Mid Canterbury basketballers Sophie Adams and Ashlee Strawbridge are ready to take on Australia’s best. Photo Jaime Pitt-MacKayTwo Mid Canterbury basketballers are ready to take on the best of Australia next week.

Sophie Adams and Ashlee Strawbridge will be part of the New Zealand U16 team that will be competing at the Australian U16 State Championships, which begins on July 8.

The tournament consists of 14 teams split in to two pools of seven, with teams from all around Australia such as Queensland South and New South Wales Metro taking part.

The pair will first travel to join the New Zealand squad on the fourth, before travelling to Perth and playing a practice game before the tournament starts.

Both said they were excited to be heading away, but that they had not set any goals heading in to the tournament.

“We just want to go to play hard and play well,” said Adams.

“It is hard to say going in to it cause we don’t really know much about the teams we are going up against,” said Strawbridge.

On top of being provided homework from their coaches such as fitness and skill programmes, the pair have travelled to Auckland for seven training camps this year, varying in length from two to four days.

Ashburton College basketball coach Andrew Sheppard said it had been a full-on year for the girls, and that it was great to see their hard work pay off.

“Now we are just looking forward to seeing them go,” he said.

By Jaime Pitt-MacKay © The Ashburton Guardian - 30 June 2017