Weekly WABL Wrap – Round 4 2021

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

Congrats to all our WABL players, coaches, managers and parents for bringing great energy to Round 4 of the 2021 WABL season. Here’s the wrap up of how all our teams went including comments from coaches:

U12 Champs Girls – Josh Wallace (sponsored by Welsh Real Estate)

Won against Willetton Tigers Blue 43-32

Coach comments:

I loved seeing the girls’ improvement in their ability to switch from full court to half-court man defence and also the improvement they showed in their half-court spacing on offence
This was a team effort from start to finish. Every player played their role and contributed to the win

U12 Division 3 Girls – Emma Ormond (sponsored by DLA Piper)

Won against Perry Lakes Hawks 30-29

Coach comments:

I was so impressed with the girls’ second, third and fourth efforts. They didn’t drop their heads and worked incredibly hard, no matter what situation they were put in. The girls played as a team which correlated to quite a few open layups.
Ruby Taylor’s ability to take what she has been told onto the court really showed today. She was strong on the boards, outrebounding girls much larger than her.
Georgie Clark and Sasha Kuan led by example, attacking the basket on offence and smothering the other team at every chance they got.
Leisha Charlie and Ada Mourish-Burke had about 10 chase-down blocks. Their athletic ability was really on show today.

U12 Division 4 Girls – Marcia Dowling (sponsored by One for Women)

Won against Wolves Green 18-14

Coach comments:

Although it took about three minutes to get their heads into the game, the girls managed to keep their opponents score low due to strong defensive efforts. The effort only increased from there. The girls showed their true commitment to the team in the fourth quarter which required a big team refocus and lots of determination as the Wolves hit the front by 2 points. With under two minutes to go, and very tired, the girls responded to our team chat so positively and carried out some incredible teamwork and won by 4!!
In the last moments of the 4th quarter, Alessia Wladyka and Nadia Slee were both on particular players, regardless of the ball. They shut down the Wolves’ strongest shooters with style!!
I was thrilled to see Sally Dowling take a dribble midcourt and continue to make great passing choices in the frontcourt.
Lottie Ballantine’s passing choices were instrumental to our offence as well.

U14 Champs Girls – Haylee Smyth (sponsored by Mount Lawley Orthodontics)

Won against Kalamunda 41-35

Coach comments:

We were able to win the rebounding count by 12 and able to force the Suns into late shots in the shot clock.
Ebony Cox had her best game of the season. She controlled the ball well off her dribble and finished with 9 points and 9 rebounds.
Miki Deshon continues to impress with her ability to control the ball even when double or triple-teamed and makes excellent decisions. She finished the game with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

U14 Division 2 Girls – Shannon Ball (sponsored by Active Discovery)

Lost to Cockburn Cougars 59-29

Coach comments:

The girls tried really hard and never gave up despite us finishing with 4 players fouled out.
I was really impressed with all the girls’ efforts after a turnover/mistake, they got right back to the job.

U14 Division 4 Girls White – Zac Belton (sponsored by Red Ink Homes)

Won against Warwick Senators 69-48

Coach comments:

I was really impressed with how we played as a team. Moving the ball and finding the open player was extremely effective. The girls followed instructions and fixed any issues to grind out this win.
Alex Temby had a fantastic start to the game and showed great patience in looking for the right shot.
Sienna Duong had a fantastic scoring game, she also worked hard defensively to stay in front and get her hands in the passing lanes!
Izzy Budby again flourished this week, getting into those passing lanes at every opportunity.
Anna Zittrisch who was all over the court both offensively and defensively

U14 Division 4 Girls Grey – Lucy Dowling

Lost to East Perth Eagles 60-28

Coach comments:

The girls played their best game yet – the scoreboard did not reflect how well they did. If you take the first quarter out of the game it would have been very different. We were down 3 players so all of them were tired but their effort was there the entire game. Their execution of plays, help defence and decision making was the best it’s been this season
Ava Wolfenden played the best game I’ve seen her play, great on-ball defence and offensive choices, and managed to get herself to #5 on the league free throws ladder because of that.
Charlotte Dillon displayed good decision making, on-ball defence and aggressive drives, probably her best game yet as well.
Emily Horniman was all over the court and her energy was contagious – she’s a great player with real potential.
Imogen Reiger-Ross delivered great help defence, stopping many shots and getting quick rebounds.

U16 Division 2 Girls – Bryn Arnold (sponsored by Smart Capital)

Won against Joondalup Wolves 47-38

Coach comments:

I’m proud of how we never gave up in this game. Down 7 points starting the last quarter the girls continued to fight and outscored Joondalup 19-3 to win the game.
Charlotte Broadbent, Sagal Elmi and Kate Anderson worked tirelessly all day on the glass against taller opponents and dominated this area in the last quarter.
Our team defence was outstanding holding the opposition to their lowest score for the season.
This was a great team game – the way we played for each other is what got us the win. Well done to everyone.

