Championship Men
Wyndham Basketball vs Sunbury Jets
Game 1 – Sunday 21st August – 1.00PM Eagle Stadium
The Grand Final Series is finally here, and what better spectacle than to see the two best teams all year battle it out. These two teams have been the front runners of the competition with high-scoring offence, sharpshooting and tough defence, everything that Big V Basketball is all about.
Sunbury will come into this one as marginal favourite after leading the season series 2 wins to Wyndham’s 1, one of those coming off the back of a Jeremy Wragg buzzer beater, the other being most recently in round 15. Star Sunbury import Ish Sanders has been instrumental every time these teams have faced off, averaging a whopping 29 points per game against Wyndham. Sunbury big men Trevon Clayton and Gerald Blackshear have both improved every time they have faced Wyndham, with Clayton having a monster 23 points to go with his 19 rebounds when these teams played in round 15. Whilst Blackshear was contained well by Wyndham in the first two battles, he had a strong outing most recently, dominating the paint with 18 points and 6 rebounds. What adjustments will Wyndham make to curve their influence on the interior?
We know Wyndham have some significant fire power and enjoy playing a fast tempo game to aide their dribble drive based offensive system. Maurice Howard had enjoyed playing against the Jets this season with the star guard averaging 27 points to with just over 6 rebounds and almost 3 assists per game. The battle between Howard and Sanders is going to be a mouth-watering match-up as two of our very best Big V stars face off. Keenan Gorksi will certainly be one to watch off the bench as he spaces the floor perfectly for Wyndham to open up the lanes for the likes of Manel Ayol and Kavione Green to get into and cause trouble.
Be sure to head out to Eagle Stadium to see the battle of the best this Sunday!
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Statistical Leaders |
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Wyndham |
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Sunbury |
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Maurice Howard |
25.13 |
Points Per Game |
Ishmael Sanders |
26.08 |
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Kavione Green |
9.67 |
Rebounds Per Game |
Trevon Clayton |
11.86 |
|
Maurice Howard |
3.63 |
Assists Per Game |
Nathan Marshall |
4.58 |
Championship Women
Bulleen Boomers vs Wyndham Basketball
Game 1 – Saturday 20th August – 7.00PM East Doncaster Secondary College
It’s the Grand Final that everybody was wanting, 1st place Wyndham against 2nd placed Bulleen. This match-up is sure to be an exciting one, Bulleen did it the easier way by finishing their series against Sunbury in 2 games whereas Wyndham were pushed to 3 games by a strong McKinnon side. It’ll be interesting to see whether the extra game has left some tired legs at the backend of the season for Wyndham.
Wyndham have taken the season series against Bulleen 2-1 after dropping the first time they faced off in round 2. The X-Factor for Wyndham is young star Dyani Ananiev, with averages of 27 points, 9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and an amazing 4.5 steals a game when against the Boomers. What will Bulleen do to slow Ananiev down? Amanda Paschal is also coming off an enormous weekend as she guided her team to the series win against McKinnon, last time they played Bulleen she was inspirational for her team with 22 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals – expect her to be force again this weekend.
Bulleen were incredibly impressive against Sunbury over the last two weekends with veterans Louella Tomlinson and Olivia Bontempelli leading their Boomers to victory in both games. These two have been enormous in the three times they have gone against Wyndham this season as well with Tomlinson having averages of 13.6 points, 8.6 rebounds 5 assists and 3.3 blocks per game whilst Bontempelli has averaged 19.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2 assists and just over 2 steals a game against Wyndham this season. They’re going to need a 3rd cog to step up in this series to give them every chance of winning it.
East Doncaster Secondary College will be packed with excitement for this battle on Saturday night – don’t miss out!
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Statistical Leaders |
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Bulleen |
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Wyndham |
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Olivia Bontempelli |
17.29 |
Points Per Game |
Dyani Ananiev |
20 |
|
Louella Tomlinson |
9.85 |
Rebounds Per Game |
Lyndsey Hoogenhout |
8.86 |
|
Louella Tomlinson |
4.55 |
Assists Per Game |
Amanda Paschal |
5.38 |
Division One Men
Keysborough Cougars vs Shepparton Gators
Game 2 - Saturday 20th August 8.00PM Rowville Secondary College
Game 3 (if required) – Sunday 21st August 3.00PM Rowville Secondary College
Last week saw the Keysborough Cougars head north to play Shepparton in front of a full house at Shepparton Sports Centre. It was an incredibly close, high-scoring first quarter with the Gators taking a narrow two-point margin into the first break. Unfortunately for the Cougars, the Gators then turned up the pressure and dominated the second quarter before cruising to a comfortable 26-point win.
