Written by Maddy Ryan, Andrew West
MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISON:
Bellarine (110) def Western Port (91)
It was a competitive battle to kick off Championship Men on Saturday Night as Bellarine took away the W over Western Port. Max Kos got out of the gates early with back-to-back triples kicking off a positive start for the storm with the Steelers not far behind. KG took off in the second quarter scoring 14 of his 31, 12 of which all in a row leading into the half time break. It was showtime for KG in the second as he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. It became a closer battle in the second half with the Steelers holding the margins to just 2 points a quarter. Western Port were able to make runs of their own, scoring in 6-point punches before Bellarine had answer. Permenter even got out on the break for a throw down trying to get his group going but the Storm continued to have answers. McAuliffe and James finished in double figures off the bench for the Steelers making impacts while some starters found themselves in foul trouble. KG finished as player of the game with a crazy 31-point 31 rebound double-double!
Melbourne University (79) def Wyndham (73)
One of the bigger upsets Championship Men has seen this season took place on Saturday Night as Melbourne University took care of home court with a 6-point win over the top of the table Wyndham. It was a struggle for two of Wyndham’s best, as Thomas and Ayilara combined for just 10 points while Oskar Jones took to matters into his own hands off the bench going for 31 points. Wyndham held the lead for most of the game with Melbourne University stealing the lead from time to time during each quarter. Going back and forth until the 2 minutes of the game just as Daniaell Herbert drained a 3 to tie the game at 73 apiece. Melbourne Universities’ fast pace small ball proved wonders as they had Wyndham flying around, breaking down their defence and forcing long close outs. One of which was too long as Joel Rimes drained a 3 with less than a minute left to go up 3. Wyndham had a chance before turning the ball over to then run down the other end and clipped Ricardo Time as he elevated putting him on the line making just 1 of 2. Again, with chances to score Wyndham just couldn’t convert as Melbourne University took down the top seed.
Shepparton (102) def Blackburn (78)
It was Blackburn’s turn to make the trip up to Shepparton on Saturday Night, falling short in a massive win for the Gators keeping themselves in finals contention now sitting in 5th! An impressive performance by the Gators starting 5 all finishing with 15 or more whilst holding the two scoring leaders to 38 collectively. Whilst playing all 40 minutes of game time, Legan struggled from the field shooting 25% for the game while his partner in crime Martin finished with 22 points shooting over 50% from the land of plenty. Skip to the third quarter where it was all about the Gators as they popped off for 36 points while holding their visitors to just 6. Draining 8 3s in a quarter and extending the margin 19 points a 3-quarter time before pushing it out further to walk away with a comfortable 24-point win, the Gators have put themselves in a great position leading into the last round of the regular season. Jayden Coke led all scorers with 28 points with teammate Devin Thomas finishing with 14 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists.
McKinnon (96) def Pakenham (82)
McKinnon took care of business on the road as they trekked over to Pakenham on Saturday Night. As they do, Pakenham had the place going with another busy crowd fighting for their place in the top 5. McKinnon entered the weekend with 3 wins on the trot after an up and down start, now really looking that finals team as their starting group continue to gel so well together. Playing their penetrate and kick style offence, Anderson, Wooten and Maharaj especially, continue to find themselves in scoring positions as all 3 are so tough to contain 1 on 1. Pakenham’s Tiras didn’t have the night he would have liked shooting just 1 from 7 for the game having to lean Dow and Davis to take the scoring load. Cody Fredrickson has been impressive all year as their new PG continuing to put up consistent numbers just unable to get his boys over the line against the Cougars. Shaquille Maharaj was dominant and efficient in his double-double performance walking away with 19 points and 20 rebounds shooting 5 from 5 from the charity stripe.
Wyndham (108) def Camberwell (68)
Wyndham knocked out already on the weekend were not going to let that happen again. However, an absolute performance from Cambewell had them thinking that it just might. Camberwell edged out Wyndham, 24-22 in the first. Wyndham picked up their pace, scoring 27 points and their pressure forcing 15 turnovers, taking every opportunity to score. Camberwell matched this effort with 24 points, keeping the game tight, Wyndham just leading by a minor 4 points. Both teams kept the game close until the final quarter, Wyndham going on a major 17-point scoring run to give them a well adjusted lead to finish off the game and keep their treasured first placed spot – now only 1 game off falling to second for the first time this season. Wyndham’s efforts are noted with two double-doubles from Ayilara (30pts, 15reb) and Thomas (21pts, 13reb). Camberwell’s favourite Liesegang also had 18 points, 12 rebounds to finish with a double-double. Camberwell continue to fight to stay away from the relegation zone but after their win last week and a close-call this week, it seems that they will keep their spot in our Championship division.
Sunbury (86) def Hume City (79)
Sunbury came in flying to win their first game in five weeks on Sunday afternoon, defeating fourth placed Hume City. The Jets had a strong start (28-15) and that was enough to solidify their win, demonstrating superior offensive efficiency and their defensive pressure, capitalising on turnovers with 14 points. Hume City did try to bounce back in the second quarter, scoring 21-19 including a late shot outside the arc from McKinney, who put on yet another performance with 24 points, shooting at 72.7%, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. Despite this performance, he was not able to help get his team over the line and with players such as Baker and Marshall, Jets were too strong. It is impossible for Jets to make finals from here but they have definitely proven themselves this past weekend, Hume City however, will next face Melbourne Uni who seem to be able to knock out just about anybody right now.
Pakenham (93) def Keysborough (90)
An absolute thriller when two Champion contenders’ go head-to-head - exactly what was delivered. Pakenham hosted the Cougars at home and were thankful to take home the win after falling to sixth place last week. Pakenham had a strong start with a huge 36-20 first quarter, a key factor in their narrow victory over Keysborough. Pakenham went on two 12 point scoring runs within the first half alone and the Cougars couldn't keep up, even with the ultimate duo or Williams (26pts, 4reb, 5ast) and Newby (29pts, 25reb). The second quarter was close but something was in the air after the half-time break, Keysborough coming out with a 27-point period to only trail by a minor 3 points. With 4 minutes left on the clock, there was just a 1-point deficit in favour of Pakenham, but a few fouls handed to Pakenham was able to put them in a position to take home victory. Top scorer for Warriors was Morton with 27 points and 10 rebounds, followed Davis with 20 and Frederickson with 19.
You can view our First Teams of the week here.
You can view our Second Teams of the week here.
Photo credits: @torchchavez
