Rush Players to feature at Australian Junior Championships

Ballarat Rush players Abbey Wehrung and Kasey Burton will represent Victoria in the Under 20 competition at the Australian Junior Championships commencing this weekend in Perth.

The duo will feature alongside WNBL players Funda Nakkasoglu and Lauren Scherf in the 10-strong squad.

Burton will be one of the competition’s youngest players at just 17 years old, but feels confident in playing alongside her Rush teammate Wehrung.
“I know how Abbey plays, she helps everyone, and that makes it a lot easier for me to come into the side,” said Burton.

Burton is no stranger to elite level competition, having represented Australia in open-age competition in Hungary late last year before winning a gold medal at the Oceania Pacific Championships in December.

“We were playing against older players in Hungary so it was tough competition compared to what we’ll be up against in Perth.”
18-year-old Wehrung won a gold medal in the event last year with competition averages of 8.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, and feels fully prepared for her sophomore year.

“It was an amazing experience to win the gold medal last year and I’m really excited about going back to try and get another one,” said Wehrung.

“We had seven bottom-age players in the Victorian team last year and five are continuing on this year so we’re pretty confident.”

Both players agreed that Rush preseason training helped prepare them for the championships.

“We’ve been back on the court for a few months so our fitness is good, and we’ve been training through the heat which will help over in Perth,” said Burton.
Both Burton and Wehrung are excited to step into bigger roles in their second season with the senior Rush team.

The Australian Junior Championships tip off on Sunday February 16 with Victoria taking on New Zealand. Victoria will look to win gold again in the championships game on Saturday February 22.

The Rush play their first home game on Saturday April 5.