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:

U12 Girls Champs – Bri Bailey (sponsored by Access Hire WA)

Won against South West Slammers 27-14

Coach comments

This was our lowest-scoring game all season – it took us three quarters to knuckle down and get the job done. It was quite a scrappy game with constant jump balls as Bunbury decided they weren’t going to give up easily, and we were going to have to work for the win. In the end, we did just that and ran out 13-point victors.
In her 50th WABL game for Redbacks, Mia Exeter had a great game – reading plays, switching and playing great defence on the guards forcing them to turn it over or blocking them. She also got some great boards, finishing with 9 of those to go with 6 blocks and 2 steals.
Jacinta Wladkya, also celebrating her 50-game milestone, was everywhere, jumping on every loose ball on the floor, even the ones miles away, and showing great determination. She finished this game with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 11 steals. Well done Jacinta!
Elsey Lohman White and Allegra Care had one job during the game, and that was to shut down one of Bunbury’s main players. They nailed their brief – executing very well to keep the ball out of her hands for most of the game.

U12 Girls Div 4 Red – Rori Roberts (sponsored by Commercial Plumbing)

Lost to Suns White 33-44

Coach comments

We got off to a good start early, and this saw us up 8 at halftime. Unfortunately, the Suns came out hard and fast in the second half and never slowed down. We could not get ourselves going, and they were able to run out 11-point winners.
This was our first loss of the season, and I’m so proud of how far we went and how the girls handled it.
Eva Blyth played another amazing game, getting in the lanes defensively and being our leading scorer with 12, followed closely by Isabella with 11.
Olivia Jones was always finding the space in offence, allowing her to get a few shots up without defence, also doing an amazing job on defence

U12 Girls Div 4 Black – Paul Philpott (sponsored by National Geotech Drilling)

Won against Mandurah Magic White 6-42

Coach comments

This game was a great demonstration of the skills our girls have been working on since the season started. We played with heart and thought. Well done girls … a well-deserved win!
Today Zoe de Morton received her driver’s license and challenged anyone in her way whilst she passaged to the ring amidst a sea of towering opponents.
Zoe Bartuciotto kept the side door open with some spicy key side shots.
Matilda Thompson, whilst initially intimidated by Magic’s tallest player, still took ownership of her, tagging her throughout the second half … not a happy opponent.
A BIG thank you to all our girls who not only did everything Ben and I asked of them but also put on a skilful and spectacular show for our Redbacks supporter/parent bench.

12 Boys Champs – Brandon Riley (sponsored by Stockbrands)

Lost to Willetton 46-73

Coach comments

We were in the game in the first half but gave up too many offensive boards, which gave Willo too many second and third opportunities.
Zac Snell was solid, and Kruz Viesca has been our best defender in some tough matchups.

U12 Boys Div 2 – Andrija Petrovic (sponsored by Skyward Roofing Services)

Lost to Mandurah Magic 36-46

U12 Boys Div 3 – Ofir Ben Dror (sponsored by Fitzpatrick Private Wealth)

Lost to Perry Lakes Hawks 52-50

Coach comments

Our team is back playing exciting basketball. Our defence is a lot stronger, and our offense is a lot more inclusive.
The Hawks beat us to the finish line after we were up for most of the game. It came down to strength in the key (most of their team is made up of older age players), but I’m very excited about our development.
As almost per usual, Elijah Mancini was leading the attack in offense, cutting through the opposition defence while Victor Muyna and Noah Mucjanko are performing a relentless press defence.

