Round Eight Wrap Up!

Round 8 is done and dusted. Let's wrap up the weekend and review the standout games from each division. Have a read below:

 

CM

Bellarine 100 def. Western Port 95

It was only a matter of time, but after several very close losses, Bellarine register their first win in the Championship Division for season 2023. After a strong team performance across the board lead them to the win, they will be hoping that this holds them instead for some more wins as the season progresses. Lewis Varley was the standout, falling just short of a triple-double with 12 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds, whilst Joshua Chery had his best performance for his team with 24 points including 4 triples. For Western Port, it was Scottie Stone who kept them in the game as he exploded with 38 points, while Russell Permenter wound back the clock to his Latrobe City days as he finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds.

Bellarine		Stat	Western Port
Joshua Chery	24	Points	38	Scottie Stone
Varley, Vekic	9	Rebounds	10	Russell Permenter
Lewis Varley	10	Assists	10	Daryl Corletto
Lewis Varley	4	Steals	3	Scottie Stone

CW

Sunbury 58 def. Pakenham 54

This one was a game of two halves as the Sunbury Jets came out of the blocks and took control of the game in the first half with a commanding 41-25 scoreline at the main break. Pakenham regrouped at the half and locked up the Jets with some hardnosed defence, restricting Sunbury to just 17 second-half points. For the Warriors it was usual suspect, Haille Nickerson who was getting it done again with 23 points and 9 rebounds, she is going to need more support if Pakenham wants to turn their season around. Meanwhile, for the Jets, they were led by the Hildebrand duo with 17 and 15 points, whilst Ida Andersson also contributed 13 points.

Sunbury		Stat	Pakenham
Abby Hildebrand	17	Points	23	Haille Nickerson
Chloe Hildebrand	13	Rebounds	10	Samantha Romanowski
Ida Andersson	3	Assists	7	Samantha Romanowski
Ida Andersson	3	3PM	3	Haille Nickerson

D1M

Gippsland United 87 def. Bulleen 80    

Ben Barlow turned up for a big last quarter to take his team to the come-from-behind win against Bulleen. Barlow finished with an impressive 27 points that earned him a spot in this week’s Big V ‘Starting 5’, the surprise contributor in the 4^th was Rohan Demczuk who had 9 points, including some important plays down the stretch. For Bulleen, it was Evan Solakidis who was brilliant with 26 points, whilst Joshua Uhr-Henry caused some headaches for Gippsland with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Unfortunately for Bulleen, they didn’t have enough on the defensive end late in the game to slow down a surging Gippsland United side.

Gippsland United		Stat	Pakenham
Ben Barlow	27	Points	26	Evan Solakidis
Oliver Amajoyi	10	Rebounds	14	Joshua Uhr-Henry
Billy Hughes	5	Assists	4	William Alhaddad
Ben Barlow	4	Steals	2	Multiple

D1W

Mildura 76 def. Melbourne University 72

An easy choice for Game of the Week for this one as Mildura Heat came storming home in the 4^th quarter to snatch the win on the road. Whilst Mildura were heavily reliant on Tyra Johnson and Vanessa Power for the majority of the night, as they poured in 47 points between them; it was a variety of different contributors early in the 4^th quarter that got the Heat rolling. For Melbourne University they will be disappointed to let this one slip away after a tough defensive 3^rd quarter set them up well going into the 4^th. Amelia Smith was a standout for the Black Angels with 23 points and 14 rebounds, whilst Maddison O’Nial also found some of her early season form and finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Melbourne University will be hoping to bounce back to the winner's list next weekend.

Mildura		Stat	Melbourne University
Tyra Johnson	27	Points	23	Amelia Smith
Amy Saunders	8	Rebounds	14	Smith, O’Nial
Sherlock, Henry	3	Assists	6	Seraphina Newton
Demalza Henry	+12	+/-	+6	Lulu McLaughlin

D2M

Surf Coast 103 def. Melton 102

It was a shootout at Cobblebank Stadium on Saturday Night as a Surf Coast earned a tough win against a strong Melton team. Melton has some huge contributors on the night with usual suspect Koby Skenderis dropping 33 points to accompany his 4 steals whilst Liam Allison finished with 21 points and 9 rebounds. What kept them in this one was their improved contribution off the bench with 20 points coming from Cooper McIntosh and Josh Miller. Unfortunately for Melton, Surf Coast just had more firepower in their starters, led by Rody Spoormakers who had an enormous game with 31 points, whilst Conrad Cooper also had a day out with 23 points and 18 rebounds. Surf Coast are on a roll and will be looking to continue that improvement of form as they roll into the second half of the season.