For the Gators, they were able to share the minutes around and have 6 players score in double figures. Young star Jordan Michel ultimately being the star on the night, scoring 14 points to go with 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. It was also their sharp-shooting that helped contribute to the big win, shooting an amazing 43% from the 3-point line. Unfortunately for Keysborough, they had trouble adjusting with life with no Gerrard Newby who was injured. It was veteran leader, Ben Morwood who stood tall for the visiting team with 15 points and 13 rebounds, unfortunately he did not have enough support around him.
Will Keysborough be able to slow down the high-powered Shepparton offence? Will Shepparton be able to produce the same result without their hometown crowd? Head to Rowville to find out!
Keysborough Coach, Nathan Vogt had this to say:
‘Without a doubt we were disappointed with last week’s game. Obviously losing Gerrard Newby to injury has changed the way we need to approach this series and unfortunately, we were unable to close some of those gaps created from his loss in game 1. I thought Angus Howey was great inside early and was a tough match up for Shepparton, hopefully he is able to keep up that form and get it going again this weekend.
Shepparton are a great side and will be up and about. I guess feel it is theirs to lose. They are well drilled and shot the ball at a great percentage from the 3 last week so that’s one area we will need to improve defensively. We are certainly looking forward to playing on our home court in front out our supporters who have been great all year.’
Shepparton Coach, Josh Waight had this to say:
'It was a solid 4 quarter performance for us last weekend, we were really able to lock in on the defensive end and able to get runs of stops which is something we know we will need to do again against a quality Keysborough outfit. Jordan Michel and Nick Dodd had a fantastic game on the weekend hitting some big shots at crucial times and then being really solid on the defensive end especially on the boards, hopefully they can produce the same this weekend. We expect Keysborough to come out firing and expect them to throw everything at us. They are a quality side who have lots of match winners across the board and have a variety of players that can score in multiple ways so we will need to be aware of where they are on the floor at all times. We are really looking forward to another great challenge against Keysborough on their home court and the challenges that will bring to our group.’
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Game 1 Leaders |
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Keysborough |
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Shepparton |
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Ben Morwood |
15 |
Points |
Michel, Dodd |
14 |
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Ben Morwood |
13 |
Rebounds |
Jordan Michel |
10 |
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Ben Morwood |
3 |
Assists |
Jefferson, Wilkie |
4 |
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Sliwinski, Patolo |
+3 |
Best +/- |
Nick Dodd |
+27 |
Melbourne University Black Angels vs Bellarine Storm
Game 2 - Saturday 20th August 7.00PM Melbourne University Sports Centre
Game 3 (if required) – Sunday 21st August 1.00PM Melbourne University Sports Centre
These guys put on a show down in Bellarine last week! Whilst Bellarine took control some control during the second quarter with some sharpshooting, it was neck and neck during every other part in the game, including a fourth quarter push from the visiting Melbourne Uni side.
Bellarine had several contributors offensively, led by veteran Jason Reardon with 23 points, including 7 from 12 3-point shots. It was athletic big man, Rohan Jarvie who had his fingerprints all over this game with 18 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks whilst Varley contributed with 5 assists and 4 steals whilst having a rare inefficient scoring game. Melbourne University will want to sharpen up defensively to ensure they hunt two wins at home this weekend, they know they will generally put up a winning score but getting the job done defensively will decide this series. Nijon Kirkman was instrumental with his deadeye off the bench, shooting 6 of 8 from deep, whilst Joel Rimes and Joe Furphy contributed their usual numbers.
Can Melbourne University slow down Bellarine from the 3-point line? With two experienced teams going at it, who is going to be the X-factor in Game 2 and 3? Get down to Melbourne University this week to see if the Black Angels can make the push towards a Grand Final birth!
