Weekly WABL Wrap – Round 10

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

Here’s the Round 10 wrap-up of how all our teams went including comments from coaches:

U12 Girls Div 2 – Emma Ormond (sponsored by Baston & Co)

Won against Cockburn Cougars 50-30

Coach comments:

The girls came up against a hugely improved Cockburn defence and never gave up. Their first-half effort and intensity were outstanding.
Harper Grace played a really intelligent and strong defensive game.
Sasha Kuan was strong in offence, attacking the basket and finishing aggressively.
Jacinta Wladyka covered the whole court chasing loose balls and ripping the ball from players.

U12 Girls Div 3 – Marcia Dowling (sponsored by Access Hire WA)

Won against Mandurah Gold 25-14

Coach comments:

For the first time all season, we were blessed with our whole team present at a game. Albeit, one was in a wrist cast, one was in a wheelchair and one was only just recovering from flu! Nevertheless, the entire team was present, positive, focused and committed throughout all four quarters, both on and off the bench
Gabbie Tetteh and Mia Exeter showed outstanding endurance and resilience. They both attacked the boards at both ends (compiling 23 rebounds between them) and ran the court at full pace in the transition from offense to defence and back.
Huge thank you to Haven Budby for excellent attention to rebound stats – the team really enjoyed seeing how many they’d each achieved.

U12 Girls Div 4 – Paul Philpott (sponsored by Sushi Wawa)

Lost to Willetton Tigers 39-51

Coach comments:

Another brilliant performance by our girls. They played unselfishly, they played #together and they played hard. Charlize and I could not be more proud of our young rising stars. Feedback from parents was that this was the best game the girls played so far – a champion game against the top team. As a coach, I’m having the best time!
Manisha Jeyamohan with her court vision worked solidly throughout the court along with fighting hard offensively under the basket.
Lauren Jones’ strong passage directly to the ring was something to be seen.
Ella Fair continued to place magical set shots with both Grace Danzo and Stevie Brehaut challenging the Tigers defensively at every moment.

12 Boys Champs – Denzel Jackson

Won against Perry Lakes 60-53

Coach comments (Aleks Lackovic):

It was a huge challenge to take on the ladder-leading, undefeated Hawks with a fill-in coach, but this group of competitors demonstrated exceptional poise and discipline in the face of four high-pressure quarters.
The boys achieved all the game’s defensive goals, won the rebound count, and had fewer turnovers. They played with maturity and calm in a grand final atmosphere game. Down 8 early, they held their nerve, supported each other, and their collective effort was rewarded with a great win.
Toby Deshon had a career game and proved what an elite shooter he is with a game-high 24 points. He was Steph Curry-like in embracing the pressure of making the shots his teammates were setting him up with but also showed exceptional hustle at the defensive end – winning the containment battle and keeping their primary guard to just 8pts.
Tommy Lackovic took the role of game facilitator, controlling the game tempo, feeding his teammates and crashing the boards like a paint beast with 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 8 pts and 6 assists.
Matty Lucano competed as usual like an ironman at both ends of the floor, playing disciplined pressure defence without fouling, breaking presses and creating the advantage finishing with 6pts, 4 steals, 3 deflections and 4 rebounds.
Sebi Doyle played a massive part in tagging/denying the opposition primary playmaker/rebounder (keeping him to just 7pts, 3 rebounds). Sebi found the advantage, attacking the ring and finishing under pressure to compile 14pts, 8 rebounds and 2 steals of his own.
Nate Cass dominated for the team’s greater good with his interior keyway physicality (box-outs and help closeouts), outworking, outhustling and outrebounding the opposition with 9 rebounds, 3 deflections and 2 steals.

U12 Boys Div 2 – Alex Maude (sponsored by Inspiration Paints)

Lost to Perry Lakes 32-66

Coach comments:

I was pleased to see that heads never dropped in this game when Hawks went on runs. I was also pleased with our rebounding efforts, help defence and shot selection
Ethan Cooper led the scoring with 10 points, as well as crashing the boards well
Nicholas Knight helped provide scores by getting up the court quickly, penetrating to the basket and making passes when needed
William Hemingway and Harrison Moyle were also great on the boards

U12 Boys Div 3 – Ben Hamilton (sponsored by Euroz Hartleys)

Lost to Rockingham Flames 35-40

Coach comments:

