Weekly WABL Wrap – Round 5

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

Here’s the Round 5 wrap-up of how all our teams went, including comments from coaches:

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

Won against Willetton 47-18

Coach comments

From the first whistle, the girls were fired up. Speed was our main offensive weapon, as were excellently executed passing and pushing the ball forward.
Knowing Willetton teams play high-pressure, hands-out defence, the girls used their legs to get in front and play clean defence themselves. Only 1 reaching foul in the whole game!
Olive Bird had her best game ever – 15 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals and an assist. She was fast, accurate, decisive and a complete menace in transition.
Mia Exeter had a day out, recording a triple-double of 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks. Her length gave Willetton a lot of trouble as she also logged 12 deflections and 5 steals. All capped off with her first three-pointer ever in a game.
Both Elsey Lohan-White (6pts, 7rbds, 5 steals) and Bella Nevill (6 pts, 4 rbds, 2 steals) used their speed and ball handling to confuse the Willetton defence under our basket. Josie Smith (2pts, 3 rbds, 2 steals, 1 block) and Izzy Nagamany (2pts, 5 rbds, 4 steals, 1 block) were relentless in defence
Zara Flynn and Rose Bacci (4 steals) demonstrated excellent help D in transition.
Once again Darcey Hill (4pts, 4 rbds, 5 steals) used her handles effectively, making some good shot choices
Maeve Whitehouse had her best game, using her speed and length beautifully in defence and demonstrating great hustle for the ball.

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

Lost to Joondalup 37-42

Coach comments

Today, nothing was given, and everything was earned. The Wolves fought hard over three quarters, but in the last, we fought even harder, narrowing the final tally by denying the score and adding massively to ours. Today we were only beaten by time.
Madeleine Marshall continues to amaze us by guarding our yard, allowing her to attack the scoreboard with a big 10 points.
Matilda Thompson was crucial in rebounds, out jumping, out reaching, and pulling in the strong possession.
Kate McKern was awesome in defence, often relieving the Wolves of possession and creating many turnovers. It was a big day today for our talls.
Jade Macpherson caused some defensive worry for the Wolves with many stoppages.

12-3 Girls – Khalid Elmi

Won against Joondalup Wolves 29-26

Coach comments

This was a really close game. We ended up winning by three after a thrilling fourth quarter. We not only outworked the other team but we had the better energy on the court.
Lillian Inkster, Cairee Olowoyo and Eloise Watts top scored for us with 7 pts each.
Anja Petrovic played an outstanding game defensively and played the whole fourth quarter in foul trouble and didn’t foul out. Way to go girls!

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

Lost to Cockburn 33-59

Coach comments

Cockburn this year is one of two extremely strong teams.
Our boys played a very competitive game against them, and it basically came down to the third quarter. The Cockburn boys were scoring from everywhere outside the key, but the big margin did not scare our boys and the last quarter was close – improvements everywhere.
James Price came off the bench to give the opposition some headaches on offence and on defence.
Ruari Day was again, very strong in the key.
Eli Mancini is getting back to his best with his offensive pressure and smarts.

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

Won against Rockingham Flames 63-44

Coach comments

The boys executed full-court pressure well, getting steals and easy buckets. They did well to find each other and make the extra pass which made the offence flow smoothly.
Ned Tierney did well on both ends of the court, providing strong leadership on offense and great pressure on defence. Great job Ned.
Aiden Middleton did very well controlling the tempo he played at and not rushing possessions. He also did well helping defend if the full-court press was broken. Well done, Aiden.
Tyler Carter also did well on both ends of the court, grabbing rebounds and contesting shots on the defensive and making great passes and drives on the offensive end. Good job Ty.

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

Won against Rockingham 54-30

Coach comments

A really strange performance this week. Got behind 2 to 15 just before quarter time. We then went 52 to 15 for the rest of the game while also only allowing 5 points against for the whole of the second half. Amazing game by my boys. It’s almost like they see what their opposition likes to do then we take that away to see if they have a plan B. It worked well and may just have shown me what our pattern of gameplay is based on. Intensity and effort were fantastic. Our ball control was great as turnovers were down and assists were at a season-high. The only area of focus will be defensive rebounds. We are allowing way too many repeat shots by opposing teams. Really good game by all 10 boys and Luke managing player substitutions.
Levi Giglia brought a lot of energy and movement to our game this week. He is so willing to pass to players in better positions, and his defence is intense and powerful.
Ryan Karaki showed how skilled he is with the ball in hand. His 0 turnovers and 3 steals are fantastic game stats. He is working hard on his defence, and the rewards will come for all his efforts.