U12 Boys Div 4 – Craig Dropulich (sponsored by Sushi Wawa)

Lost to Eastern Suns 58-61

Coach comments

What a game this week, we got a massive amount of development from thse four quarters. Unfortunately, we came up short by 3 points after coming back from 17 points down late in the second quarter. With 2 minutes to go, we led by 6 points and looked good to hold on.
Defensive pressure was the key to this turnaround. At half-time I asked the boys to ignore the score and just bring as much defensive pressure as they could. It worked – the pressure caused turnovers and made them Suns baskets they easily hit in the first half.
We also had some exceptional scoring by players feeding off the euphoria of winning the ball back and taking on the opposition defence – some unbelievable shots dropped for us.
Ashton Peake had his best game for us, showing everyone how good his ball-handling skills are. He shot well, defended well with more pressure and was super confident on the court.
Ned Tierney has a great all-round game and 10 hard fought points, all under ferocious pressure under the basket. Good work Ned.
Elijah Devitt and Seth Cass controlled the point and drove from attacking positions on the court to set up teammates. Eli nailed 2 more threes as well.
Xavier Coombe is going from strength to strength – lots of pressure being exerted by him on defence and so much more confidence when handling the ball and great shot selections that he was nailing.
Pio, Aiden, Talin, Emmett and Noah must be commended on their defence too. As no higher praise can be given than that from the opposition coach acknowledging that our team trap was the best they have gone up against all season and caused havoc on their players all game. Exactly what we want to do, well done boys.

U14 Girls Champs – Aric Forman (sponsored by Welsh Real Estate)

Won against Slammers 73-40

Coach comments

We had dominant first and third quarters, which set up a comfortable win. A great team performance.
Paige Ogden had a strong all-around game and hit the scoreboard with 13 points.
I loved seeing Scarlett Hill and Alessia Wladyka attack the basket. (Particularly great to see from Alessia in her 50th WABL game for Redbacks. Well done Alessia.)
Abbie Leslie’s rebounding was incredible, leaping over much taller opponents to secure the boards.
Ella Welsh continued her scoring streak with 32 points.

U14 Girls Div 3 – Vance Karimi (sponsored by Fish Boss)

Won against Willetton Tigers 59-56

Coach comments

The girls started great this week with some clean, sharp passing and good decisions. The second quarter got away from us with a few forced shots, and the pressure of the Willetton press caused a few turnovers. But that didn’t worry the girls. We were down by 14 at some point early in the second half, and the girls chipped away. They knew every decision made a difference, and they gave everything in the fourth quarter. In the final minutes, they were so composed not to force things and played with poise. All the girls played well above their age in that respect. It was an amazing game, but not sure if the old ticker can handle many more of these.
Cara Hayes and Lottie Ballantine were steadfast and strong. They were in control of the boards for most of the game. And both were aware of player presence to hit some great passes.
Leisha Charlie was on fire and made some really smart decisions with and without the ball. She chased her heart out to deny and intercept whenever she could. She took a hard hit and went down pretty hard but bounced back to support her team from the bench.
Sasha Kuan brought her signature hop-2-feet layup and made it look easy from the paint.
Zoe Elliott was so composed under the Tiger’s press to get it over the backcourt. It almost seems like she enjoys the double-team press.

U14 Girls Div 5 Red – Marcia Dowling

Won against Warwick Senators 41-30

Coach comments

Our overarching team attitude goal until the end of the season is to ENJOY the games. And this week’s game was wonderful. The girls worked hard from start to finish; running hard, heads up early and they made excellent on-court decisions. Passing was more accurate and directed with ball movement in our front court catching our opponents off balance
All the players gave so much this week – they all deserve a mention so I can’t single any of them out today. However, I must thank Mya Slee for stepping in to assist (Ainsleigh was unavailable due to game clashes) with such care, confidence and wisdom.

U14 Girls Div 5 Black – Reid Ballantine

Won against Cockburn Cougars 43-37

Coach comments

We had a rusty start with shots dribbling out and Cockburn dashing away to 12-0 with neat shooting. We had to work hard all game to shut down their bigs and claim the rebounds. We adjusted and improved each quarter and finally stole the game back quite late in the fourth.
Guest Assistant Coach Ayla Harris helped our team at this week’s training and helped our team get focused and physical on R E B O U N D S. Thanks Ayla.
Beating their big, and rebounding was a team effort, with Saachi Ti’en, Olivia Birsa and Madison McKibbin working hard in tandem. Chelsea Karsum also instinctively pitched in, and Ellie Pike added super-focused extra denial in the fourth quarter to swing the game.
Saachi and Olivia gave us great offensive spacing off the ball and created some nice holes and scoring opportunities.

