Weekly WABL Wrap – Round 13

The Weekly WABL Wrap is proudly sponsored by Woods Insurance Brokers.

Here’s the Round 13 wrap-up of how all our teams went, including comments from coaches:

12-1 Girls – Marcia Dowling (sponsored by National Geotech)

Won against East Perth 69-19

Coach comments

From start to finish, the girls worked on maintaining their great teamwork and speed. Moving their legs so well in defence, the girls forced an incredible 65 turnovers. Greater patience under the basket, and remembering the “extra pass” meant our offence was fantastic and shots dropped from great spots
Elsey Lohman White was again an offensive powerhouse with 11 points to go with 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 steals
Josie White had a season-high 10 points due to some excellent keyway positioning while also recording 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
Darcey Hill celebrated her 50th WABL game for Redbacks by leading all scorers with 20 points along with 6 rebounds, 7 steals and 2 massive blocks!

12-2 Girls – Paul Philpott (sponsored by Infinity Designed)

Lost to Perry Lakes 42-56

Coach comments

This was another WOW game today. We clearly demonstrated that the strength of the team was each member, and the strength of each member was the team! Despite the final margin, this was clearly our best game yet. Words others used were: it was a great and enjoyable game to watch, and our girls really fought well together. Quarter by quarter we played with gusto, making the efforts of the Hawks less effective.
We welcomed back Madeleine Marshall as our tower of power in both the offensive and defensive ends of the court.
Rachel Deering was absolutely outstanding today, showing fierce hunger for every ball and creating a huge number of turnovers all game, frequently frustrating the Hawks.
Well done each and every one of you girls. I am so pleased with how well you are all progressing as a collective team.

12-3 Girls – Khalid Elmi

Won against Hills Raiders 49-30

12-1 Boys – Ofir Ben Dror (sponsored by Pivot Project Consulting)

Lost to Warwick 62-66

Coach comments

This was our most competitive game so far this season. It went right down to the wire.
The boys followed the game plan perfectly and only a loss of composure in the third hurt us. Two more game minutes and we would have had the win.
Seth Cass had another strong game with scoring and a good defensive performance.
Elijah Mancini had another very good offensive game and the whole team improved a lot from the foul line.

12-2 Boys – Dom Pitchen (sponsored by Sushi Wawa)

Won against Willetton Blue 57-56

Coach comments

The boys started off a little shaky but did well to match the physicality and intensity to fight back and win the game.
Ned Tierney was solid on both ends of the floor. He did well to find open players and shots on offence and contests and rebound on defence; he also hit the go-ahead shot in the last few seconds of the game, which secured the win. Well done Ned.
Talin McCullough was a strong defensive presence that forced multiple turnovers and crashed the rebounds really well, He also provided strong drives and tempo control offensively. Good job Talin.
Flynn Heggie had a great game. He matched the physicality of Willetton, making strong drives to the basket and being a solid, strong body on defence.

12-3 Boys – Craig Dropulich (sponsored by Profusion Planning)

Won against Slammers 50-38

Coach comments

It was a testing game this week, and there were no excuses, but we had to work through the situations that presented. We had a great start and lead at quarter time 8 to 2. It was a very good defensive effort, and we looked to continue this for the rest of the game. In the second and third quarters, they worked harder than us to claw back into the game and tied it all up in the final term. We switched on again to take out the game by 12 points with our customary good work in the last quarter. We learned that when we cheer loudly from the bench to celebrate what the players on court have done they respond and play for each other to celebrate together. Well done boys and parents keep up the enthusiasm for our team.
Gus Rafferty showed everyone his true ability to cut through the defence and finish layups. His defence was outstanding and hard showing the confidence he has to play against much older and bigger opponents. Keep bringing it Gus we love it.
Rintaro Haginiwa had his most productive game of the season with 18 points. It’s all starting to come together for him now and his touch when finishing is impressive. Keep working hard and more rewards will come.

