By Ewen McRae
Melton basketballers Ella Macleod and Mackenzie Reddrop have always dreamed of playing on a big stage – and next month they will get their chance.
The pair will take part in the Under-14 National Club Championships in Ballarat in September after their Melbourne Tigers side won through to the prestigious tournament.
For Ella, 13, it’s been a long road to get to this point.
“I’ve been playing since I was about five, just mucking around on the courts in Melton and then decided to join a team,” she said.
“We both eventually moved to the Melbourne Tigers to challenge ourselves a bit. We both want to make something like the WNBL or the WNBA and hopefully achieve a lot in the sport.”
Ella regularly plays in the centre position, while Mackenzie is a star guard, winning the MVP award at a recent junior competition.
They are joining their team in fundraising to send them and their support staff to Ballarat.
“We need to raise about $2000 each, so as a team that’s quite a bit,” Ella said.
The championships will be held in Ballarat from September 30 to October 5.
The team has set up a GoFundMe page to help its fundraising efforts: bit.ly/2ZwehIw