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

Won against Suns 84-29

Coach comments

This week, our team had the opportunity to compete against the Eastern Suns, who are currently lower in the rankings than us. Unfortunately, we were not at full strength as three of our players were unavailable for the game. However, this provided an excellent opportunity for two of our train-ons to step up and contribute to the team. Both of them took this opportunity and put in commendable performances, exceeding our expectations.
Our success in this game can be attributed to a fantastic collective effort by the entire team. All players showed great intensity, especially on the defensive end of the court, which was maintained throughout the game. Our trap defence proved to be particularly effective. This constantly put our opponents under pressure, leading to us forcing numerous turnovers. We capitalised on these turnovers, converting them into 16 fastbreak points.
A key highlight was the scoring contribution from every player, showcasing our team’s well-rounded offensive skills and collaboration. We secured the win, ending the game at 84-29. We’re extremely proud of our team’s performance and are committed to sustaining this level of basketball in our future matches.
Fionn Healy delivered an exceptional performance on Sunday. He managed to score an impressive 15 points, demonstrating his offensive prowess and strong scoring skills. He displayed great accuracy, shooting 7 out of 12 from the field, which is an exceptional shooting percentage. Fionn’s contribution was very important in our win, and we look forward to more performances like this from him in our future games.
Santiago Cortes had a fantastic game, putting up some impressive stats. He shot at an efficiency of 62%, showcasing his scoring. Moreover, he led the team in assists with 3, contributing significantly to our offensive flow. Importantly, he gave up no turnovers, demonstrating his great control over the ball and wise decision-making. Santiago’s performance was a key factor in our victory, and we hope to see more of this in future games.

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

Won against Lakeside 61-35

Coach comments

We came out strong, with good aggression, intending to be disruptive at the defensive end to kick start our offense. We had a very good first quarter that set the tone for the rest of the game.
We never let up and held a consistent lead for all four quarters which was great to see.
Our spacing and structures and ability to move the ball and make good decisions were a highlight.
All our stats are trending in the right direction. Our free-throw and shooting percentages are up. We’re winning the rebound battle and cutting down on our turnovers. Very proud of how well the girls have progressed the last few weeks.
Jacinta Wladyka had a dominant four-quarter performance. She was explosive off the dribble, got back to her aggressive self and was finishing at the rim with either hand. Her decision-making and knowing when to go and when to slow down was a real highlight.
Lauren Jones continues to grow and develop at a rapid rate. Her confidence and ability to absorb information at practice and then translate it into games have been great. Her help with defence, positioning, and discipline have been obvious.

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

Won against Slammers 56-27

Coach comments

Beast Mode Activated!
Our willingness to move the ball fast to open players and also work through our offensive sets more consistently for a good shot had a big impact on efficiency. 15 of our 28 made baskets were generated off a pass assist, and many great shots dropped neatly at 49%eFG.
The girls played great man-on-man defence all game and owned it. Even when individually beaten, the team hustled to help and recover.
Once again, Saachi Ti’en started strong, draining neat shots in offence and playing almost perfect split-line defence, protecting our basket.
Ella Fair played tight denial defence and jumped at steals all game long racking up 9 steals and finishing some contested layups.
Our train-on Audrey Toussaint enjoyed her first game and played with great intensity and brilliant speed. She was involved in a lot of the game and was a brilliant spark!
Soniya Karimi has been dangerous all season and found her way to the bucket this week with 11 points and her usual bag of steals and rebounds.

