Championship Men Round 10 is now wrapped up, some teams are trying to break their losing streak, keep their winning streak and ultimately, all teams are trying to make it into our final's series.
Shepparton (86) def Western Port (79)
Tipping off Round 10 saw Shepparton hosting Western Port at home. What started as a strong start for Western Port, going on a scoring run of 9, notably their 3PT % that put them in front by 9. Shepparton came back to bite in the second quarter and the Steelers were unable to control the ball in the front court and ultimately, only scoring 12 for the quarter. A strong second half from both teams resulted in a close game of only 7 points but Shepparton held on, failing to miss inside the arc for the entire 4th. Western Port’s Brotherson had a huge 26pts and 12rbs but it was Thomas, Kooiman and Coke from Shepparton who had 48pts between them to bring them to victory. Shepparton have now won 3 of their last games and will this week, face #1 Wyndham.
Keysborough (96) def Hume City (83)
Also winning at home over the weekend was Keysborough late Saturday night. 2nd vs 5th on the ladder was sure to be a good game but Keysborough started with 6 3s finishing with 29 to end the first quarter. Hume City, keen to come back in the second quarter, leading the scoring by 7 and going on a 6-point run to only have the teams a slim 4 points apart. But 22 points ahead at three quarter time was too much for Hume City to defend as Keysborough was just too strong, shooting at 2PT 75% and 3PP 60%, leading the rebounds and had the ability to apply defensive and offensive pressure all throughout the game. 13 points down at the final siren for Keysborough’s victory, winning 3 of the last 5. Both teams are still strong contenders for finals, Hume hoping to take home the win over Melbourne University this week.
Bellarine (99) vs Pakenham (92)
Bellarine stormed into Pakenham on Saturday night for one hell of a contest. The game was strong from both sides and even at the final siren, the game could have gone either way...putting the game into OT. Pakenham came off strong to start, not until the last minute when Storm’s Kos came in with a layup to put them one-point in front. Scores remained close at each period break, only four apart in Storm’s favour at 2nd and 3 quarter time. The Warriors were 2 points down with 1 second on the clock but the foul from Varley gave McNiff the opportunity for 2 free throws to put them in a draw at the buzzer. A few early scoring shots from Bellarine were enough for them to take home the victory by 7 points. This is a must watch game if you missed it.
Sunbury (93) def Camberwell (79)
Sunbury were happy to take home the win on Saturday night, but that was not without putting up a fight against the Camberwell Dragons who came in hot to win the first period 26-23. Continuing into the second period hot with a straight off 3-pointer, Sunbury ultimately came back with some jump shots to give them the momentum they lacked in the first period. This momentum was enough to keep them in front for the remainder of the game, their Frazer hit a huge 33pts for the game. Despite Dragons Clarke obtaining a huge 14 rebounds, they were not able to turn the ball over to convert into points for a win. Unluckily for Camberwell now only securing 3 wins for the season, they now look to face a tough Keysborough next weekend. Sunbury have now won 6 of 13 games.
Wyndham (116) def Blackburn (104)
Was this almost the biggest upset of the season yet? What would have been Blackburn’s only third win of the season against the top team, was not. Infact, Wyndham did lead the entire game (just). A huge first quarter with 62 points from the teams combined had Wyndham go on a 9-point scoring run to lead by a great 18 points at quarter time. Wyndham’s biggest lead was 29 in the second period, but Blackburn came in, gun’s blazing to only be 8 points down at third quarter time. Wyndham have shown us great skill this season and may just be a championship contender, unfortunate for Blackburn’s best efforts, it was not enough to get them over the line. Viking’s Martin (26pts), Legan (26pts) and Niop (21 points) were a huge influence on the result of the game. Despite the loss, we don’t doubt that there were many lessons Blackburn learnt to take to their next win.
McKinnon (112) def Pakenham (67)
Mckinnon safely took home the win on Sunday afternoon against Pakenham, winning by a huge 45 points. Cougar’s Wooten had an outstanding 32 points and 7 rebounds to assist in the team’s victory. Mckinnon has won 3 of the last 5 and currently has the highest points against in the comp –1333 PF. Both these sides are contenders for August so it can only be explained that Mckinnon’s pressure and offense were just too strong for the Warriors. Pakenham can still slide into our final's series, their Raymond had 3 steals and Davis had 16 points. They are facing Hume next which is sure to be a good game, both teams sitting marginally the same and both in the race for a finals spot.
Melbourne University (104) def Sunbury (83)
Melbourne Uni is slowly making their way into the top 5, especially if they keep this up. They have now won 3 of their last 5 games. The first quarter was close, the Jets were only down by 2. Yet, the strong start from the Jets was not enough to keep Melbourne contained, finishing with a 21-point victory. Sunbury, coming off a win on Saturday night did not have enough momentum to keep them going into the rest of the weekend. Jet’s Wragg led the defensive rebounds for the match (8), but Melbourne ultimately led the steals and blocks for the game, providing the pressure to keep Sunbury under wraps. Pomasan had 23pts, 5rebs and 5asts for the game, they are now set to face 5th placed Hume City this weekend.
Photo credits: @torchchavez