U14 Boys Champs – Andrew Logan (sponsored by MD Building Maintenance)

Won against Perry Lakes 60-52

Coach comments

Firstly congratulations to Caeden Olowoyo for whom this was his 50th WABL game. Caeden has battled injuries over the last 2 years. It’s great to see him getting some reps in this season.
Another win in Champs division! Well done to the boys. We had an even contribution across the board in this game. Every player hit the scoreboard for the first time this season. With this win, we keep our finals chances alive.
Jamie Cahill had a season-high 17 points and continues to impact the floor on both ends. Jamie is often assigned the opposition’s best offensive player and has met that challenge head-on all season. His ability to finish around the ring while moving at full pace was a weapon for us.
Tyson Cass made a solid WABL contribution. He had no turnovers, moved the ball well with bullet passes, attacked the ring when he had his opportunities and was rewarded with an ‘and1’
Travis Hunt was back to his best, attacking the ring relentlessly. He put pressure on our opponent and scored easily through traffic. It was great to see heading into the business end of the season.

U14 Boys Div 3 – Brad Holyoak (sponsored by Drafting Now)

Won against Slammers 48-45

Coach comments

This week’s game was a very physical game against the Slammers, where the boys worked hard and played hard and dealt with the pressure and physicality well.
Tace Rankin had a last-minute change of his role today – to put the brakes on their best player – and he gave a fantastic effort.
Lucas Le was at his dynamic best, slashing to the rim and dealing with some very heavy contact.
Louis Daniel put in a solid performance playing a new role at the 5. Well done

U14 Boys Div 4 – Ben Hamilton (sponsored by Cogito Psychology)

Lost to Joondalup 51-54

Coach comments

Joondalup is a great match-up for our team, with strength across all positions, lots of height and some great shooters. We struggled early offensively, missing many shots we normally make, creating pressure that made the task even harder.
After scoring only 4 points and being down by 12 at quarter time, we fought back well to lead by 5 with only a few minutes to play.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t contain them at the end, and they won a close and exciting game.
Will Hemingway had the assignment on their best scorer and was able to keep him well below his average while also being a constant threat offensively. His contribution on the boards was vital against a team with very good rebounders.
Harrison Moyle matched up against an exceptional rebounder who was also very dangerous offensively. His effort all game was great to watch, and it was pleasing to see Harrison adapt his game to his new opponent while also looking to press his own advantage offensively.
Big congrats to Zeke Brian – this was his 50th WABL game for Redbacks.

U14 Boys Div 5 – Matt Strika (sponsored by Sushi Wawa)

Lost to Joondalup Wolves 39-82

Coach comments

In the last game in a stretch of tough opponents, we were buoyed by being back at full strength with the return of our big into the lineup. We battled hard all day but unfortunately couldn’t get up against a well-drilled opposition. Was happy to see the team rally around each other to keep up a positive vibe and attitude.
Kade Peake had a strong game, showing some good poise at the point along with an impressive 6 rebounds to go with his 4 points.
Max Woods stepped up with some great assists to get his teammates into the game.

U16 Girls Champs – Sam Fox (sponsored by Mt Lawley Orthodontics)