U16 Division 3 Girls – Adrian Warner (sponsored by MSP Electrical)

Lost to Perry Lakes Hawks 55-45

Coach comments:

Best performance of the season so far! Great transition D for most of the game and we showed great resilience to stay in the game and come back after the Hawks had a couple of mini runs and got a few easy points. It was even on the scoreboard at three-quarter time but in the final quarter they broke us down for a few easy transition buckets that made all the difference. Our intensity was great and overall, there were many positives to take away from the game along with a few areas to keep working on.
Ava Lindegger continues to set the standard for D trans.
Ellen Brieffies applied great midcourt pressure which led to several intercepts. Dinelka Fernando showed some lovely scoring touch in the mid-range.
Matilda Thomson played with great desire for the ball and willingness to attack the paint.
Tegan Wilkinson’s 1:1 defence was disciplined and effective.
Isabella Wolfenden was much better all round this week.
Hannah Saliacus was strong on the boards with improved outlet passes to get us into transition.
Lily Leeder was a constant threat from outside.
Abbey Macham worked hard all game and showed good attacking instincts.

U16 Division 4 Girls – Geoff Alger

Lost to Joondalup Wolves 44-38

Coach comments:

Couldn’t be more proud of the collective team effort this week. Despite being down on numbers our players showed true commitment. With no subs available for most of the last quarter and only four players on the court for the last 5 minutes, the effort was amazing. The girls did themselves and Redbacks proud.
All girls deserve a mention this week!
Bhuvana Prasad for playing hard through her soreness
Tiah Nelson for diving on loose balls and taking on ball-handling duties
Amelia Weber for putting her body on the line defensively and advancing the ball
Tiana Alger for her rebounding and keeping an 18 ppg player to 2 points
Jasmine Ford for providing a presence everywhere.
Aaliyah Nunes for her scoring power of Aaliyah .
And new recruit Takoda Johnson brought awesome effort.

U18 Division 2 Girls White – Brayden Cook

Won against Lakeside Lightning 91-41

Coach comments:

It was really pleasing to see the girls execute our offense and generate great looks. We were able to get good shots in the half-court but also really push the ball in transition and get easy fast break points. Our defensive pressure in the full court was also great causing disruption on the defensive end.
Everyone contributed across the scoreboard.
Mickayla Little led the scoring with 24 points.
Caitlin Lea, Jasmin Wynne and Kerry Hayden were all reliable with 13,12 & 18 points respectively.

U18 Division 2 Girls Grey – Brad Dowd (sponsored by Protek)

Lost to Kalamunda 139-27

Coach comments:

We went into this game knowing it was going to be extremely tough with the Suns averaging over 100 points in their first 2 games. This was also only the third WABL game for 4 of our girls. The Suns were relentless the entire game, never giving us a break. The few points we did score, the girls worked extremely hard for them. The girls never gave up though, no matter the score, taking each quarter at a time and trying their best. We tried a few different things out in offence and defence and in a roundabout way we got more out of this game than the Suns would have.
Emma Jones played well leading the stats with most assists, steals and points (making her first 3-pointer in WABL) and also took a massive charge in the dying seconds of the game.
Meg Capewell was our strongest on rebounds this game.
Charlotte Horniman was aggressive throughout.
Kirsty Slinger scored her first WABL points and I expect onwards and upwards from her moving forward.
All players contributed as usual and they should all be very proud of the way they handled themselves and kept morale up throughout this tough game.

U12 Champs Boys – Dylan Vilardi

Lost to East Perth 74-41

Coach comments:

We started the game extremely well with everyone fully engaged for the first half
Parker Dunstan gave 110% effort when he was out there on the court. His positioning was amazing on the floor and he got to his spots quickly.

U12 Division 2 Boys – Ash Brian (sponsored by Drafting Now)

Lost to Kalamunda 58-57 in OT

Coach comments:

With 4 of our 5 guards fouled out halfway through the 4th, Toby Deshon and each of the four forwards (Aiden Little, Ollie Flower, Filip Jokanovic and Louis Daniel) played an outstanding end of regulation plus overtime. Our opposition pushed hard during this period with the full-court press knowing that ball handling would be our weakness, but we still broke through with some amazing composure and converted on the scoreboard.
After all of his fellow guards fouled out, Toby Deshon was the lone ball-handler down the stretch and performed outstandingly. He played with composure and also hit some much-needed big shots down the stretch to keep us in the game.
Aiden Little was a monster in the post with a team-high 19 points. He was also pulled in to play our 2 guard down the stretch and either set some crucial screens to get Toby free or brought the ball up himself.
Ollie Flower and Louis Daniel were also amazing, pulling down crucial boards and executing on the instruction to attack the basket late in the game to get the line.
While most of our guards got fouled out during the 4th, they all played really well for 3+ quarters. They consistently beat a persistent press and were unselfish giving it off to the bigs while running the lanes.
While we’re disappointed that we didn’t hold on for the win I’m super proud of the boys today.