12-4 Boys – Wayne Dropulich (sponsored by Playa Coffee)

Lost to Hills Raiders 51-52

Coach comments

We played against Hills Raiders today. Unfortunately, we were missing 2 of our taller players, which was a significant disadvantage.
We had a good start, managing to get a 12-point lead late in the first quarter, which boosted our confidence early on. However, in the second quarter, we let them back into the game due to some lapses in our defence and execution. At half-time, we were up 32 to 27, feeling cautiously optimistic about our chances. In the third quarter, we completely lacked intensity, and Hills Raiders took full advantage of this, dominating us throughout the period. By three-quarter time, we found ourselves trailing by 8 points, which was a tough position to be in. Somehow, we managed to find our intensity and drive again in the last quarter. We fought hard to regain the lead, going up by 4 points with just minutes to go. Unfortunately, we couldn’t hold on to the lead as they mounted a comeback, ultimately winning by a single point in the last seconds of the game.
Alex Litas had a good game. He scored a total of 10 points, showcasing his offensive skills and ability to contribute significantly to the team’s overall score. Additionally, his great defence in the last quarter was crucial in getting us back into the game. His efforts on both ends of the court were commendable, making him a key player in the match.
Riley Kuan had an impressive performance during the game. He scored a team-high 14 points, showcasing his offensive skills. Additionally, he attacked the basket well, demonstrating his ability to drive through the defence and create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates.

14-1 Girls – Simon Daff (sponsored by Australian Financial Planners)

Won against Willetton 47-44

Coach comments

This was a very scrappy game with quite a few passing turnovers. But like any good team, you find other ways to stay in the game. We had a very strong fourth quarter, and even though the game was close, you could just tell we wanted it more. We dominated the rebounds in that final quarter and in the end that was the difference. We are a smaller team but we always compete.
Chelsea Karsum had a very impactful game. Her intensity and energy are never questioned; she just has a natural instinct to compete. When moved to the 5, she dominated the rebounds for the game, which we will strongly look at going forward.
Lauren Jones had some big plays in this game. She made aggressive drives to the basket and always made things happen. Her setting screens for the guards was impressive.
Jacinta Wladyka continues her dominant season. She just continues to put in four-quarter efforts. Her speed and ball handling are real strengths, and it’s nice watching other teams struggle to contain her.

14-2 Girls – Reid Ballantine (sponsored by Fish Boss)

Won against Mandurah Black 52-34

Coach comments

We were up and about again this week as we ground out an 18-point win against a Mandurah team that rolled us by 20 in round 6. So a 38-point turnaround! Also great to bounce back from last week. We approached this game with much better team energy and attitude and stayed positive in the testing moments. Really pleased with the work rate this game, working really hard in defensive transition and winning a lot of the ball in the second line of defence. Our offence today was quite simplified and seemed to be more free-flowing and organic.
While our guards did a brilliant job applying on-ball pressure, this week our second line of defence Gracie Dillon, Saachi Ti’en, Fenne Bowie and Ava Armstrong all did a great job to capitalise on the pressure and pounce for intercept steals.
Ava Armstrong played a confident game and had her usual big bag of rebounds this week, but also fired up in the low post and dropped 13 points.
Teah James owned the fourth quarter and finished with 17 points. While she is always dangerous with the ball, this week she also showed really good timing off the ball either getting open in space or trailing the play to hit the keyway with great timing.
Soniya Karimi showed great persistence with repeated defensive stops, including a pretty fat block for entertainment. She also had great vision in offence, making some great long pass assists and finding her own space to attack and drop 6 points.

14-3 Girls – Helen Pardini (sponsored by Access Hire)

Won against Mandurah Gold 33-25

Coach comments

The girls had another good win against a Mandurah team which was in red hot form. We started strong and continued to control the game for the whole four quarters. Every time Mandurah challenged us, we held strong and kept our lead.
We had some really good looks, and the girls are making great reads on offence. Our finishing needs some work, but once the shots start dropping, these wins will be a lot more comfortable.
It was a very good defensive team effort to hold Mandurah to 25 points. We didn’t give up any points in transition and restricted Mandurah to just 6 points in the paint, forcing them to rely on outside shots.
Paige Granato missed the first half of the season through injury and has come back to add a valuable dynamic. She reads the floor well, makes great decisions offensively, and is strong defensively, hustling hard.
Freya Whitehouse is always solid and reliable defensively. She reads the game well and is always in the right spot for help defence.
Molly Nicholas is consistently strong each week. She hustles hard, forces turnovers, creates transition points, and is always one of our leading rebounders.