Won against Perry Lakes Hawks 61-60

Coach comments

What a game! We started with great energy but were over-relying on our outside shot. The Hawks had some runs and got up 12 by halftime. The third was a battle, and we chipped away at the lead. In the fourth, we brought great fight, finally bridging the gap in the last minute to tie it up. After an intense series of possessions, we were down 1 but forced a turnover with 2 seconds on the clock. We set up our in-bounds, and Leeshar Tuialli got Harriet Woods the ball in the corner. Harriet’s defender flew at her, she took one dribble to evade and floated a teardrop from the baseline, the siren sounded with the ball hanging in the air, then … SPLASH! We got this opportunity to win by competing every second.
Miki Deshon showed awesome leadership, getting us organised in all scenarios, creating off steals and leading our scoring with 16 points including 3 three-pointers.
Leeshar Tuialli, Madi Makavilitogia and Theory Snooks-Holding were fantastic against the opposing bigs, asserting themselves in the paint and ripping down boards.
Harriet Woods was the player of the moment, creating buckets by attacking hard and looking for her three-ball and then the game-winning buzzer-beater. Super clutch!

U16 Girls Div 3 Red – Cheyne Kerp (sponsored by Wyatt Martin)

Won against Joondalup 66-57

Coach comments

This was our best game of the season so far.
The game was challenging because we knew the opposition would try to challenge us mentally and physically, especially after the last time we played each other. But we did an excellent job staying composed and focused throughout the game.
Our spacing on offence is improving with every game, which creates many scoring opportunities.
Even though the foul count wasn’t in our favour, the girls showed determination and resilience.
Overall, Anjo and I were very proud of the girls and the way they handled the challenges thrown at them.
This was a really pleasing ‘whole team’ win, so I can’t nominate any individual players this week – everyone brought something.
It was also so pleasing to see the girls’ sportsmanship, high-fiving, helping each other and performing the roles as expected whilst on the court.

U16 Girls Div 4 – Geoff Alger (sponsored by Design Orthodontics)

Lost to Lakeside Lightning White 55-58

Coach comments

Both teams set themselves for this game, so it was competitive throughout. A bit of fatigue through the middle part of the game created some lapses that allowed the Lightning girls to gain a bit of a break going into the final term before a determined and positive response managed to bring the score back to level late on and make an exciting finish. While we were all disappointed to fall short of the win, the energy from the bench and the determination on the court was great to see. Despite the loss, I enjoyed seeing many of the girls applying our lessons from training. Players were fighting for rebounding position, bumping cutters, covering the basket in transition D, moving the ball in offense and taking good strong positive drives to the basket when the lanes opened up. All good steps forward.
Ayla Harris was clearly determined and hungry to fight for the win today. Her four 3-pointers were the icing on the cake of a great all-round game with really useful improvement in her ability to control the floor and structure the offense.
Mya Slee was really solid again. She’s very reliable in everything she does, and her strength and composure when finishing is an extra plus for the team.

U16 Girls Div 4 – Lucy Dowling (sponsored by LKS Constructions)

Lost to Joondalup Wolves Green 82-36

Coach comments

We started off really competitive and gave Joondalup a hard first quarter. Our off-ball movement was better, and we were a lot more ready for the contact when it came.
Paige Wigmore had a stand-out game, pulling in big rebounds, getting up on defence, and contributing well overall.
Isabelle Swan did well to focus on composure after a tough game last week. As always, she brought great energy, and I love that she’s starting to get loud in warm-ups and when on the bench.

U16 Boys Champs – Luke Notley (sponsored by Community Bank North Perth)

Won against Lakeside 88-84

Coach comments

We got off to a great start in the first quarter but allowed Lakeside back into the game in the second as we went to sleep and stopped concentrating on our defence. (We allowed them to score 36 points in the second.) We did well not to lose our bundle in the fourth and ensure we came away with the win at the end of the game. While this was not a great game for us mentally when you consider our performance in the fourth quarter last week vs Cockburn, it’s been an unsettled run of games due to player unavailability. We hope to regroup and re-settle this week with Zayde coming back and hopefully Hamish only another week or so away.
We welcomed Ben Galvin back to our scoring stats this week with 30 points. He also managed to get some great deflections and steals during this game to make sure we kept in the game.
Zaydn Thomas’ effort and hustle are just amazing each week, and this game was no different. We needed a team of Zaydn’s effort in this game. By far, he kept us in the game defensively this week.
Jay Hazell put in another solid game this week in the paint (16 pts) and on the boards.
Cuba Brian stepped in again this week and gave us great minutes and hustle when he was on the floor.