We were much improved in our half-court defence this week, protecting the key and stopping the Rockingham bigs with some great help-D.
At the other end, we worked tirelessly to find the open man and the extra pass resulted in some amazing offensive plays that were great to watch.
In a game where the Rockingham applied a relentless full-court press, our team remained composed and demonstrated great skill to advance the ball with minimal turn-overs.
Franek Cytowski had his biggest game of the year, leading our rebounding effort and lifting our intensity with his hard-nosed defensive pressure.
Zach Snell recovered from an early setback to be outstanding for the team, picking up an amazing 9 steals on his way to another great game.
Lucas Blackmore continues to develop his defensive game, giving great support in the key and making a big contribution on the boards.
There was so much to like about this game despite not getting the win.

U12 Boys Div 4 – Matt Strika (sponsored by Global Cabling)

Lost to Perry Lakes Hawks 40-70

Coach comments:

After a week with 7 out of 12 boys fighting off illness, I was proud of how everyone still showed up and gave it all on the court. The opposition was very well drilled but despite this, our boys were able to match it with them in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. We will take a lot from the loss, refocus and come out fighting next week!
Tex Tierney continues his dominance in the paint with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Both Elijah Mancini and Jacob Tan posted an excellent effort finishing with 14 points between them and some real hustle on the defensive end.
Against a bigger squad, Jayden Austin and Ben Handke both stepped up to attack the boards when needed, racking up a total of 8 rebounds.

U14 Girls Champs – Josh Wallace (sponsored by Welsh Real Estate)

Lost to Rockingham Flames 56-60

Coach comments:

The girls did a great job of executing what was asked of them in this game. We had a height advantage over the Flames, and the girls did a great job of looking for that and exploring the Flames’ weakness.
The Flames got out to an 11-point lead early in the 4th, and the girls did a great job to refocus and pull the game back and give themselves a chance to knock off the top team.
Ella Welsh did a great job of communicating on the defensive end helping to organise our defence. She also did a great job of applying manic pressure in the game’s closing minute.
Leeshar Tuialii was lethal offensively in the low post area. She held her ground down low, was quick to make her move, and was aggressive and getting to the rim.
Mafa Tuialii did a great job of getting out on the break and attacking the basket hard. Her speed and quickness put lots of pressure on the flames and led to lots of quality scoring opportunities.
Maddie Makavilitogia was a brick wall defensively. She was great with her own 1 on 1 matchup, but also provided great help and rim protection for her teammates.

U14 Girls Div 2 – Zac Belton (sponsored by Redink Homes)

Lost to Warwick Senators 37-36

Coach comments:

I was really thrilled with our ability to stay focused in this game and fight our way back from a 20-point deficit.
Danica Jeremiah was extremely aggressive attacking the basket and not slowing down.
Scarlett Hill did a fantastic job of being aggressive and finding the right shot.
Anna Zittrisch did a fantastic job in the fourth quarter, grabbing rebounds, diving on loose balls and knocking down free throws.

U14 Girls Div 4 Red – Lucy Dowling (sponsored by Aussie Fencing)

Won against Cockburn Cougars 47-36

Coach comments:

Our team strives to be great communicators with big loud energy. This was extremely important this week as I had lost my voice so the girls had to be louder than ever. I was so proud of the way they encouraged each other and gave each other feedback. At quarter time everyone huddled up and started talking to each other about what they were doing well and needed to improve on. I just stood back and watched, I felt so proud of them.
Remy Sumich had an outstanding game, her hustle all over the court was great.
Oliva Weddikkara once again showed great leadership and I’m so impressed with the way she helps her teammates.
Charlie Foster had a great defensive game.

U14 Girls Div 4 Black – Ofir Ben Dror

Won against Lakeside Lightning 43-37

Coach comments:

Our organised defence in the second half forced our opposition to play out of their comfort zone and make errors that resulted in turnovers.
Ava Chinnery had a fantastic game today from taking charge of the team to assists to basically bringing us home with some great fast breaks in the last quarter. Keep playing like this Ava, and we should make finals with ease.