14-4 Girls – Rori Roberts (sponsored by Habitat Finance)

Won against Hills Raiders 36-34

Coach comments

This game would have to be the best all-round game these girls have played. They stayed focused for the whole game and each player came out and played their role.
Neither team got a lead bigger than 3 points the whole game, and it came down to a long 2 from Bianca Bajin in the last 30 sec to get us the win.
Everyone’s defensive efforts won us this game.
Bianca Bajin was amazing defensively, matching up on Hills’ leading scorer and offensively was able to get to the ring and create shots for others.
Ally Taylor stepped up in defence and got back fast to stop multiple fast-break lay-ups.

14-1 Boys – Ben Hamilton (sponsored by Geist Consulting)

Won against Willetton White 87-42

Coach comments

Despite being a mostly bottom-age team, this Willetton team has been rapidly improving so this was a dangerous game for us. We had a particular focus on boxing out, help defence and transitioning quickly into our motion offence and it was very pleasing to see the improvement in these areas during this game.
A defensive adjustment in the second half worked particularly well and was a great opportunity for the team to adapt on-the-fly to the opposition’s strength and to be rewarded for it – holding them to their lowest score of the season.
This was arguably our most complete game of the month with everyone making solid contributions.
Zeke Brian was everywhere. After a difficult few minutes in the first half in which a less mature player may have collapsed, Zeke was able to regain his composure, play through that period, and end up with one of his best games of the season. He always impacts the game in a positive way, and in this game, he also picked up 17 points to give him some statistical recognition for all of his hard, unselfish work. Congratulations, Zeke.
Nate Cass played guard for long stretches of this game, a role he took on with increasing confidence. He is pushing the tempo more when in this role and seeing additional opportunities for his team mates as well, which is an important development area if he wants to be more involved in the back court. Defensively he was often guarding opposition smalls and it was encouraging to see him contain them off the dribble with improved foot work and speed. Another great step forward for you Nate.
Erik Davies was immediately impactful on the court, hitting the scoreboard several times in the first couple of minutes, boxing out well, and using his strength to keep his opponent away from the basket on defence. Erik won the 50:50 contest more often in this game, earning us extra possessions. Great game Erik.
Final mention to Christian Cvitan whose passing this game was exceptional – hitting the cutter, late trailer, and finding the open player with an ‘extra’ pass. It was great to watch Christian and you probably deserved 10 assists – thank you!

14-2 Boys – Fletcher Clemmence (sponsored by Ponosh Vascular)

Won against Mandurah 79-35

Coach comments

Coming out of last week’s game against the top of the ladder, where we felt we were right in it, we wanted to establish our defensive identity in this game, as we have done quite well against this team historically. We had plenty of rotations, and a lot of our bench squad scored 10+, which was great to see.
Aidan Ung thrived on the offensive end today in the right positions and formed a great partnership with Tom feasting on the rebounds. Now, defensively, Aidan will need to step up and keep his man in front of him by sliding his feet and not jumping.
Tom Coppard is our train on who is always available had another great game with a career-high of 10 points really love seeing the energy he brings to the boys

14-3 Boys – Brad Holyoak (sponsored by Westbeck Capital)

Won against Wolves 62-53

Coach comments

What a great game to watch. We owned our team scout this week, and we are really starting to learn from the game recordings (thanks, Marcelo). We played a fantastic game of TEAM-owned basketball like a well-oiled machine with everybody moving together. This was a bit of a grudge match – redemption for us after just going down to them at the winter carnival. We started well and came out ready to go. We owned our offensive plan and stuck with our disciplined approach. We ran hard and pushed the ball, and good things happen when we all work together. We really are starting to own our defensive plan. When we work hard, trust each other, and own our mistakes, it’s pretty to watch. Well done, team.
Nathan Jetajobe had a great game crashing boards, slashing hard to the rim, and carrying the ball through traps. Not bad for just a 5 man at the start of the season. Well done.
For the second week in a row, Will Ryan really showed how he is starting to find his groove in our offensive structure – carving the lanes and finishing fancy shots. Will, your fade-away curl, banking it off the glass for an ‘and 1’ was a thing of beauty.
Ollie Colangelo is the hardest working player in our team. He sacrifices his game to make us better – he is the glue that binds us. His ability to play 1 through 5 gives us fantastic opportunities and makes him a tough cover for the opposition. Ollie always makes the extra pass. Jumps on a loose ball. Is the link man in the chain or bashing bodies being outsized in the post, always doing the hard work that doesn’t get noticed on a stat sheet but it’s the constant 1% that you do that adds up big. Keep it up 👍 well done.
Congratulations to Joaquin Cortes for playing his 50th WABL game for Redbacks in this game. Well done, it’s been my pleasure to share some of it and we enjoyed celebrating the milestone with a win. And look forward to seeing you get the 100th.