U16 Boys Div 2 – Louis Timms (sponsored by Inktank)

Lost to Joondalup Wolves 90-78

Coach comments

We had a slow start to the game, which has been a bit of a consistent theme for us, but the boys made a good defensive adjustment with earlier help and playing in the passing lanes. This saw us take a lead of 7 into halftime.
Joondalup came out in the second half with more defensive pressure and made a concerted effort to attack us off the dribble and chase offensive rebounds. With the loss of Deegan Castle halfway through the 3rd quarter due to injury, we struggled to compete on the glass, and the Wolves came away with a well-deserved victory.
Vinz Matondo was a standout offensively and had one of his best all-around games scoring 21 points.
Tyler Hirt was once again a solid contributor and has really developed his 3-point shot throughout the season.
I thought that Mitch Kensett-Smith was our best defensive player in this game. He has really improved his defensive footwork and ability to stay in front of ball carriers.

U16 Boys Div 4 – Mitch Jesson (sponsored by DLA Piper)

Won against Perry Lakes 51-76

Coach comments

This game was 3v4, so there were ladder implications and possible future matchups on the line.
Despite being an 8am start away from home, we started well and took an early lead in the first quarter. We then won each remaining quarter to slowly extend the margin and record a 25-point win in the end, with 8 of our 9 players scoring.
We were very happy with our other metrics, 53% field goal, +10 in rebounds, +7 assists, +13 in steals, and a charge taken (with 3 more that were close).
Ewan Maclean bounced back to form in this game. 11 points (@63%), 8 boards (3 offensive), 2 assists and a game equaling 5 steals. We played Ewan closer to the basket to allow an experiment with Flynn Hamilton playing guard. Ewan’s rebounding, pace and skill are an awesome combination.
When a game is very physical, Connor Webb is the teammate you want to have by your side. Unflinching play saw him match the larger Hawks players – time and time again, he put his body on the line. He also drew a charge in a game where those calls were hard to come by, while adding 4 steals and 4 deflections. He is competitive and uncompromising in his approach.
Tait Dalton wears his heart on his sleeve. We’ve been asking Tait to give us consistency on the glass, and on Sunday, he pulled in 11 Boards (5 offensive), a block and 2 steals. Perry Lakes gambled on taking it at our bigs, Tait led our big men brigade to show they can match anyone and stand up when it counts.

U16 Boys Div 5 – Dan Cartwright (sponsored by Knight Health)

Lost to Cockburn 55-102

U18 Girls Div 2 – Emma Ormond (sponsored by Claremont Asphalt)

Lost to Hills Raiders 52-65

Coach comments (Amber Land)

After a hot start, we struggled to hit the scoreboard in the third quarter and ultimately could not get back in front despite a valiant effort in the fourth.
Jenna Jackson played a fantastic game at both ends of the floor with solid defence and great decision-making on offense.
Teagen McArthur brought a spark with hot shooting early in the game and physical play as the game went on.
Megan Taylor made an impact in her first game back after injury, playing solid D and getting a few deflections.

U18 Girls Div 2 – Zac Belton (sponsored by Aussie Fencing)

Won against Mandurah Magic 64-55

Coach comments

A slow first three quarters had us heading into the fourth down 10. From there, we set the tone on defence which allowed us to compile a 26-9 run and close out the game.
Ava Lindegger threw herself at the boards in the fourth quarter and did a fantastic job securing the ball in critical moments.
Ella Ferris relieved some of the defensive pressure and got to her scoring spots – she came through with 8 straight points in the 4th.
Matilda Thompson probably spent more time on the ground hustling for the ball than she did standing.
Clarissa Sandjaja came up huge with two threes to keep us in the game in the earlier portion of the game.

