U18 Nationals: SA Metro put on an offensive clinic

• South Australia Metro had 30 assists from 38 made field goals in their win against QLD North
• NSW Metro and NSW Country will face-off in the quarterfinals
• Jai Fa'ale impressed again with 24 points to lead Vic Metro to a win over QLD South

South Australia Metro taught a lesson in ball movement as they dished out 30 assists on their way to a 26-point win over Queensland North to end their group games in Pool B at Moreton Bay's South Pine Sports Complex.

SA Metro's 30 assists came off 36 made field goals as they sealed third spot in the pool and booked a match-up with Victoria Metro in today's quarterfinals.

South Australia Metro matched Queensland North's 20 points in the first quarter before pulling away with a 22-19 edge in the second to take a 42-39 lead into halftime.

The visitors turned up the intensity after the break, outscoring Queensland 24-15 in the third quarter to extend their advantage to 66-54 and South Australia then delivered a knockout blow with a commanding 32-18 fourth quarter performance that sealed their 26-point victory.

The game turned decisively at the start of the third quarter when South Australia Metro embarked on an eight-point scoring run that Queensland could not answer. Isaac Riddle was exceptional throughout, scoring 22 points, shooting an efficient 8-from-13 from the field, with all of his makes coming from inside the arc. He also grabbed nine rebounds.

Luke Pfitzner added 18 points for South Australia Metro, including three triples from downtown, while Mack Schaftenaar provided outstanding bench production with 20 points on 7-from-12 shooting in just 24 minutes. The balanced scoring attack from South Australia proved too much for Queensland to handle, with five players scoring eight or more points.

South Australia also shot 49 percent of their field goal attempts (36-from-73) compared to Queensland North's 40 percent (25-from-62). The visitors also dominated in the paint, outscoring Queensland 60-40 in that area.

Queensland North struggled with ball security throughout, committing 28 turnovers that South Australia converted into 27 points. Despite a valiant effort from Keenan Williams and Marley Solomona, who each contributed 14 points off the bench.

Queensland North will face Pool A's top dogs in Western Australia Metro in the quarterfinals.

POOL A RESULTS

WA Metro def SA Country 110-80

The momentum keeps rolling for Western Australia Metro who recorded a dominant 30-point win over SA Country to finish top of Pool A and remain undefeated after the group stage.

Six players scored in double figures for WA Metro, led by skipper Andreas Grubisa who had 19 points. They will face Queensland North in the quarterfinals.

Kale Matthews-Hampton had 36 for SA Country, who will feature in the classification games.

NSW Country def Tasmania 82-71

A New South Wales battle looms in the quarterfinals after Country beat Tasmania by 11 points to finish their games in Pool A.

Oliver Keane led the way with 21 points for NSW Country, who will face NSW Metro in the crossovers.

Harry Blyth was the leading scorer for Tasmania with 15 points.

Vic Metro def QLD South 78-65

Tournament standout Jai Fa'ale once again impressed for Victoria Metro after helping his team bounce back from a loss the day before to beat hosts, Queensland South, by 13 points to seal top spot in Pool A.

Fa'ale had 24 points for Vic Metro, who will take on SA Metro in the quarterfinals.

Isaiah Jorgenson had 18 points and 10 rebounds for QLD South.

POOL B RESULTS

WA Country def NT 99-55

Three bench players scored 15 points or more to lead WA Country to a 44-point win over Northern Territory to end their pool games.

Micah Lantzke had 17 points and six rebounds, Cale Buzzard had 16 points and 12 rebounds and Max De San Miguel had 15 points in the victory.

Mitchell Hardy had 22 points while Young had 19 points and six rebounds for NT.

Both teams will only feature in the classifcation games.

Vic Country def ACT 81-47

Victoria Country grabbed some much-needed momentum heading into the quarterfinals after a 34-point win over ACT.

Country shared the scoring in the victory with seven players scoring eight points or more, including William Hamilton who led the scoring with 11 points. They will take on Queensland South in the crossovers.

Zachary Brown had 10 points for ACT.

NSW Metro def NT 128-41

New South Wales Metro will head into their quarterfinal against NSW Country riding a wave of momentum after finishing the pool stages undefeated following an 87-point win over Northern Territory.

Austin Prosser had 23 points and 13 rebounds for NSW Metro.

Aiden Anstess had 20 points and six rebounds for NT.

QUARTERFINAL MATCH-UPS

Victoria Country vs Queensland South

Western Australia Metro vs Queensland North

New South Wales Metro vs New South Wales Country

Victoria Metro vs South Australia Metro

OUR U18 MEN'S NATIONALS COVERAGE

• Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4 Daily Digests
• Michael Houben's key takeaways from day one and day two
• Every player at the U18 Men's National Championships
• A complete guide to the U18 Men's National Championships
• Heat Check: Jai Fa'ale and Sitaya Fagan stand out