Tara Murray
Winning a silver medal at the under-16 girls National Basketball Championship has made Jayda Scarafilo even hungrier to succeed on the court.
The Westmeadows resident just missed out on being selected last season as a bottom under-16 player, but made the most of her second chance.
“I was extremely proud of myself as it showed all my hard work at practice, in the gym off the court paid off,” she said. “I worked extremely hard to be selected and my hard work was rewarded.
“The experience was amazing in fact it was everything plus more, the laughs, the stories that were shared, the friends that were made. It has made me hungrier to get there for under-18s. “Yes, there were days that were tough but with the coaches’ support it allowed me to exceed expectations.”
Scarafilo said she was so proud of her team. They lost the grand final to Queensland South, 83-62 to finish with a silver medal.
“Our team did an incredible job,” she said. “You wouldn’t believe it but we were hit with injuries and health issues throughout the campaign and we faced so many challenges just to get the team to nationals, to walk away with a silver medal around my neck just shows we rose above it. We banded together and got the job done.”
Scarafilo, who plays for Keilor Thunder, tried many sports growing up.
She didn’t always love basketball.
“Originally with basketball I would run up and down the court crying but it was the one sport I always went back to,” she said. “It became a loved hobby of mine very quickly and I was keen to get better.’
While basketball remains her first love, she’s also fallen in love with football. She started playing with Strathmore in the under-16s last season.
“I tagged along with my friend to a training session and loved it,” she said. ”I started off not knowing how to kick the ball or how to bounce it to playing in a winning grand final and taking home the BOG [best on ground] medal.
“They are two different sports in my eyes and they both make me smile. Footy makes me feel free and it allows me to challenge myself but the team spirit is just awesome so different to basketball.
“Basketball has been a huge part of my life and will continue to do so, I love them both and hopefully can be a dual athlete as I get older as it will be too hard to choose.”
Scarafilo said she has so many goals that she still wants to achieve in her sporting career.
“I want to make state teams for both footy and basketball, play NBL1, WNBL or even look at a college pathway.
“So many decisions but just get back to working hard, stay grounded and see where my journey takes me.”