U18 Boys Div 2 – Jesse-Taylah Powell (sponsored by Grange Risk Solutions)

Won against Joondalup 97-73

Coach comments

Another solid team performance. After an up-and-down first half, the boys showed a lot of composure in the third to blow the game out.
This was another game where the whole team scored.
Cooper Deshon and Andrew Chilufya were on the receiving end of a collective effort on defence, both with high-scoring games.
Basile Allegre and Riley Ford put in some solid energy and effort on crashing the boards.
Huge congrats to Baz – this was his 50th WABL game for Redbacks.

U18 Boys Div 3 – Nick D’Elia

Lost to Joondalup 87-54

Coach comments

This week we played Joondalup in Joondalup. Both teams started slow and took a few minutes to find their groove. Neither team could hit an outside shot, so it was a bit of a grind and a foul fest. We held on for three quarters but then began to get frustrated as fouls mounted up. In the fourth quarter, they got away from us as we got frustrated and eventually blew us out by 30
Overall, it was a valiant effort that brought our team together. Strong defence and a few entertaining dunks from Connor Johnson were all we could do.
Shout out again to Lachie Steele for his strong defence.

U18 Boys Div 4 Red – Bob Andrzejewski (sponsored by TECC)

Won against Lakeside Lightning 101-48

Coach comments

This game was against the bottom team in our division, so the challenge was not only to win but to play tough defence. The boys achieved that by keeping our opponents to just 25 points at halftime and maintaining that composure by giving up only 23 points in the second half. The boys played well as a team, all contributing equally on both ends of the court.

U18 Boys Div 4 – Alessandro Gentelli

Lost to Eastern Suns Blue 77-82

Coach comments

We had a great first half, the energy was high, and we were locked in. As a result, we held an 8-point lead at halftime. The game turned in the second half as the Suns turned up the heat, and we started worrying about refs and mistakes too much. We ended up losing by 5 points.
Romain Suraweera made a massive impact in the first half. Unfortunately, he got fouled out mid-third quarter, picking up his fifth foul on a tough call as we were about to sun him out. His energy on defence was a key reason we won the first half.
Josh Welsh kept the scoreboard ticking over with his 22 points.

U20 Boys Champs – Luke Simonette (sponsored by Willis Temby)

Lost to Perry Lakes 61-103

U20 Boys Div 2 – Graham Jones (sponsored by McDonalds Busselton)

Won against Joondalup Wolves 66-84

Coach comments

Our recent win against the Joondalup Wolves marked our best performance of the season so far and showed our growth and determination following our disappointing loss to Perry Lakes last week. We refocused well and came out with clear intentions of putting in a better performance, taking a commanding 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter, setting the tone for the rest of the game and didn’t look back.
The team displayed exceptional cohesion on the floor and from the bench, which made a fundamental difference in our performance. The collective effort and unity among the players were evident, and it translated into a commanding victory in three out of the four quarters, bringing a defensive intensity not delivered thus far this season.
With 13 players to pick from, selecting the final 10 for the game ahead has become a challenging task. The players’ commitment and continuous improvement at training have elevated the team’s overall performance and have led to a remarkable turnaround. With every player on the scoresheet and winning three out of the four quarters, there is still growth for this unit.
Congratulations to the players for their excellent performance and collective efforts.
Ethan McIntosh, making his first appearance this season after recovering from injury, brought unparalleled intensity all over the court. His presence was immediately felt as he tirelessly worked on offence and defence, significantly contributing to all game aspects. Turbo’s return added a new dimension to our team and inspired his teammates with his relentless energy.
Miguel Chaitika showcased his resilience and versatility, bouncing back from his last performance and delivering one of his most consistent games on both ends of the floor. He demonstrated his defensive capabilities, becoming valuable in thwarting opponents’ scoring opportunities. Miguel’s well-rounded performance exemplified his growth and continued development as a player.
Dec Pyne finally found his form, displaying his offensive prowess for two games in a row, scoring in double figures consistently. His offensive contributions were crucial in bolstering the team’s scoring output. Dec’s improvements on the defensive end were evident.