14-4 Boys – Ethan Saliacus (sponsored by Skyward Roof Plumbing)

Won against Slammers 50-39

Coach comments

This was a tough game, but we had the lead the whole time. The boys played well on defence showing the progress on that end we are making but some turnovers and missed shots made it more of a game than it probably should have been
Caelan Howell had a great game with his defence and rebounding he’s been improving game by game and it’s very evident that he knows where to be on help defence every time and his boxing out has been great over the past few weeks
Luka Petrovic also had a great game with his composure, and he got on the scoreboard to keep it ticking over, which was important in a pretty close game. He’s been great at building pressure when guarding the ball and he does it without fouling

16-1 Girls – Sam Fox (sponsored by Sushi Wawa)

Lost to Cockburn 51-61

Coach comments

Coming into the game, we knew Cockburn would be looking to get one back after we handed them only their second loss of the season the last time we played.
Right from tip-off, the game had that ‘playoff intensity’ to it—neither team really gained any ascendency in the early exchanges.
In what was a bruising and physical encounter, the team never took a step back from what Cockburn threw at us and embraced the challenge head on.
A lapse in the middle stages of the fourth saw Cockburn go on a run and edge ahead—effectively deciding the game, as we could not wrestle momentum back. It was a tough day at the office, but a game that reinforced our standing and ability to compete against a top-two team in our league.
Grace Butcher earnt herself a starting spot through her consistent energy and effort in recent weeks. She pulled in a team-high 5 offensive rebounds, contributing to a lot of our 2nd chance points.
Ella Welsh battled hard and competed at both ends all game – finishing with 17pts, 7reb, 3stl

16-2 Girls – Vance Karimi (sponsored by Packaging Perth)

Won against Eastern Suns 74-47

Coach comments

The girls had a wonderful game this week. They nailed their defensive objectives, contesting everything they could, pass or shot, even if it was just to get a fingertip on it. Super impressively, when one of their teammates put intense pressure on the ball in opportunistic scenarios, the others on the court felt the urgency and, inspired by the enthusiasm they saw, pounced on their players to take away passing opportunities. It meant we picked passes and caused turnovers all over the court. In transition, the girls played their best game, with short, sharp, on-time and on-target passes, running their lanes really well. Meanwhile, they were patient when they needed to be, moving the ball so well and taking advantage of defensive gaps with great agility. We were so impressed with how the girls all played for each other all game and very proud of them all.
Bella Kahl was exceptional all game. Her defence set the tone, with great defensive and offensive boards, chasing back to make stops in transition, denied inbound passes into the key, contested shots, made some great passing decisions to kick out when contested, and dominated the paint.
Charlie Foster kept her cool bringing the ball up with control, getting off the rail when she needed to, read some great offensive rebounds to finish and transitioned so well with her team mates using quick passes.
Chelsea Ferri showed she can dish out some intense pressure on primary ball handlers to cause turnovers, had great court vision to make lovely outlets in fast transition offensive actions and had great positioning under the basket to read the boards to finish.
Izzy Swann had wonderful ball control bringing the ball down through the middle, made great decisions passing through it when she needed under pressure, had some great offensive rebounds to finish in the key.
Mya Slee made great outlets in transition offense, running hard in wide lanes, taking good opportunities, reading rebounds and holding her players so well in defence.
Sam Morgan and Liv Weddikkara were so vocal all game, were amazing in defence, boxed out to deny their player’s second opportunities, had great touches on the ball to contest passes and moved the ball so well in transition.
Charlotte Dillon dished out so much pressure in defence, causing turnovers all over the court, running back to stop transition and read double gap opportunities, attacking them hard to create opportunities.
Paige Wigmore was amazing in defence, with great timing, footwork and courage to take a difficult charge. She owned and protected our paint, being there for help. It was great to see Paige feel more confident with the ball, taking escape dribbles when needed.
Sienna Care’ transitioned well with several combination plays, finding good space and passing so well to open teammates. She found great form from the perimeter to nail uncontested threes.