Melbourne University Coach, Shawn King had this to say:
'It wasn't the start that we were looking for but credit to Bellarine, they dominated us on O and D and their game plan was perfect. Jason Reardon showed us why he is so dangerous going 7-12 from the 3pt line. The good thing is we have a chance to redeem ourselves this weekend. We will have to be much better on O and D and make sure that we are locked in for the full 40 minutes because if we are not, this series will be over in 2 games.’
Bellarine Coach, Luke Beauglehall had this to say:
“Game 1 would've been a great game to watch, both teams had runs and there was some really good basketball played. We were happy without game on the weekend, we executed fairly well on both ends of the floor. Some early foul trouble set us back a bit but the guys did a great job sticking to the plan. Our bigs did a job locking down the inside, we've got guys finding form at the right time of the year and the young guys are working hard on the defensive end which puts us in a good place to get wins. Melbourne Uni is a good team and their season results show that but we feel we match up fairly well with them, the big fella Joe Furphy has had a great season and is really tough to stop in the post when he gets going, especially on the offensive glass, so we'll have to keep working on him. Their guard contingent work hard off the ball so you chase and bounce off screens and try to slow them down as best you can. Really looking forward to game 2.”
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Game 1 Leaders |
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Melbourne University |
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Bellarine |
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Nijon Kirkman |
22 |
Points |
Jason Reardon |
23 |
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Joe Furphy |
13 |
Rebounds |
Rohan Jarvie |
14 |
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Xavier Evans |
5 |
Assists |
Lewis Varley |
5 |
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Nijon Kirkman |
+11 |
Best +/- |
Rohan Jarvie |
+9 |
Division One Women
Sherbrooke Suns vs Western Port Steelers
Saturday 20th August – 6.00pm Bell Real Estate Stadium (Upwey High School)
Things didn’t quite go to plan for the Sherbrooke Suns last week as they hosted the Warrnambool Mermaids last week. Sherbrooke will come into this game feeling comfortable that they have won both times these teams have faced off this year, however, this time Western Port are coming in full of confidence after two very impressive wins against Mildura and then 2nd placed Camberwell to get to this point.
Western Port’s Rachel Winters has taken her game to a whole new level in this final’s series, doing it on both ends and leading the Steelers to impressive wins. Against Camberwell on Sunday, she absolutely stuffed the stat sheet as she recorded 18 points, 14 rebounds, 6 rebounds and 3 steals, which including a huge 4th quarter as she willed her side to victory. We full expect her to the same this weekend against the Suns.
Sherbrooke will be needing to shoot the ball better across the board, with their shooting percentages letting them down against the Mermaids last weekend. Whilst star guard Ariel Hearn was up to her usual tricks with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists, they’re going to need more assistance ticking to scoreboard over against Western Port. As expected, Alicia Carline dominated the glass with 18 rebounds but she will be hoping to convert those 6 offensive boards into points for her team this week.
The clash between Hearn and Winters will be worth the price of admission alone in this one. Trek up the mountain to make sure you don’t miss this clash!
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Statistical Leaders |
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Sherbrooke |
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Western Port |
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Ariel Hearn |
26 |
Points Per Game |
Samantha Keltos |
16.28 |
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Alicia Carline |
14.88 |
Rebounds Per Game |
Samantha Keltos |
10.83 |
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Ariel Hearn |
3.93 |
Assists Per Game |
Rachel Winters |
3.06 |
Division Two Men
Gippsland United vs Wallan
Game 2: Saturday 20th August 7:00pm at Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Centre
Game 3 (If needed): Sunday 21st August 1:00pm at Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Centre
Game 1 of the Wallan vs Gippsland United series proved very competitive, with both teams coming out hot with a 25 to 29 1st quarter, United only just ahead. This was head to head for most of the way as United gained only 1 point leading into 3 quarter time going up 5. Brandon Armstrong was doing all he could to get his United uniform moving forward and managed to do so in the third as they ran away with it scoring 34 points to the Panthers 18. Armstrong finished with 29 points to go along with 6 rebounds and 8 assists as the player of the game. Here’s what the coaches had to say after game 1.