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

Lost to Cockburn 46-48

Coach comments

Another close game this week. The first quarter saw both teams trading baskets, with us trailing by 2 points going into the second. The second quarter turned into an arm wrestle as both teams stepped up defensively, resulting in a very low-scoring quarter and leaving us trailing by 5 points at halftime. In the third, we played our best basketball of the season. With composure, excellent ball movement in transition, and dominance on the boards, we maintained our defensive pressure, holding Cockburn to just 6 points while scoring 18 of our own. Despite us fighting hard in the fourth quarter, Cockburn came back strong, and in another nail-biting finish, we just couldn’t hang on.
Freya Whitehouse was outstanding, grabbing crucial rebounds and showing great composure and control.
Siena Mouttet also shone, securing key rebounds and finding her teammates in transition for a couple of great assists.

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

Won against Hills Raiders Grey 51-22

Coach comments

In this game, I saw every single one of the girls play their role on the defensive end and offensive end.
We shared the ball really well to have everyone score and finished with 11 assists as a team, the most all season. we also rebounded really well.
Jana Djurasovic was unstoppable on the boards finishing with 16 rebounds, 10 of them being offensive.
Isla Cowman ran hard all game, getting back in defence, and was attacking the ring with purpose.

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

Won against Warwick 71-43

Coach comments

We got off to a great start and controlled the tempo for the first 5 minutes before a series of brutal encounters left us with only 6 players for the remainder of the first quarter.
This game was our most physical of the season so far, and the boys showed enormous courage and composure to absorb the Senator’s pressure. They ended the game with a season-low for turnovers and won nearly all statistical categories.
With two of our bigs out, we asked a lot of Harrison Moyle in this game, and he delivered, with 19 rebounds and a commanding presence on defence. His contribution was evident by having our largest +/-; well done, and thank you, Harry!
Christian Cvitan was tenacious on defence, slowing the Warwick transition and punishing them on the fast break. With a smaller line-up, he stepped up with 7 rebounds and was instrumental in keeping their scorers out of the paint.
William Hemingway was electric. His no-reaching defensive intensity was rewarded by avoiding foul trouble while still picking up a block and four steals. His ability to attack the basket and find open teammates at pace is as exciting to watch as his transition.
We wish Nate Cass a speedy recovery after a nasty ankle injury ended his game a few minutes in. Get well soon Nate.

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

Lost to Eastern Suns 62-66

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

Won against Rockingham Black 58-54 (OT)

Coach comments

We made the trip down the freeway to play the Flames this week. We came up against a bigger and far more physical team, but we held our own, stuck with our game plan, and made the plays when it mattered most, squeezing out a four-point overtime win. I’m very proud of the way the boys handled the physical pressure.
Mr Reliable Nathan Jetajobe finished with 25 points and about the same in rebounds.
With three players fouled out in the last quarter, it was very encouraging to see other players step up in overtime. Oliver Colangelo, Thomas Smith, and Vinnie Ryder played with ice in their veins as they secured the win.

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

Lost to the Eastern Suns 36-49

Coach comments

The game was a great effort against one of the better sides in our division. We were close all game except during the second quarter where we only scored 3 points due to a lot of missed free throws and them getting a lot of rebounds. Overall, we were very competitive, and it was great to see
Jayden Austin was great every time he was on the court bringing great pressure and great attacking of the basket, creating good looks for him and his teammates
Kai Atfield was great all game taking good shots and working hard on defence. When we needed a lift to start the second half he gave it by both knocking down shots and providing pressure

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

Won against Joondalup Wolves 60-44

Coach comments

This was an important game for us to refocus our team style and improve upon our rebounding struggles from our last two matchups. We came to play this game and dominated the boards early, holding the Wolves to 3 points in the first quarter. They made a couple of runs to get close to us, but in the fourth, we put the foot down and got out beyond 20. Most importantly, this was a whole team effort, and everyone stepped up.
Millie Stancil and Niamh Murphy were both excellent in this game. They both brought incredible defence, were awesome on the boards and made great decisions in O. Niamh was especially effective getting to the line and knocking down her free throws.
Mafa Tuialli was our vocal leader all game and has really stepped up as a point guard this season.
Lailah Tasker had some *very* unlucky fouls early and had to play smart. She kept a team-first attitude all game and played key minutes in the second half.

