’t generate enough scoring support late.

By the Numbers

Victoria Metro: FG: 26–79 (32%) │ 3PT: 7–31 (22%) │ FT: 10–12 (83%) │ REB: 49 │ AST: 20 │ TO: 16

Queensland South: FG: 21–62 (33%) │ 3PT: 4–22 (18%) │ FT: 12–15 (80%) │ REB: 47 │ AST: 14 │ TO: 25

Men's Gold Medal

Victoria Metro 101 def. New South Wales Metro 78

April 19, 2026 – Under-18 Men’s Gold Medal Game
South Pine – Show Court

Game Snapshot

• Quarter Scores: VIC 15–33–26–27 (101) │ NSW 13–19–22–24 (78)
• Largest Lead: Victoria Metro +23
• Game Flow: Victoria Metro broke the game open with a dominant second quarter and controlled the tempo the rest of the way.

Star performance leads the way

Victoria Metro’s frontcourt again dictated the result with efficiency and interior scoring. Yahya Basaran was elite with 18 points on 9-from-12 shooting and 12 rebounds, anchoring both ends. Liam Keogh added 16 points and eight rebounds, while captain Chandler Siegle contributed 16 points and seven assists to control the offence.

Supporting cast steps up

Victoria Metro’s depth and balance overwhelmed NSW Metro:

• Josh McCann – 17 points, 4-from-6 from three
• Michael Fitton – 8 points, 8 rebounds
• Vlado Ivkovic – +20 impact in 17 minutes

Metro scored 64 points in the paint and finished at 54% from the field, with 27 bench points.

NSW Metro fights hard

Archie Lucas led NSW Metro with 17 points, including 5-from-6 from three, while Emin Joldic added 13 points and 10 rebounds.

However, NSW Metro struggled to contain Metro’s interior scoring and shot just 39% from the field.

By the Numbers

Victoria Metro – FG: 41–75 (54%) │ 3PT: 9–17 (52%) │ FT: 10–14 (71%) │ REB: 51 │ AST: 21 │ TO: 16

New South Wales Metro – FG: 29–74 (39%) │ 3PT: 11–25 (44%) │ FT: 9–14 (64%) │ REB: 33 │ AST: 21 │ TO: 15

Women's Bronze Medal

Queensland North 68 def NSW Metro 60

Men's Bronze Medal

Victoria Country 94 def. Queensland South 76