U18 Nationals: Byrne's double-double leads Vic Country

• Lucas Byrne put in the performance of day two with 30 points and 10 rebounds for Vic Country
• NSW Metro and Vic Metro remain undefeated after two days
• QLD South went down to NSW Country

Lucas Byrne produced the biggest double-double of the National Championships so far to lead Victoria Country to a hard-fought 84-78 win over South Australia Metro in a crucial Pool B clash at the South Pine Sports Complex.

Byrne had 30 points and 10 rebounds as Victoria Country fought off several comebacks from the South Australians to put them in the box seat for second spot in their pool.

The first half saw both teams trading baskets, with scores level at 44-all at halftime. South Australia Metro started strongly, taking a six-point lead in the second quarter, but Victoria Country responded with a nine-point scoring run to regain control.

The third quarter proved decisive as Victoria Country outscored South Australia Metro 27-18, building a 10-point advantage heading into the final period. Byrne was exceptional during this stretch, dominating the paint as Victoria extended their lead to 71-62.

Despite a spirited comeback attempt from South Australia Metro in the fourth quarter, where they narrowed the gap to just four points with three minutes remaining, Victoria Country maintained their composure to secure the victory.

Byrne was outstanding for Victoria Country, shooting an efficient 13-from-16 from the field while also controlling the glass and helping the Vics earn several second-chance opportunities.

For South Australia Metro, Isaac Riddle put forth a valiant effort with 25 points on 10-from-15 shooting, including a perfect five-from-five from the free-throw line. Koby Moir added 20 points and eight rebounds while dishing out four assists, but their contributions weren't enough to overcome Victoria's balanced attack.

Victoria Country's superior rebounding proved to be the difference, as they collected 49 boards compared to South Australia Metro's 40. This advantage translated to 16 second-chance points for Victoria against just nine for South Australia.

Both teams struggled from three-point range, with Victoria shooting 26 percent (4-from-15) and South Australia hitting just 15 percent (3-from-19).

POOL A RESULTS

Vic Metro def SA Country 103-82

Victoria Metro continued their undefeated start to their gold medal defence, this time beating South Australia Country by 21 points to earn their second consecutive victory.

SA Country were looking to bounce back after a day one loss to Queensland South but Victoria Metro proved too strong with five players scoring in double figures, led by Jai Fa'ale with 15 points.

Kale Matthews-Hampton had 23 points for SA Country.

WA Metro def Tasmania 105-55

The high-flying athleticism of WA Metro was on full display as they put on a fast-paced clinic in the first half on their way to a dominant 50-point win over Tasmania.

WA forced Tasmania into an up-tempo battle that they couldn't keep up with as six people scored in double figures for the victors. Alexander Edwards and John Aryang led the scoring with 17 points each.

Mason Ling had 19 points for Tasmania.

NSW Country def QLD South 82-76

A 24-13 final quarter has helped New South Wales Country earn a crucial six-point win over the hosts, Queensland South.

Both teams went basket for basket almost the entire game before Country broke away late in the final quarter. Aki Langford was a standout for New South Wales Country with 20 points and 11 rebounds while Jayden Tawake had 19 points and 13 rebounds.

Isaiah Jorgenson had 21 points and 11 rebounds for Queensland South.

POOL B RESULTS

WA Country def ACT 82-57

Four of Western Australia Country's starting five reached double figures in scoring as they demolished ACT by 25 points to start day two of the tournament.

Billy Mcrae led the scoring for WA Country with 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while Gavin Deacon had 16 points.

Bul Dhieu had 15 points and seven rebounds for ACT.

QLD North def NT 122-48

Queensland North got their tournament back on track with a 74-point win over Northern Territory to bounce back from a close loss to Victoria Country late on day one.

Taj Goodwin had 21 points for Queensland North and Gus Loughnan had 20 points and nine rebounds.

Liam Glencross had 17 points for Northern Territory.

NSW Metro def WA Country 96-61

A 52-27 first half has shown why New South Wales Metro are gold medal contenders after smashing Western Australia Country 96-61 on day two.

Four players hit double figures in scoring for NSW, led by Antonio Browne with 19 points while Jamaal Osikoya had 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Billy Mcrae had 14 points for Western Australia.