The 2008 Australian Club Championships (ACC) brought together the best men's and women's

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

teams from the

Waratah League NBL1 East, formerly the Waratah League, is a semi-professional basketball league in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an intern ...

South East Australian Basketball League The South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) was a semi-professional basketball league in Australia comprising both a men's and women's competition. The SEABL began in 1981 and operated for 38 seasons until it was disbanded in 2018. The ...

(SEABL), Queensland Australian Basketball League (QABL), Central Australian Basketball League (CABL) and

Big V The Big V is a semi-professional basketball league in Victoria, Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. History The Big V Conference was established in 2000 and joined the Australian Basketball Association (ABA). The ABA ...

competitions for their shot at national glory, with the event held at the

Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre is an international sporting venue located in Albert Park, Victoria, Albert Park, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The centre was opened on 24 July 1997 at a construction cost of A$65 million. The ...

. By the tournament's conclusion, the Rockhampton Rockets were crowned as the best male basketball club in Australia while the Townsville Flames were crowned women's champions for the second year in succession. The tournament was the final ACC National Finals after the

Australian Basketball Association The Australian Basketball Association (ABA) was a semi-professional basketball competition in Australia. The competition had five leagues under its banner during the 2000s operating as conferences: South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL ...

(ABA) was disbanded following the 2008 season.

Tournament overview

The 2008 ACC quarter-finals began on 16 August when the two SEABL men's conference champions, the

Hobart Chargers Hobart Chargers is a NBL1 South club based in Hobart, Tasmania. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 South. The Chargers play their home games at the Hobart Netball and Sports Centre and Pembroke Park's South East Stadium. Cl ...

(South) and the

Knox Raiders Knox Raiders is a NBL1 South club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 South. The club is a division of Knox Basketball Incorporated (KBI), the major administrative basketball organisation in the ...

(East), faced off for the overall SEABL championship and a spot in the ACC semi-finals. The remaining 14 teams (eight women's and six men's) then faced off against each other on 23 August to determine who would be heading to the

on 30 August for the semi-finals. The Rockhampton Rockets booked their place in the men's decider after a thrilling 100–93 victory over the

Sandringham Sabres Sandringham Sabres is a NBL1 South club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 South. The club is a division of Southern Basketball Association (SBA), the major administrative basketball organisatio ...

in the semi-final, while the Chargers defeated the

Melbourne Tigers Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Joh ...

128–126 in overtime in the other semi-final. In the men's Grand Final, the Rockets defeated the Chargers in a cliff hanger, 103–99, with grand final MVP Ryan McDade finishing with 24 points and 19 rebounds. In the women's Grand Final, the Townsville Flames made it double celebrations for Queensland teams, clinching back-to-back national women's championships. The Flames, who edged out the

Kilsyth Cobras Kilsyth Cobras is a NBL1 South club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 South. The club is a division of Kilsyth and Mountain District Basketball Association Inc. (K&MDBA), the major administrat ...

77–71 in their semi, overpowered the Sydney Comets 73–57 in the decider. A Flames win looked on the cards at halftime when they led 38–26, but Sydney responded with a 22–10 third-quarter run to level the scores before Townsville went on a devastating 25–9 run spearheaded by MVP Cherie Smith to seal the Championship. The win marked the second year in a row that Queensland's champions completed a men's and women's ACC double.

Participants

To qualify for the event, teams had to be crowned Champion of their respective Leagues. There were also a number of wildcard entries.

Tournament overview

Participants

League champions

Wildcards

Results

Quarter-finals – men

Quarter-finals – women

Semi-finals – men

Semi-finals – women

Grand Finals

All-Star Five

Men

Women

See also

References

External links