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

Lost to Joondalup 37-64

Coach comments

This week, our girls played a tough game against a fast and determined Wolves. Our girls got them on determination, pace, and hunger in the second quarter. They need to take that as an indication that they can compete with this team and beat them next time. Regardless of the outcome, we played with heart all game, right to the end.
Our desperation resulted in early foul trouble for numerous players. Whilst it’s stressful at the time, I am so impressed with how well the girls managed the constraint of playing with 3 or 4 fouls for pretty much the second half. Other players stepped up and gave it a good crack in our half-court defence. It also wasn’t our day with many shots and layups just rimming out.
Mya Slee had a great game, being very aggressive in the paint in offence. She found good advantage situations and timed it really well to take them without forcing.
Bella Kahl was great on defensive boards, applying strong pressure to protect the basket from the Wolves’ give-and-go attack and making some good shot-making decisions.
Paige Wigmore had a great game. She walled up to protect our paint and used great footwork to apply serious pressure on their bigs, whether one-on-one or as help to backup her teammates.

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

Lost to Perry Lakes Hawks 45-63

Coach comments

We played the top-of-the-table Hawks in this game, and we had a tough day at the office at Bendat.
Ball security was a major issue throughout the game, and unforced turnovers made it difficult for us to find our rhythm and confidence.
The Hawks were better on the day, and highlighted areas we need to work on and how we should approach this.
Cara Hayes worked hard all game, and after a couple of interrupted training weeks, I feel her best form is in front of her.
Abigail Leslie showed her value in a different way when we put her inside in a high/low offense early in the 3rd. It was the best we looked all game.
Halle Griffiths continues to learn lots of lessons in game as our rookie. Effort is always 100% and the experience will come.

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

Lost to Mandurah Gold 49-71

Coach comments

Magic were scrappy and physical throughout the game which left us with some injuries and frustrations. However, the girls worked through it and really took Magic to task in the first quarter. Our teamwork is improving as we learn together and I was quite impressed at the attitude they maintained even as we were losing sight of the win
Emily Flynn was very consistent throughout and very reliable.
Alessia Wladyka’s ball handling frequently left her defence behind.
Nadia Slee once again proved a menace in defence, and her put-back shots were well chosen.
Macaela Tugwell was excellent in the second half as she gave Magic some tough medicine under the basket.
Maddie McKibbin put in an intense effort to keep up the speed of play.
All the girls truly gave 100 per cent effort, and Ella Djurasovic played with the most purple elbow I’ve ever seen.

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

Won against Suns 79-77

Coach comments

Sometimes, a wins feel like a loss, and unfortunately, this game falls into this category.
We played an Eastern Suns team that we knew would play spirited basketball. We started really well, outrebounding them and attacking the ring at every opportunity. But really poor free-throw shooting in the first quarter meant that instead of going into halftime 20 points up, we were only up 6. And then our inability to slow the game down at the end meant we almost lost. A reminder to the boys to just stick to the game plan thankfully saw us home, but this game highlighted many areas of improvement for us going forward.
Jenson Harders’ ability to stay in front of the opposition’s main offensive player is inspiring. He moves his feet and really is willing to be first on the floor for any loose ball. I find him inspiring and he has lifted my defensive expectations for the entire squad.
Ewan Maclean clocked game-high minutes and constantly used his speed both ways. I jokingly asked him to get me a coffee on the way down the court as he was doing everything—15 points, 6 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, and ZERO turnovers. It’s really great to see Ewan step up.
Ant Flores had a real point guard game – 6 points, 8 boards, 8 assists, 2 steals and only 1 turnover. He also hit a dagger 3 to force the Suns out of their zone.
I must also acknowledge our injured player, Jaden Exeter. His energy and encouragement from the bench in this game was worth at least a few points to our team.

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

Won against Lakeside White 70-58

Coach comments

This game was a great team effort on the defensive end for us.
Jalen Dunstan was outstanding for us, scoring 25 points and 10 rebounds.
Congrats to Tom Lindegger who played his 50th WABL game for Perth Redbacks in this game.
Although some members of our team have been injured, our whole team is lifting and getting the job done. I’m very proud of this team.

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

Won against Lakeside 71-52

Coach comments

We started off the game quite slowly, and it was a pretty close contest. After halftime, we came out strong and went on a good run to finish the third quarter, which gave us a good lead and momentum boost coming into the fourth.
Kimzy Matondo, Macen Ridge and Lucas Le were all great for us in this game.