Gippsland Coach, Scott McKenzie had this to say:
Game 1 of the Semi-Finals was a very pleasing result for the Gippsland United Men considering the 2.5hr drive through hailstorms and busy traffic before the game even started. Our guys began with confidence at both ends, knowing Wallan would be on a high from defeating Sherbrooke the week before. It was high scoring and a real arm wrestle right up until the last 5 minutes when we managed to get on top and control the remainder of the game. With nothing to lose we expect Wallan to come out firing this weekend. They have incredible depth in their squad, and we have the utmost respect for the way they play a great team game, so there will be no turning off until the final buzzer.
Wallan Coach, Tim Annett had this to say:
While it was a disappointing last 5 minutes of the game for us on the weekend, we feel like for 3 and a half quarters it was an even match that could have gone either way. Brandon Armstrong will be one we need to keep an eye on looking forward to the 2 games this weekend, and if we can curb his influence, I’m sure we can take this series the distance.
Pakenham vs Altona
Game 2: Saturday 20th August 8:00pm at Cardinia Life
Game 3 (If needed): Sunday 21st August 1:00pm at Cardinia Life
In what was always going to be a great hit out, Altona and Pakenham put on a show over the weekend. In what was a roller coaster of a game, it was Pakenham who took down the Gators at their home by a slim 10-point margin. After coming out strong, scoring and finishing plays, the Gators lost their touch in the second half and Pakenham capitalized. By pressuring and causing broken down sets, the Warriors were able to find rhythm and keep the Gators to only 11 points in the 4th quarter. Joe Davis and Josh Dow scored over half of Pakenham’s points combined with 22 a piece as our highest scorers for the game. Here is what both coaches had to say after game 1 of the series.
Altona Coach, Jordan Lino had this to say:
Game one was a tale of two halves for our boys. In the first, we moved the ball well, rebounded hard, and were able to contain key players from the opposition and limit their impact on the game. However, in the second, we were sloppy on offence, allowed a lot of second chance points and gave away simple baskets, ultimately resulting in a 10-point loss. Our 22 turnovers also proved to be costly, considering Pakenham were able to keep theirs only to 10.
Fortunately, we have a week to prepare for a comeback, which will be incredibly difficult in front of Pakenham’s home crowd, but we go into this game with a lot of confidence knowing how well we can compete, especially judging off our first half in game 1. If we can replicate our first quarter efforts over the span of both games, then I think we’re all in for a wild weekend of BigV basketball.
Pakenham Coach, Rob Roberts had this to say:
Game 1 was a bit up and down for us. Altona shot at such a high clip in the first quarter and they we’re getting behind our defence with ease in the first half. We hadn’t beaten them in regular season, so going in as the underdogs was also putting some extra pressure on us. They are a tough outfit who play a very physical game and we have a lot of respect for how Burton and Rocker go about it and knew again they would be tough. Lucky for us our defence stepped up to what we knew it could be in the 2nd half and repeated stops allowed us to get back in it. We expect them to come out physical again, we will play our game and make some adjustments, but we know this will go down to the wire. Two of the best teams this year going at it in a Semi, exactly what people want to see.
Division Two Women
Altona vs RMIT
Sunday 21st August 1:00pm at Altona Sports Centre
A massive Preliminary final coming our way this weekend with the Altona Gators hosting the RMIT Redbacks at the Altona Sports Centre. Altona couldn’t quite get it done against the regular season champion Mornington Breakers, falling by just 7 points. On the other side we saw RMIT go out big cruising to a 26 point win over Gippsland United.
It was a low scoring hit out in the Saturday night with the Breakers and Gators struggling to get the ball rolling. Reaching the half with only 20 points, it seemed their 22 turnovers hurt them too much, attempting just 53 shots for the game. Sharna Appleby continued her consistent season finishing with 15 points shooting 3 from 4 from the land of plenty yet struggle to get her teammates going. This was merely a bump in the road for the Gators as we all know what they’re capable off. Winning the rebound count and shooting an efficient 36% from 3pt land, there is plenty of positives to take away from this game, something coach Joel O’Connor will be ensuring his group of. Altona are 3-0 against RMIT this year so this should be giving the group some confidence coming into this 4th match up. Will they be able to make it 4-0 and progress through and get another chance at the regular season champs?
