6 May
Author- Justin Schwarze
Collingwood got the bragging rights over Mildura in both codes in a round 6 double-header at Collingwood College on Saturday night.
It started with the Collingwood Division One Women finally getting the monkey off their back, posting their maiden win in season 2025 by overpowering the visitors 87-69. Sofia Ruscitti did a lot of the heavy lifting offensively early, finding the bottom of the net multiple times in the first. Draining 3 triples from beyond the arc, Ruscitti was everywhere for the All Stars. At the other end, Ava Zadow got to work down low, finishing through contact twice to steady the Heat. A buzzer-beating corner triple from Alice Siale put Mildura ahead at quarter time, 21-22.
In the second, Ruscitti picked up right where she left off, splashing two treys to get the game back on Collingwood’s terms. However, good shooting and clever offence saw the Heat take a 38-45 scoreboard lead into halftime.
Straight out of the halftime break, a sensational All Stars half-court set ended with a Rhiannon Yetsenga layup. The hosts slowly chipped at the deficit until a Brandy Santon driving runner gave Collingwood the lead. The All Stars offence got flowing through a variety of contributors, guiding Collingwood to a 62-55 margin at three quarter time.
Yetsenga started to dominate in the last, first connecting on a three ball before converting on a floater that showed excellent touch. Then, she put in another floater and followed that by rattling in a long jumper. It was all part of an offensive avalanche that saw the All Stars firmly take control of the match and not look back.
“It was ball pressure in the end. We played better “D” and fought,” Collingwood head coach Alan McKinnon said of the second half.
“Rhi, who’s just joined us this week, brings a bit of experience and the other girls can learn from her, so it’s been really good. Having her down there made a big difference and she was a focal point.”
Getting the result meant a lot to the young side, as the progression of the talented lineup shone through.
“To see that system work and see what they’re capable of was really good. To get a win on the board is always what you want out of what you’re trying to achieve. Hopefully they now believe in themselves more and our basketball is all about confidence,” McKinnon said.
After being down seven at halftime, Collingwood rallied to outscore Mildura 49-24 in the second half.
The resilience shown and belief were impressive standouts for McKinnon’s squad.
“We knew we were always in it if we could continue keeping it close and keep chipping away at it,” he said.
“The biggest takeaways were finally having our big into the lineup, but also gaining a heap of experience from this game.”
In the second leg of the night, a true captain’s performance and offensive masterclass from Jacob Daniels led Collingwood past the Heat in the Division Two Men matchup. Daniels erupted for 42 points and six rebounds on 13/24 shooting to uplift the All Stars against a valiant Mildura outfield. Entering the clash, Mildura had struggled through the opening passage of the season, winning just one of its first four games while Collingwood sat third with a record of 3-2.
Dallas Brown got the Heat going in front of the opposing fans, intercepting an errant opposition pass and finishing at the other end. Nikhil Peters cashed out on a three after getting loose off a screen. From there, in a stark contrast of gamestyles, the Heat worked exclusively on the interior early, while the All Stars rained triples and sourced their offence from the perimeter.
In what was a glimpse of what was to come, Daniels canned a triple with a hand in his face while sprinting off-ball. He wasn’t done there, connecting on another deep ball just two possessions later, forcing Mildura head coach Sammy Gazzo to raise an eyebrow.
Collingwood got cooking to close the opening frame, when a beautifully orchestrated pick-and-roll saw Nick Korakas feed Chen Xiang for a layup via a textbook pocket pass. To end the term, Jalen Barker caught the Heat defence napping when he followed his own missed three and put it back at the buzzer to give the hosts a 30-18 advantage at the first break.
The second was all Collingwood through a barrage of triples from Daniels. His off-ball movement was unguardable and proved to be a headache for the visitors, as he found space to drill another three off a dribble hand-off. At that point, he was unconscious and couldn’t miss, nailing six triples in the quarter in a variety of ways, off the dribble, off screens and even one from way downtown as the shot clock expired. At halftime, the All Stars had a 58-39 lead and Daniels went back to the locker room with 25 points on 8/11 shooting from beyond the arc.
Mildura tried to set the tone out of the break and began trimming the lead, starting with a Brown triple. After a few more unanswered buckets, Brown then broke free for another trey and converted, slicing the lead to eight and forcing a quick timeout from Dylan Theis. From there, Collingwood found its composure and settled through Daniels’ ninth three. Korakas ended the period on a massive note, knocking down a three before drilling a half-court prayer that was answered at the buzzer. The home crowd was well and truly ignited, and the shot gave the All Stars a 80-66 buffer at the final intermission.
In the fourth, Collingwood was able to withstand multiple punches thrown by Mildura to grind out a 106-98 victory. Daniels ended on fire from deep, finishing 9/15 from downtown. Tarryn Shaddock had a monster fourth quarter and recorded 34 points and six rebounds off the bench in defeat for the visitors.
The win solidified the All Stars in third, while the Heat bounced back in a big way on Sunday, routing Wallan 104-55 at RB Robson Stadium.