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

Lost to Cockburn 68-80

Coach comments

Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the win against Cougars. We didn’t give up, though, and fought back, having been down at quarter time and half time to lead the three-quarter break by 4.
The boys should be proud of their efforts so far, heads held high, as we have been in the contest with all four teams that we know are going to test the division and, at various stages throughout the game, led. Lots of positives in moving forward.
Toby Schultz played an awesome game. His endeavour to create on the offensive end (he led the way in points with 19), be aggressive on D, and use his energy and effort on the full-court trap helped create turnovers and easy buckets. It’s good to see the reward for his effort, including nailing a 3 from our inbounds play.
Aiden Little also had a great game. He made all free throws 6 of 6. Waiting and creating on the offensive end as gaps appeared.
Shout out to Parker Dunstan for getting some steals and also adjusting his game to not foul out, having had 4 fouls before halftime.

18-1 Girls – Shaun Alvar (sponsored by Aussie Fencing)

Lost to Joondalup 101-41

Coach comments

The unavailability of players for games and training is still severely impacting our connection and continuity as a team. It also means players need to play roles that are not aligned with their strengths. However, there were signs on the weekend that indicated what we can do, especially defensively, where we were able to get four 24-second violations.
Additionally, the effort all girls showed was very good.
Thanks to Theory Snooks-Holding and Harriet Woods from the 18-2s for filling in for us on Sunday.
And huge congrats to Jenna Jackson who played her 100th WABL game for Perth Redbacks. Great achievement.

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

Lost to Eastern Suns Black 45-60

Coach comments

It was a bit of a slow start, and there was no help from the ring during the game. We really struggled to find the net, but our competition for the boards at both ends was strong. We found our form late in the second to pull back to equal the score. But the third and fourth quarters were thwarted, with the lucky drop taking a holiday for our team this week. It was a brave and dedicated effort by all, and there were some great lessons to take away.
This week again showed that the work applied to rebounding is paying off – we outrebounded Sunds at both ends, with Amina Handule dominating again this week.
Theory Snooks-Holding, Lilliana Flynn, Jessica Kerp and Chloe Chan all accepted special tasks confidently.

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

Lost to Cockburn 100-40

Coach comments

We knew this week would be a tough assignment against an undefeated Cougars team. The girls trained hard, focusing on breaking the press and making good decisions with our passing. This training paid off as we were much more controlled in the backcourt throughout the game and minimised the effectiveness of Cockburn’s press.
We started the game well and had the game on our terms for long passages in the first and third quarter. But we struggled to finish and put some scoreboard pressure back on the opposition. Unfortunately, Cockburn had a few periods where the scored lots of points in quick succession.
The fourth quarter was a struggle for our girls. We were down on rotations due to injuries and absence, and Cockburn got some easier buckets when the game was out of reach.
Playing against the best teams makes us better. We will take lots of lessons out of this game and focus on minimising opposition team runs, improving our scoring when we have the game on our terms, closing out with intensity and tidying up our transition defence.
As a developing side, I’m very encouraged by the effort and signs of improvement within the game. Every player contributed, played their role and worked hard. We improved on all of key areas and dominated the boards.
Indi Ballantine had her best game of the season this week. She minimised her fouls (3 all in the second half), defended strongly in the paint, dominated rebounds (16) and blocks (2) and was a significant presence on the court.
Em Strika also played a solid game. She was strong on defence, continued to drive (particularly on the weak side) scoring in the paint while taking contact and defended strongly.
Alex Temby played strong defence against some of the strongest players in our league, scored 10 points, gathered 11 rebounds as a guard and showed wonderful leadership on the court.

18-1 Boys – Andrew Logan

Won against Mandurah 113-89

Coach comments

Solid game from the boys. We executed our offence well and defended with intensity.
Lucas Detata had his best game of the season shooting the ball at a high clip and working hard on the defensive end.
Isaac Moore had a day out offensively while also displaying a competitive hunger for the contest.

