20 May
Author- Justin Schwarze
On a Super Sunday, McKinnon made it three-from-three in a day that was about more than basketball for the club. McKinnon hosted their first of two weekends of pink round to raise awareness for breast cancer as the senior teams donned pink uniforms in honour of the amazing cause.
In the first leg of the triple-header, the Youth League Championship Women took firm grasp of its clash with newly-promoted side Pakenham. At halftime, the Warriors held a one-point advantage before the hosts controlled the second half and quickly put the game out of reach. A 34-point third saw the Cougars take a 13-point lead at the final quarter to wrestle back momentum on their terms. McKinnon outscored its opponent 25-10 in the fourth to claim a 105-77 scalp.
Arden Bailey poured in 20 points and seven rebounds on 60 percent shooting while Daisy Nousis erupted for 27 off the bench to go along with seven rebounds and four assists. The high-powered offense for the Cougars started on the other end, forcing Pakenham into 30 total turnovers.
In the second matchup at GESAC, the pink jerseys were unveiled as the Championship Women warmed up with a faceoff against Warrnambool. In what was a dominant display, the full court pressure and high-level defensive intensity fuelled McKinnon to rout the Mermaids, 122-48.
The offense was extremely efficient for the hosts, turning turnovers into quick points while routinely getting good looks. The Cougars shot 19/39 from deep as a team in an impressive shooting display that blew away the visitors. Emily Suckling knocked down 5/9 triples on her way to 25 points while Emily Lytle provided 22 points and seven boards. The hosts forced 29 turnovers and made an incredible impact on the game through bringing energy.
“A lot of things went right from our discipline to our habits was really good,” McKinnon head coach Nathan Geer said postgame. “Disruption is definitely how we want to play defensively and the pace in our offense is what we want.”
“A lot of the tempos and the shots we got were all good shots, we’re happy if it goes in or not. So for us, we play with pace and we find open shots that are catch-and-shoots and we knocked them down today.”
Playing in the pink jerseys and for the cause of the day brought both sides to have an emotional yet inspiring charge to their brands of basketball.
“It’s a great cause for many because it allows us to take stock of what’s important,” Geer reflected on the day. “It allows us to help families and people who are affected by the cause so for us it’s great to be able to wear the pink uniforms and represent McKinnon on such a great day.”
The final fixture saw the Championship Men welcome RMIT to town. The Cougars struck first, taking a 30-22 buffer into the quarter time break. In the second, wide open triple from Luke Peynenborg extended the margin to 14 and from there, McKinnon didn’t look back. Later in the term, Remo Simankevicius was trapped on the baseline before finding Shannon Fowler who rose up for a monstrous poster jam over Zach Coleman-Bock. A few possessions later, Fowler leaked out onto the break and threw down his second slam of the term, guiding the hosts to a 59-47 lead into the main intermission.
In the second half, some athletic and remarkable finishes through contact from Jordan Geer further widened the deficit, reaching its largest mark of 27 points. The Cougars rode this to secure a 108-85 result and move to 8-2 on the season.
Fowler finished with numbers of 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Geer also posted 21 points, with Mitchell Barry adding 17 points and eight assists and Shaquille Maharaj recording 18 points and nine boards.
The day was a massive success with plenty of pink colouring and spirited basketball filling GESAC. The games were played in high respect to come together for something so much bigger than the game we love.
McKinnon have partnered with Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) to not only engage with their fans at home or in the venue, created a donations link with all funds going directly to BCNA. With a merchandise stall selling tees, socks and ribbons, raffles and cake stalls, the Cougars have put together something very special over this two-week period.
Looking ahead, continuing their pink theme it is the Youth Men and Women who suit up in the pink uniforms as they face Casey and Blackburn in a Saturday Night thriller.
For those wishing to donate to Breast Cancer Network Australia see McKinnon’s link below.
Photo credit: Emmanuel Barbas @barbas_creative