Surf Coast		Stat	Melton
Rody Spoormakers	31	Points	33	Koby Skenderis
Conrad Cooper	18	Rebounds	9	Liam Allison
Multiple	2	Assists	5	Jackson Jones
Conrad Cooper	3	Steals	4	Koby Skenderis

D2W

Gippsland United 82 def. Wallan 79

Gippsland United came in very prepared for this one and jumped out of the blocks early to get the 10-point lead by half-time. The Wallan Panthers rallied for the second half to bring this one back to single digits in the 4^th quarter and a game that could’ve gone either way. The Panthers were led by Kylah Collins who went to a different level this weekend and finished with 43 points, 16 rebounds and an amazing 7 steals. Olivia Dalmau provided strong support as expected by contributing 15 points and 5 steals, but it wasn’t enough. It was Gippsland United leader MaKenzie Miller who starred with 28 points and 11 rebounds and steered her team to an important win. Young star Emily Scholtes also played an impressive role in such a big game, having 17 points to go with 11 rebounds. We expect the next time these teams go head-to-head, it is going to be just as good!

Gippsland United		Stat	Wallan
MaKenzie Miller	28	Points	43	Kylah Collins
Miller, Scholtes	11	Rebounds	16	Kylah Collins
Shanara Notman	8	Assists	5	Sarah Scott
Shanara Notman	+13	+/-	+7	Madison Tinetti

VYCM

Blackburn 91 Def Nunawading 90

Their second battle back at Nunawading this weekend hosting the Vikings. What an intense battle back in Round 3, the second half of this game was the same, with a slightly different finish and outcome. Nunawading, with their biggest lead of the game in the fourth, was taken away from them by a 39-point 4^th quarter by the Vikings. For the second time, the game went down to the last possession of regular time, Blackburn this time with the ball down 1 point. Nunawading’s Lachlan De Mattia made 2 clutch free throws to put the Spectres up with just over 3 seconds left. An inbound to Liam Costello in the corner, and a deep 2pt shot put up just before the buzzer sings falls and the game is over! An incredible clutch shot and possession by the Vikings in an upset win. 

Blackburn		Stat	Nunawading
Mackenzie Kieghran	29	Points	20	Lachlan De Mattia
James Sinclair	8	Rebounds	8	Tyler Barker
Mackenzie Keighran	8	Assists	6	Dihan Wiggett
Nicolas D’Intini	4	Steals	2	Tomasi / Barker / Wiggett

VYCW

Diamond Valley 84 Def Frankston 81

After moving into VYC, Frankston have had a tough run, lost players and are now trying to build a culture in a competitive division. Big credit to this group for working as they got ever so close against the Eagles. A big 2^nd quarter from the Eagles took a tied game at quarter time to a 10-point lead going into the half with Cadee and Oakford playing extremely well. Frankston made a run in the third but couldn’t manage to get over the hump, tying the 4^th 22 each. Frankston had the opportunity as they took the lead with less than a minute left off a Paxton free throw before Cadee gets the and 1 off a great play and curl cut. Frankston had a chance off a 3pt attempt from Hilford which unfortunately did not fall. Diamond Valley head back to the line and seal the game.