There was very little the Redbacks could do wrong on Saturday night, scoring a whopping 90 points, 30 of which in the first quarter. Shooting a very efficient 41% from the field and pouring in 10 3s from the arc, coach Tristian Angeles would be very content with his group’s performance. Samantha Labros has continued to shock the BigV competition scoring 28 points in 35 minutes of action to go along with 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Lauren McInnes, Jasmine Host and Shanara Nanai-Leifi all reached double figures to show how much scoring power this Redbacks unit has. Losing the last quarter by only 1 point, the small roster of 7 girls have come together to put themselves in a very good position. After falling short 3 times against the Gators this year, can the Redbacks gain some vengeance and progress through to the finals, or will their season come to an end on Saturday night?
Youth League Two Men
Pakenham vs Keysborough
Saturday 20th August 6:00pm at Cardinia Life
Game 1 of the Grand Final series it is the Pakenham Warriors who host the Keysborough Cougars in what will be an awesome series. Both placing first in their respective divisions and dominating the league loosing just the two games each in the regular season, it was a match up waiting to happen. Both teams making quick work in week 1 of finals and then facing off against opposite 2nd placed teams of Sunbury and Whittlesea, it seemed like these two teams were made to play off for the championship.
Pakenham finished as the third highest rated scoring team in the competition with 91.5ppg and were able to hold teams to 73.3ppg. Though this team did not dominate any stat line throughout the year, they dominate as a collective. 4 players averaged over 10 points with numerous not far behind. The Warriors always had a player go off, and it was a different player almost every time. With Michael Johns struggling to get it going last weekend finishing with only 7 points, it was Hayden Melsen who finished with 22 points to go with 10 rebounds. Forcing 20 turnovers with their pressure and activity, the Warriors will have to continue to keep this up against a strong Cougars outfit.
Keysborough seemed to be the team to beat in YL2M this year. Averaging the highest ppg with 100.9 and held teams to 68.4ppg. With their energetic bench and close nit group, this Cougars unit are going to be tough to beat. After a massive 40-point quarter to put Whittlesea away last week, they have their eyes set on the championship. Big men Ryan Moore and Riley Simmons throwing their bodies around have caused chaos in the league, both averaging over 15points and 7 rebounds per game this regular season. Dylan Moore and Bowen Mahon both finished with double doubles and Riley Simmons with a huge 29-point game last week sending the league a message they’re ready to go all the way.
Which top team will be able to take game 1 and hold the advantage going into the second week?
Youth League Two Women
Coburg vs Bellarine
Saturday 20th August 6:30pm at Coburg Basketball Stadium
Grand Final game 1 we see the trop 2 seeds Coburg Giants host the 1st placed Bellarine Storm in what will be an exciting finals series. Both teams coming off comfortable wins last weekend, winning by a combined 58 points. This shows the dominance these two teams have had on the league. With a Tie 1-1 in the regular season against one another, who will be strong enough this weekend, the Giants or Storm?
Coburg finished just one game behind in the regular season, finishing with still an amazing record of 19-3. Controlling the league with the highest points per game average with 78.5 and holding teams to 56.9 points, it’ll be on the defensive end where they’ll need to focus, as their offence takes care of itself. Their ability to cause chaos on defence has been a big separator for this Giants unit, racking up the steal’s column every game with 5 players averaging over 2 per game. Generating stops and finishing possessions will drive their offence and increase their shot selection, leading to their high scoring power. Running with almost the game group each week, they’ve been able to build a great culture and bond on an off the court, something which always drives performance collectively. Can they stay together and get up 1-0 early at home?
With a 20-2 record for the regular season, this Bellarine Storm unit has been in a league of their own. Holding Albury to 16 points in the second half in a semi final win, this Storm unit are the team to beat. They’ve been the best defensive team all year, keeping teams to 50 points, they’ve dominated the rebound count and steals per game. You know a group works well together when everyone pitches in and does all the little things. The Storm play team basketball on both sides of the floor. They score together, rebound together, communicate together and win games together. They can stretch the floor and throw the ball inside, providing the full package. Can they walk into the Giants home and take game 1 away from them?