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

Lost to Warwick 106-74

Coach comments

Warwick were a big, well-trained team. Their drive and dish game scored against our rotation defence, and we were outsized on rebounding. I was very happy with our patience in offense. We looked to control our tempo well, not being rushed to shoot. We won the third quarter and brought the margin back to 12 points.
Josh Welsh had a great game at both ends and we had a big step up from Cameron Todorovic and Hunter Grieve defensively

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

Won against Joondalup 85-81 (OT)

Coach comments

We won in overtime. The boys did a great job holding off the Wolves, who were excellent in the fourth quarter and came back from 16 down at three-quarter time.
Our defence caused Joondalup real problems for most of the game, but some lapses allowed Joondalup’s individual capabilities to take advantage. In the overtime period, a number of our players stepped up. Overall, it was a really valuable experience for the boys and the coaches.
Zac Anfuso was huge in the fourth quarter, knocking down the game-tying free throw and sending the game to overtime.
Ben Galvin (13pts), Hamish Gibson (15pts), and Cuba Brian (13pts) were all solid offensive contributors, and it was great to see Jack Ryder finding some form again.
Michael Ryan was excellent in the passing lanes on defence and had five or six steals for the game.

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

Win against Hills Raiders 74-47

Coach comments

This week, we started a little slow. We had a small lead from early on, but our lack of defensive intensity, poor shot options, and some 1-on-1 basketball allowed them to stay in the game.
Hamza Elmi came in with great intensity and effort on both ends of the court. He cleaned up the offensive rebounds, gave the boys a huge spark and finally we played well on offense. From there the lead quickly went to 10-15 points.
Strong drives from Zayde Parriman and Gabe Fode opened up outside shots for Tyler Hirt which allowed us to take control of the game and we never looked back from there.

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

Lost to East Perth 33-94

Coach comments

Tough game against the East Perth Eagles this weekend. Our girls did their best to compete and put up a good fight. In moments we looked great but struggled to maintained consistency of execution through four quarters.
Hannah Saliacus played a great game in offence and defence this week and contributed 11 pts.
Hayley Shaw got into foul trouble early; however was a massive defensive threat when on the court.

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

Won against Joondalup 95-94

Coach comments

Coming off a tough loss last week, we met before the game to refocus and discuss the importance of motivation and accountability. We knew we had to come together as a team and hold each other accountable to achieve the results we wanted.
The game began with a sluggish start. We fell behind by 16 points in the first quarter and did not show the immediate response we had hoped for. However, the second quarter was a different story. We came out with a much more aggressive defence and a renewed sense of purpose, winning the quarter by 7 points and starting to turn the tide.
The third quarter was a tightly contested battle, with both teams trading baskets and neither able to gain a significant edge, leaving us down by 9 points heading into the final quarter.
In the fourth, the boys displayed remarkable guts and grit. They dug deep, fought hard, and slowly chipped away at the deficit. It was a thrilling finish as we only took the lead in the final minutes of the game. In a nail-biting conclusion, we secured a one-point victory, showcasing resilience and determination.
Declan Pyne came out with his best performance of the season so far. He boxed out hard, crashed the boards when required, and played big on the defensive end, setting the tone for our comeback.
Luke Ogden had a standout performance, scoring 25 points and delivering an assured defensive game. It’s great to see him getting back to his best and leading the charge.
Guys Liggins, despite being ill during the week, showed why he has become the defensive anchor of the team. He fought for everything and was a vocal leader on the court, inspiring his teammates with his tenacity.

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

Lost to Mandurah Magic Red 72-98

Coach comments

We were jumped early by a high-intensity Mandurah team that really hurt us in transition with accurate 3-point shooting from open looks in the corners. We quickly found ourselves 20 points down, but our boys managed to stem the flow somewhat to go in at halftime with the game still within reach. A spirited third-quarter comeback put us within 3 points at one stage, but we just couldn’t maintain that momentum as the opposition took the game away from us in the fourth.
Riley Ford was like a brick wall on defence and was well supported by Drew Corry and Oliver Hill, with Hamish Elder effective at the top middle of our zone.
Harry Cuerden and Benji Berardis were proactive on the drive
Hamish made the most of his scoring opportunities, and Alistair Hartmann showed good poise and decision-making with the ball in hand under pressure.