16-3 Girls – Dave Ogden (sponsored by Kai Rho Consulting)

Won against Warwick 58-48

Coach comments

This was a tough away game for our girls where they showed plenty of fight to come away with a well-deserved win. We were up by 13 at halftime and had left free throws behind before a third-quarter comeback by the Senators. We got into foul trouble early and lost our way. This saw us enter the last with a 1-point margin. From there though, we showed our quality to run away winners getting up by as much as 18 after 5 minutes of basketball the opposition could not match.
Cara Hayes was the leading scorer with 14 points in the game. She showed she can finish with both hands and also had a couple of team-lifting assists.
Paige Ogden had a solid all-round game and was the backbone of a defence that kept Senators to 17 in the first half. She showed some shooting range we need to see more often!
Summer Chalder celebrated her 50th game for the Redbacks with a typical all-action game and showed her leadership by addressing the playing group at 3/4 time with some advice from a 50-game veteran.
Talia Tzotzis and Abi Leslie were used together for the first time all season. They gave some real energy off the bench, and had an impact on the scoreboard.

16-4 Girls – Marcia Dowling (sponsored by Professional Web Solutions)

Lost to Joondalup 46-47

Coach comments

What a fighting spirit we needed today, and the quarter scores show it
- 1st: 8-16
- 2nd. 25-28
- 3rd: 31-43
The girls were playing very good and reasonably consistent defence, which was a problem for the Wolves. Our effort and fight came together in the fourth quarter to bring the scoreline to 46-47 – an incredible team effort.
Maddie McKibben was at her best today. Her spacing and speed were well controlled resulting in many great steals, assists and shots. Her focus was outstanding.
Daisy Dalla-Costa proved to be a great rebounding asset and subsequently hit 7 points amongst her numerous steals.
Emily Flynn worked well under high defensive pressure from Wolves and handled the ball carefully through transition and scored 10 pts herself

16-1 Boys – Mitch Jesson (sponsored by DLA Piper)

Won against Rockingham 66-82

Coach comments

First versus second on the ladder is always a game you look to as the best measure of where your team is at.
Our last encounter was a high-scoring affair (217 points scored), but this week’s game saw a far more respectable 148 points scored between the two teams. This was a game where we showed that limiting turnovers (only 15) leads to constant and relentless pressure on the opponent’s hoop. Our bigs once again fired our running game. Every game from now until the end of the season – we just seek to get that little bit better with every outing.
Julien Richardson had a really good game scoring 18 points (@47%), 4/4 from the free throw line, 2 boards and 5 steals. Early in the game, Julien was frustrated about not getting the ball on open looks, so he focused on defensive pressure. A game-high 5 steals fired up Jules’s transition game, and he ended up with a game-high score.
Ant Flores has made the point guard position his. His stat line is always decent, in this case 9 points, 2×3’s, 3 boards, 2 assists, 0 turnovers and 3 steals. But it’s his control of the game that does not necessarily show on the stat sheet. Time and time again Ant makes the right call of when to push and when to reset. Our season-high low in turnovers in this game is largely due to Ant’s influence and decision-making.
Ewan Maclean is just speed personified, and I could see the opposition coach throw his hands up in despair when Ewan just dribbled through the opposition in transition for a basket. 14 points @78%, 2 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals and 0 turnovers is a nice stat line. Missing from that line are the two occasions Ewan single-handedly got back in transition to stop 2 certain layups.