U14 Boys Champs – Aleks Lackovic (sponsored by DLA Piper)

Won against Perry Lakes 85-76

Coach comments:

In a 14 Champs division that goes 8-9 teams deep and where we were on the wrong side of some early season nailbiters, this was a must-win game for us to stay in the finals hunt. Early on, the scoreboard didn’t reflect how well we were playing but the boys maintained their competitive, team-first focus to ensure we came home strong to secure the W.
Each week I’m loving the way this team continues to grow and embrace the opportunity to handle pressure and adversity by staying focused, making intelligent decisions and working to the team plan.
Ano Sharu continues to be our human highlight reel with 28pts, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 deflection, 1 steal and just 1 turnover.
Zak Magdy did some great work in the trenches. His 9 rebounds (inc 7 offensive) set up his 12 points including an amazing rebound into a coast-to-coast finish in the fourth quarter.
Jaden Exeter continues to bang in the paint each week, challenging the opposition’s bigs and making their life as hard as possible while hustling hard to set up his teammates to score. He took two BIG charges this week in addition to scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 boards.
Ewan Maclean and Jaxon Kowal’s guard mastery in outworking the opposition at both ends of the floor, creating pressure, containing, denying, breaking presses, controlling tempo or pushing at speed to find the advantage set up their teammates for success while combining for 18pts, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals.

U14 Boys Div 2 – Kevin Dunstan (sponsored by United Steel)

Won against Rockingham 83-43

Coach comments:

This was another outstanding four-quarter effort from the entire team with intense hustle and energy shown
Our team goals of minimising turnovers and shooting a higher percentage of free throws is finally showing improvement
Great to see all players grab a rebound and hit the scoreboard with an even spread of points across the team

U14 Boys Div 4 – Andrew Logan (sponsored by Drafting Now)

Won against South West Slammers 57-47

Coach comments:

It’s been a long road stretch for our boys, so it was great to get back on our home deck where our shots tend to go through the basket more regularly. Playing the 2nd top side we out hustled them and our game plan/defence disrupted the way they wanted to play. We moved the ball well as a team and everyone contributed. When we get a more even spread of scoring we win. Well done to the boys who found and took their opportunities. We didn’t shoot any long 2’s and our overall shot selection was at a high level. A great team effort.
Joaquin Imperial showed us what he is capable of. He had 4 points, but his best work was done on the boards and with his defence. He competed against bigger boys but had to play help D as well. His success at both earned him extra minutes on the floor. An outstanding game.
Louis Daniel brought energy and hustle to the game. He identified an area of his game he wanted to improve with me at training this week and he implemented it! Well done Louis!
James Galvin gave another clinical performance. His length gives our opponents trouble on D and he was an offensive weapon for us dropping 22 points with some timely 3’s in the game where it looked to be swinging the other way.
Travis Hunt didn’t look to defer as often with the ball and with that extra dribble/aggression he found 8 points. Was great to see Travis doing what he does best.

U14 Boys Div 5 – Isaiah Walley-Stack (sponsored by S&M Group Bobcat and Truck Hire)

Won against Mandurah Magic 75-48

Coach comments:

Our team showed excellent sportsmanship and professionalism throughout the whole game and showed respect to our opponents despite the score. We also made sure everyone on the team was scoring and our bench was loud
Luke Websdale was happy to stay on the bench longer because Ollie Gruber really wanted to hit a 3. When the opportunity came, Ollie not only banked the three with a memorable reaction but our whole team and supporters got to their feet and celebrated
In addition to his big three, Ollie applied strong defensive pressure and contributed on the points board also.
Jett Murphy displayed good playmaking decisions to assist the team whilst contributing on the score board also.
Rhys Tan had a great day out on the score sheet contributing 10 points, making most of his shot attempts from the field.
Myles Byrne also showed his sharp shooting abilities from the field contributing 7 points.

U16 Girls Champs – Bryn Arnold

Lost to Perry Lakes 79-85

Coach comments:

The two most pleasing aspects of the performance on the weekend were our continued improvement and the fighting attitude the team displays week in and week out.
We lost to this team in week one by 30 points. In this game, we had a shot with 5 seconds left to tie the game.
After a solid 1st half, we were a little slow out of the blocks in the 3rd getting down double digits. But the team displayed great character to grind out the 4th quarter and get on top which saw us cut the margin back to one point. Every player hit the scoreboard and work hard on the defensive end. Great job ladies.
Charlotte Broadbent, Ebony Cox and Theory Snook-Holdings had their best game as a group combining for 33 points and winning the battle of the boards against physical opposition.
Jenna Jackson, Blaise Stancil and Matilda Thomson brought great energy on the defensive end creating numerous steals and forcing the opposition into turnovers.
Miki Deshon and Stella Gregory continued their good form and combined for 31 points.
Best of luck to Stella who will represent WA at the upcoming National Championships starting this weekend. If you get the chance to head to Warwick to cheer her and her U16 Metro Girls teammates on, please do so.