U12 Division 4 Boys White – Tyler Cusworth

Won against Warwick Senators 48-33

Coach comments:

Our ability to play for each other (as a team) and communicate (especially on defence) were two very big positive aspects of today’s game.
Well done to Jake Chew who had 16 points and 7 steals for the game

U12 Division 4 Boys Grey – Andrew Logan (sponsored by MD Building Maintenance)

Won against East Perth Eagles 58-50

Coach comments:

This was a very even team performance across the board with everyone hitting the scoreboard and giving great effort on defence. We played to our strengths and eventually got the game on our terms.
Ethan Kingsbury was very impressive on both ends of the floor, grabbing some tough rebounds and being a big presence in the key on defence.
Justace Roberts put himself in good positions in offence and was rewarded with some buckets.
Kimzy Matondo was finding everyone on the floor with some impressive passing and finished well around the basket.

U14 Champs Boys – Aleks Lackovic (sponsored by Sto Australia)

Won against Cockburn 75-45

Coach comments:

The team excelled in achieving all our focus areas: pressure and contain, rebounding and talk.
Ben ‘Paint beast’ Galvin delivered yet another double double
Mason Clark’s attack on the ring and overall efficiency was great
Jerry Davies delivered great pressure and awareness to create mismatches or pressure
Jaxon Kowal was great in his ability to apply massive defensive pressure, recover in transition and find the open players
I loved Romeo Lyszkowicz’s hunger to rebound, read intercepts and attack the ring with control.

U14 Division 2 Boys – Mitchell Jesson

Lost to Warwick Senators Green 68-50

Coach comments:

This was a tough defeat, however the injury and unavailability of two guards did provide an opportunity to two other boys who took advantage and played well.
We again won the rebound count, had a season-high in assists and will come together as a team to improve our ball protection and decision making.
Luke Trevenen is a development player for our squad who we can now say plays as hard as he trains. Luke set the standard on defence and we look forward to him continuing to play for the next few weeks while Hamish recovers from a broken finger.
James Bowen stepped into the starting five and had a breakout game for us with 7 boards, 3 steals and 8 points.
Jaden Exeter and Jay Hazell combined for 16 boards and 18 points – Jaden hitting the shot of the game whilst on his knees in the keyway. When we get on top of supply, our bigs will take over games for us.

U14 Division 3 Boys – Ron Flores (sponsored by Euroz Hartleys)

Lost to Perry Lakes Hawks 79-39

Coach comments:

Great energy and resilience were demonstrated by most players throughout this tough game.
Michael Ryan battled hard all game on the boards while also leading our team offensively with 20 points.
Jackson Doyle showed great intensity and heart throughout.
Jack Dowd also battled hard on the boards and showed great 2nd and 3rd efforts defensively.

U14 Division 4 Boys – Alex Maude (sponsored by Masterwall)

Won against Joondalup Wolves White 56-53

Coach comments:

Our man-to-man defence was great in this game when we brought it back to half court, as were the rotations on defence when protecting the keyway and talking to each other, calling out screens and switching when needed.
We broke their trap easily and found it easy getting up the floor quickly to score.
Our ball movement on offence was clean and allowed for open and good shots.
Mateo Rea was outstanding with his hustle on the ball. He dove on every loose ball, putting his body on the line and either won or caused jump balls. His man defence was great as well, barely allowing his man to touch the ball whenever he was defending him.
Seb Bourne did a great job on the defensive end as well, using his feet and making the effort to sprint to get back on defence. He also produced some great passes and cuts on the offensive end.
Lachie Wheals did a great job on the offensive end, taking the game on and getting free throw opportunities from it.