Diamond Valley		Stat	Frankston
Lucy Oakford	21	Points	33	Felicity Hilford
Sarah Carr	11	Rebounds	9	Betinsky / Paxton
Tessa Coen	4	Assists	3	Hilford / Mann / Schonfelder
Sarah Carr	6	Blocks	1	Betinsky / Paxton / Paxton

YL1M

Craigieburn 85 Def. Coburg 83

Coburg looking to make it 2 on the trot prior to the weekend whilst the Eagles hoping to get back in the W column, there was brewing eagerness to get this win. Craigieburn taking the lead in the first half and going up by 9 seemed somewhat expected yet in the 3^rd quarter, Coburg came out with an aggressive energy, attacking and drawing fouls creeping their way back into the fight winning the quarter 26 to 19. Staying neck to neck the entire 4^th with multiple ties for extended periods, the energy in the arena grew. A deep deep 2pt from Craigieburn put the game to 83-81 with 14 seconds left with a Coburg timeout. A scrambling possession by Coburg with the ball being tipped and dribbling off legs, Majier Adut was fouled on a 3pt shot taking him to the line where he made 2 from 3, tying the game at 83 apiece. Craigieburn’s last attempt for a score came off David Zivanic’s drive where he was fouled and put on the line. Clutch free throws to put the game to 85-83 and the game was done!

Craigieburn		Stat	Coburg
Steven Hooper	28	Points	28	Majier Adut
Justice Snowball	15	Rebounds	9	Emmanuel Mackok
Justice Snowball	4	Assists	5	Emmanuel Mackok
Steven Hooper	2/3	3pt	2/2	Emmanuel Mackok

YL1W

Camberwell 60 Def Bulleen 59

A very tough weekend for Bulleen going up against the 2 undefeated Camberwell and Eltham in a doubleheader. Saturday night it was Camberwell, an experienced, tall and talented unit who clinched this 1-point win over the Boomers. After a slow start by the Boomers, Lindemans threw her group in her back to win the second quarter and make this a competitive battle. Tying the 3^rd quarter 20 a piece, Camberwell led by 4 going into the 4^th with the twin towers of Smith and Killian dominating the glass and scoring. Going down to the wire, Bulleen scored the last 4 points with 2 clutch free throws to take the game to 1 point, unfortunately without enough time on the clock. Camberwell was able to hold onto the win to go 9-0, one of the last remaining undefeated teams. 

Camberwell		Stat	Bulleen
Rachael Smith	18	Points	18	Kiera Lindemans
Ryleh Killian	15	Rebounds	9	Kiera Lindemans
Jade Knight	4	Assists	3	Kiera Lindemans
Sophie Jones	2	Blocks	4	Kiera Lindemans

YL2M

Wallan 79 Def. Bellarine 76

An energetic start from the Storm to kickstart the game with 7 quick points, tipped passes and an up-and-about bench seemed promising. Unfortunately, this did not last as Wallan made a swift run getting to game back to 12-14 before a timeout had to be called. It was after this when the Panthers began to take more control of the game taking out the 2^nd quarter 23-17. Bellarine fought well and competed for the entire game, winning the second half and bringing the game to just 2 points with less than a minute left by a 3pt from Ben Walters. A foul from Bellarine sent Dion Stacey to the line where he made 1 from 2 keeping the game to a 1-possession battle. The Panthers had another chance at the line to make this even tougher for the Storm but missed both. Keegan Johnstone heaved up a deep 3pt at the buzzer to take the game to overtime but didn’t fall.

Wallan		Stat	Bellarine
Jayden O’Brien	23	Points	18	Mitchell Smith
James Bonnici	13	Rebounds	14	Vincent Whelan
Luke Cains	2/2	3pt	4/6	Ezekiel Rickard
James Bonnici	3	Blocks	2	Vincent Whelan

YL2W

Blackburn 77 Def Albury Wodonga 64

Blackburn showed up early in their hit out against a short-handed Albury Wodonga holding the Bandits scoreless for the first 3 minutes. A nice run from the bandits brought the game back to just 6 by quarter time, and the contest remained close and competitive until the 4^th quarter. A 1-point difference in both the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters proved that Blackburn are quickly improving and growing in this division against a tough Bandits unit. Holly Hughes-Dawson and Hannah Alderton came up big in the fourth, closing out the Bandits in a 13-point win. Forcing 24 turnovers and holding the Bandits to just 64 shot attempts for the game, puts the Vikings 2 games on the trot.    

Blackburn		Stat	Albury Wodonga
Greenwood / Alderton	15	Points	20	Timeeka Coleman
Isabella Nolen	12	Rebounds	11	Maeve Connell
Mansfield / Greenwood / Leaumont	4	Assists	4	Caitlin Quintal
Isabella Nolen	4	Steals	5	Caitlin Quintal