U16 Girls Div 2 – Holly Moore (sponsored by Mt Lawley Orthodontics)

Lost to South West Slammers 28-55

Coach comments:

The girls fought hard as a team, scoring on fast break opportunities. Our communication and vocal bench were also great to see.
Harriet Woods continues to impact the game with her beautiful outside shooting and aggressive drives to the bucket.
Ava Lindegger and Tiana Alger’s defensive hustle were amazing. Both were diving on loose balls and getting intercepts.

U16 Girls Div 4 – Geoff Alger (sponsored by MD Building Maintenance)

Lost to Wolves 41-70

Coach comments:

Facing up to our division’s top team, we started the game really positively, matching them in defence and creating good opportunities for ourselves.
With some improved finishing we could very well have been in front at half time.
The girls’ ability to regather and win the last six minutes after dropping our composure with the ball and our focus in defense after the half time break was a great demonstration of their character and competitive spirit.
Steph Hunt joined regular back court defensive performers, Jess Kerp, Keira Tran and Alex Temby with her commitment to staying in front of opposition the ball carriers to help cause a lot of turnovers.
Giselle Dale showed good composure with the ball and reliable defensive coverage off the ball to be a great team contributor.
Grace Almond, Tilly Wyatt, Talia Bentley and Izzy Armstrong all battled hard on the boards with some extra rebounding support from a determined Jess.

U16 Boys Div 2 Red – Luke Simonette (sponsored by TECC)

Won against South West Slammers 64-56

Coach comments:

We blew the game open early with awesome defence keeping Slammers to 19 in the first half. With 7 players to their 9 we were always going to tire in the second half, but we did so smartly, reducing the tempo of the game to halt large scoring runs. 17 made free throws vs 4 of the opposition showed very positive signs
Romain Suraweera played through early foul trouble to be a prominent force late
Andrew Cook showed elite defence and defensive adjustment, shot his shots confidently

U16 Boys Div 2 Black – Luke Notley (sponsored by MSP Electrical)

Won against Kalamunda Suns 62-53

Coach comments:

Playing against the top team who had not lost a game yet was always going to be tough, especially being down a couple of players and with a couple of players returning from sickness during the week. We played some great defensive basketball in patches and did really well to hold steady against a late charge from the Suns in the 4th to hold on for the win.
Zac Anfuso played a critical role for us in this game at the point, shooting some critical threes and getting defensive stops.
Jack Saliacus’s defensive containment and pressure were fantastic all game long.
Ben Galvin’s rebounding and shot-blocking were also fantastic.

U16 Boys Div 3 – Mitch Jesson (sponsored by Community Bank North Perth)

Won against Mandurah 91-79

Coach comments:

The first time we played Mandurah, our trap overwhelmed them. Playing them for a second time – they were far better prepared and the game was a more even contest.
The most pleasing aspect of this game was our greater willingness to share the ball – resulting in every player hitting the scoreboard.
Mandurah tried to take Jude Garbenis out of the game and this simply opened the door for others to take advantage and score.
Oliver Graham has missed the last four games for us and was only able to play limited minutes yesterday. Ollie is a heart and soul player for us and his first score was met with absolute joy by his teammates (and coaches).
Vinz Matondo stayed out of foul trouble and we were able to keep him in the game for many more minutes. Vinz paid us back by scoring a game-high 26 points of the back of some super hard running which the Magic just couldn’t match.
Ibrahim Abdi is a walking double/double machine. But what we particularly want to recognise this week, however, is that he hurt his ankle at training and knowing his importance to us, rehabbed it meticulously. Ibra, as we know him, is a quiet character but has the heart of a lion and we are very lucky to have him in our squad.