U16 Division 2 Boys – Paul Cassir (sponsored by Infuse Life)

Won against Cockburn Cougars 80-61

Coach comments:

Cockburn maintained scoreboard pressure on us throughout the game so I’m exceptionally proud of the way our team responded to being challenged and being able to counter their pressure to extend our lead at crucial times throughout the contest.
Congratulations to each of our players on their commitment to one another and being willing to listen to the feedback that they were provided:
- Cam Ford: Brought strong energy on defence and it was pleasing to see his growing confidence offensively.
- Andrew Chilufya: Exploited the defence with his athleticism and finesse. Andrew is becoming a sound leader.
- Riley Ford: Was willing to sacrifice for the team and made a significant contribution at the defensive end.
- Emmanuel Ngugi: Scored well in limited minutes due to foul trouble. It was pleasing to see his confidence!
- Hamish Elder: Made a genuine commitment to rebounding and making team-orientated passes to involve others.
- Harry Cuerden: Was impressive in his decision-making and in lifting the team’s intensity in transition. Well done!
- Cooper Deshon: Continued to play strongly at both ends of the floor. Your efforts do not go unnoticed, Cooper.
- Harry Wheatland: Played an intelligent game and continues to add an important dimension to our team.
- Yawasyaf Yohans: Thank you for making defence such a priority. You are helping to transform our culture.
- Jaxon Sym: For taking on the physical challenge of the game and making important plays when it mattered most.

U16 Division 3 Boys White – Luke Simonette

Lost to Joondalup 77-54

Coach comments:

We executed our full-court press really well in the first half.
We showed great resolve early fighting through contact and getting good finishes.
We demonstrated good half-court defensive principles.
And we adapted well to the speed of the game
Bas Allegre excelled in a new role, playing strong and vertical. Capped off with 14 boards
Ali Hartmann also excelled in a new role as an impact player and was part of many steals in the backcourt
Drew Corry played smart defence – staying aggressive whilst not fouling

U16 Division 3 Boys Grey – Anthony Nixon (sponsored by Auto Control Systems)

Won against Perry Lakes Hawks 90-74

Coach comments:

After letting Perry Lakes get out to a 9-0 start we turned up the pressure and took control of the game against a strong Hawks team. Every player scored and every player made a major contribution to the win. The positivity, teamwork and energy of this team is infectious!
The pressure from all of the guards was again strong with Benji Berardis attacking the basket for some valuable points.
Jordan Yum continued his strong season with 21 points including 7 free throws.
But the individual effort of the day was Taj Hollands who was outstanding at both ends of the court.

U16 Division 4 Boys – Anthony Nixon (sponsored by TECC and Insight)

BYE

U18 Champs Boys – Simon Daff (sponsored by Della Franca Farms)

Won against Willetton Tigers 92-79

Coach comments:

We showed great ability to make adjustments after time outs in this game. The boys have very good basketball knowledge and execute well when making changes. I also loved our ability to get more physical with other teams when we play smaller.
Maxx Della Franca had a superb all-round game. He played physical and played hard at both ends and shot the ball extremely well to finish with 29 points and 6 made threes.
Victor Komaiya continues to be a workhorse inside providing toughness, rebounding and back-to-the-basket scoring. He also sets great screens to get his teammates open.
Charlie Morcombe had his best game for the team adjusting well as a bottom-age player.

U18 Division 3 Men White – Luke Notley (sponsored by McDonalds Karratha)

Won against South West Slammers 101-57

Coach comments:

We played much better containment defence and kept applying the pressure all game long. We ran the fast break well and crashed the boards. Our goal was to keep the other team under 60 points and we achieved that.
Callum Bond had his best game for us and it was pleasing to see him getting more aggressive on the boards.
Everyone played much better defence which was great to see.

U18 Division 3 Men Grey – Brandon Riley (sponsored by Inspirations Paint)

Won against Rockingham 84-70

Coach comments:

We started well which meant when we started to struggle with foul trouble, we had a buffer to work with.
Stefan Zugic played as a replacement for Malik Powell (out with injury) and did well in his first game for us.
Ethan Saliacus was great on the boards.

U18 Division 3 Men Silver – Sam Fox (sponsored by Strut Specialists)

Lost to Cockburn Cougars 75-74

Coach comments:

We had excellent energy and commitment across the team and it was super tough to lose by 1. For the majority of the game our defence was dominant and we had a particularly fantastic rebounding quarter in the third. When we moved the ball without stopping or over-dribbling, our offence was very effective.
Mandla Magwenzi was elevated from train on and rose to the opportunity with some huge minutes, shooting 3 of 3 from deep and bringing excellent energy.
Harry Maude was dynamite on box outs, outlet passing and took a key charge.
Oakley Fung did a great job when taking point, staying composed under pressure and getting the ball moving.
Declan Pyne had another efficient scoring game but, more importantly, stepped up massively on the boards to lead the team with 8.

U20 Men White – Michael Clarke

Lost to Hills Raiders 60-59

Coach comments:

This was a close game throughout with Hills going on several small runs. In the final quarter we came storming home from 9 down to hit the lead with 8 seconds left in the game but couldn’t hold on to win unfortunately.

U20 Men Grey – Michael Clarke

Lost to Joondalup 73-55

Coach comments:

We executed well until late in the game when the score blew out a little. It was a much closer game than the final score suggests.