16-2 Boys – Dan Cartwright (sponsored by Triple Seven)

Won against Perry Lakes 95-64

Coach comments

It was an exciting day as Tommy Jakimowiez finally returned after a long injury lay-off and we had Flynn Weston back for the first time since before the BWA Winter Carnival. Adding to the excitement was assistant coach Tarrace Wright’s 21st birthday.
The hallmark of this team has been our chemistry both on and off the court. The energy from the guys who aren’t on the court really inspires those who are, and they revel in each other’s success. This has resulted in us becoming a very fast-starting team. In the blink of an eye and on the back of some smooth and slick offence plus a huge rebounding effort the boys jumped out to a 10-0 lead. As the starters came out of the lineup, the defensive intensity went up even further and by the quarter time, the margin had ballooned out to 20, leaving Perry Lakes shell-shocked. The score was 31-11 and the rebound count was 17-9.
Perry Lakes would have been hoping for some respite in the second but it was not to be. It mattered not which combination of players were on the court, the boys played with manic intensity on defense, killed it on the glass, bringing the ball up the floor with pace and generated great looks through good ball movement. The second quarter ended with Flynn Weston’s step-back three shot in the face of some solid D from Perry Lakes with half a second on the clock and right in front of our bench. The 63-19 half-time score-line (and the 34-17 rebound count) said it all.
Everyone contributed in a meaningful way.
Tommy Jakimowiez had 7 points and 5 boards in his 16 minutes
Tom Lindegger had the same stat line before falling foul of the referees.
Hunter Mettam is a handful for any defender in this league, and his explosive pace netted him 19 points.
Jalen Dunstan had another double-double with 18 points and 11 boards, punishing the other team when their centre didn’t close out on the perimeter.
Cooper Poustie and Seina Pirmorady again brought confronting on-ball defence and really pushed the pace when bringing the ball up the court. Both were more aggressive offensively but equally, brought their team-mates into the game.
Harvey Wishart again racked up a double-figure rebound count
Flynn Weston’s energy and length were disruptive on D and evident throughout the game.
The winning streak is now at 9 and we’re on top of the ladder. Happy days!

16-3 Boys – Francis Crawshaw (sponsored by Teqar IT Consulting)

Lost to Rockingham 59-65

16-4 Boys – Cheyne Kerp (sponsored by Perth Safety Deposit Boxes)

Lost to Suns Orange 78-82

Coach comments

This was going to be an interesting game to see how the boys responded to last week’s game. They did not disappoint. Pushing the top team all the way and only going down by 4 was a testament to their growth and maturity.
With high energy, we created turnovers from our full-court press, and we were more patient on O, waiting for the best option available.
I was very pleased with the boys’ effort for the full four quarters, and the opposing coaches also congratulated me on their performance.
I could not fault the fight, effort, and camaraderie within the team; it is the best so far this season. Keep it up, boys. Well done.
We were very thankful and appreciative of Joaquin Imperial coming down to cheer on the boys despite being unwell and of Charlie Norrish, who was sidelined due to a football injury.
Everyone contributed in this game – all the 1%s don’t go unnoticed
Aiden Little was back to his attacking best, gathering 25 points and 100% at the FT line.
Toby Schultz was relentless and worked tirelessly on D and held his nerve when the opposition pressed full court.
Louis Daniel didn’t give up, working hard on the boards. He also used his pace on O transition and attacked the basket when he could see his advantage against his opponent.

18-1 Girls – Kelly Webb (sponsored by Aussie Fencing)

Lost to Cockburn 46-68

Coach comments

Our offense was more structured this week, with better ball movement, resulting in a 9-point difference at halftime. From there, however, Cockburn adapted their defence, applying doubled-teams which stumped our game.
Ella Ferris outdid herself on offense, taking more initiative driving at great angles and shooting in good stance.
Chloe Atkinson, Kate Anderson and Tiana Alger’s defensive intensity and presence were noticeable.

18-2 Girls – Steve Herring (sponsored by MD Building Maintenance)

Won against Redbacks Black 88-33

Coach comments

I must commend the entire team for the way they approached the game and played as a team with some amazing ball movement plays. The entire team was unselfish, game aware and willing to push hard for any small gain, a really commendable effort. The first quarter is one of the best the team has played all season, they settled a little in the 2nd and 3rd and cracked out another solid quarter to seal the game in the 4th. Lastly, I have to mention the effort in transition and chase down showed by all players in the team. The conditions were sometimes a little unexpected resulting in a need to quite literally pivot and chase, and everyone had a lead foot on Sunday showing a lot of speed and defensive pressure.
In her 100th game, Matilda Pyne displayed a solid performance on offense, defence, scoring, and rebounding.
Amina Handule had a job to do and did it well. We wanted domination in the paint and we got it. She showed great athleticism and strength to rip the boards and roll the scores.
Harriet Woods had yet another solid game, running the floor applying pressure and reading the game really well.