U16 Boys Div 5 – Tom Swindale

Won against Eastern Suns 55-45

Coach comments:

I was so pleased with our defence in this game – holding a team to under 50 points is an outstanding team effort.
I’d like to highlight the efforts of Mitch Kensett-Smith in this game. Mitch made some big-time buckets down the home stretch of the game, hitting an and-1 as well as a three within a short period.
I’d also like to highlight Ben Maine. Ben always brings an insane amount of energy to the team and it’s always awesome to see him lift the team on defence

U18 Girls Champs – Mya Dimanlig (sponsored by Titan Finance)

Lost to South West Slammers 98-32

Coach comments:

The girls did a great job of boxing out what was an incredibly tall team and continued to push through until the end – you could see the improvement over the course of the game.
Mack Thomas was patient on offence, getting in the right spots to knock down shots and being aggressive on the drive.
Caitlin Lea remained aggressive and used her speed to find the advantage
Megan Taylor found her teammates in some fantastic spots.

U18 Girls Div 2 – John Care

Lost to Cockburn Cougars 63-45

Coach comments:

For the first two quarters, we came out strong, executed our game plan and played our game. In offence, we were composed and structured without any rush and made good decisions. Defensively we pushed hard and crashed the boards hard. We got to halftime only 5 points behind.
The game started to slip away in the third but we managed to win the fourth quarter which wasn’t enough to bring home the win however the girls played well.
From tip-off, Tatum Cooper was just in the right spots but couldn’t quite get the ball to roll into the hoop. She still managed to finish with 8 points though.
Hannah Saliacus was great under the basket and on the boards scoring 10 points.
Annabelle Hathway’s transition defence was excellent
Ainsleigh Passi was strong all over the court in both offence and defence, crashing boards and running the court well

U18 Boys Champs – Brandon Riley (sponsored by Willis Temby)

Won against Slammers 83-75

Coach comments:

Our teamwork, defence and overall body language throughout the game were the best it’s been all season. And it needed to be because Slammers are tough.
Once again, this was a win that every player contributed to. While we hit some big shots at the end to seal the win, this was a true team win.

U18 Boys Div 2 – Sam Fox (sponsored by MacDonalds Karratha)

Won against East Perth Eagles 113 – 65

Coach comments:

We were down two of our usual starters this week yet managed to pull off our biggest win of the season. Our D was intense and we were cooking on the offensive end; hitting 48% from 3 as a team. It was a fun game.
Ethan McIntosh came out hungry to score and made some great passes along with seven made 3’s.
Ethan Gonsalves was super efficient in O, getting to the rim and his spots on 10/13 from the field.
Mandla Magwenzi brought great focus and clarity at both ends, hitting some great shots too.
Abdul Mire was committed to his defensive pressure and found some great spots to score from in the paint.

U18 Boys Div 3 – Simon Daff (sponsored by Grange Risk Solutions)

Won against Rockingham Flames 100-75

Coach comments:

We emphasised more trust in each other before the game and the need to play in a more connected way. We did that today and the result spoke for itself. It wasn’t just 2 or 3 contributions it was most of the team. We had 5 players in double figures which showed what happens when we play together.
Basile Allegre had his best game of the year. Boxed out, rebounded well and made good decisions. He slowed down today and let the game come to him.
Will Goodes bounced back this week and had a strong scoring game. But it was his energy and talk that impressed me most. He too slowed down and let the game come to him which resulted in better decision-making and efficiency.

U18 Boys Div 4 – Mitch Nixon (sponsored by Maude Family Lawyers)

Won against Suns Orange 101-72

Coach comments:

We had some great steals from our press that resulted in easy baskets. We started to move the ball well again which led to some great looks inside.
Harry Cuerden appeared out of nowhere to score a cracking 30 points off some great drives and steals. It was another great game for Harry Wheatland inside, he scored some very useful baskets. Harry Maude kept the team loud with Ethan Logan to lift the team’s energy. Great job to the Harries who top-scored with a combined score of 55 points 🙂
In a game where we were running short on guards due to illness and injury, our mids, Cam Ford, Max Millard and Taj Hollands really kept the ball moving to beat their press. Our bigs – Kalisto Ubu, Josh Richards and Harry Wheatland kept up with some great rebounds.

U20 Boys Champs – Adrian Warner

Won against Mandurah Magic 77-53

Coach comments:

It was a great morale booster for this team to lock in a win. I was particularly pleased with the way we were able to re-group at halftime after an ordinary second quarter. We dominated the second half, holding the opposition to just 21 points and only 7 pts in the final quarter as we finished strongly and Magic ran out of puff.
Everyone made a dent on the scoreboard which was nice to see.
Our ability to make create space, read the play and make good decisions in offense is an area where we are seeing plenty of room for improvement but there was a greater commitment to team D principles this week and that was the key difference in the end.