18-3 Girls – Andy Zell (sponsored by High Octane Automotive Services)

Lost to Redbacks Red 88-33

Coach comments

This week, we encountered a tough assignment: playing a derby against the 18-2s. This is a team near the top of our division who will be competing strongly in finals. We were down to only eight on the bench due to illness and unavailability while playing a full-strength side.
We started off a little slowly, allowing the 2’s to create easy buckets in transition and in the paint. Once we settled into our rhythm and implemented our offensive and defensive structures, we were much more competitive from the second quarter onwards.
While it was a tough game for our girls, they kept up their energy and enthusiasm to the very end. We used enormous effort to force the 2’s into their third and fourth offensive options. We also managed the press well, working hard and getting the ball in good spots in transition.
Congratulations to Team 2 for a well-competed victory and to Matilda Pyne, who celebrated her 100th game for Redbacks at halftime with players from both teams.
Alex Temby led from the front, working hard all day to create scoring opportunities for others with deft passing, and herself with strong drives to the basket.
Maddie Wade was a ball of energy and enthusiasm off the bench. Her pressure defence, never-give-up attitude and gut running impacted so many of the 2’s offensive sets.
Shout outs to the rest of the team – Indi Ballantine, Em Strika, Em Swann, Hannah Honczarenko, Izzy Cobb and Yusra Handule for giving consistent 110% effort and trying their best to run the offence and playing their role.

18-1 Boys – Andrew Logan

Won against Cockburn 100-71

Coach comments

Another solid team effort, with 6 players scoring 10 or more points. With improved ball movement from last week, we are building nicely towards the finals.

18-2 Boys – Marshall Robinson (sponsored by Integrity Fencing and Gates)

Lost to Joondalup 85-90

Coach comments

This game was close all the way, and when we believed in our defensive strategy, we lifted and looked threatening.
Ethan Bushby played his best game of the season so far
Ethan Harders contributed all game at both ends
James Reid’s decision-making with the ball was excellent

18-3 Boys – Louis Timms (sponsored by Icon Plumbing Solutions)

Won against Cockburn 108-57

Coach comments

After a pretty even scoreline in the first half, I thought the boys adjusted to Cockburn’s transition baskets and rebounding, which eventually gave us momentum. We also shot the ball quite well, which was reflected in the score.
Hamish Gibson was very efficient from outside leading the way with 17 points.
Jack Saliacus was excellent on the rebounds and is starting to get some game fitness back after being unwell for a while.
Overall it was a real team effort that got us the win.

18-4 Boys – Nick D’Elia (sponsored by Mortgage Choice – Emma Tyler)

Won against Perry Lakes 82-49

Coach comments

The last time we played the Hawks, it was a narrow defeat for us. This time, we came out strong from the first quarter. Our offense took a while to get going but once our shots started to drop, we scored with ease. In the second quarter, our defense kicked in, and we held Hawks to 2 points while we scored 20. We had the other 18s teams watching and cheering us on as we pulled ahead. Once we realised we were much faster and stronger and could just run past them on offense we kept the pressure on and by the 4th quarter it was a big lead. No matter who was on the court, we kept scoring with ease. This was a great win over 3rd place on the ladder heading toward finals
Curtis Carroll was aggressive on offence ball
Tyler Hirt and Noah Baker handled the ball beautifully and also drove and finished well.

21-1 Girls – John Care’ (sponsored by Fine Food WA)

Game postponed

20-1 Boys – Graham Jones (sponsored by Bendigo Bank Community Bank North Perth)

Lost to Cockburn 56-111

20-2 Boys – Dario Povia (sponsored by Bendigo Bank Community Bank North Perth)

Lost to East Perth Blue 68-84

Coach comments

The goal for the remainder of the season is simply to be better than the week before. We achieved that this week with a strong performance. We will continue to focus on fundamental concepts with positive communication and team-oriented basketball.