Weekly WABL Wrap – Round 9 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 9 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 the Warwick Senators 43-40

Coach comments

It was pleasing to see our continued improvement in our offensive spacing
Our offensive rebounding, particularly in the first quarter was phenomenal
The Senators made a real push late in the game and took a 2-point lead halfway through the 4th quarter. Paige Ogden was amazing. Not once did she drop her head and her energy and effort helped to lift the rest of the group when the game was on the line

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

Won against Lakeside Lightning White 45-14

Coach comments

The girls gave 100% for 32 minutes which is all we can ask from them. Every single girl that was on the court worked incredibly hard and all the girls on the bench did an amazing job cheering everyone on.
Every single time we play, they amaze me at how much they have improved. Every time I think they have done everything they can, they manage to bring just a little bit more.
This win was a complete team effort. The girls played very selfless basketball, pushing the pace and sharing the ball around as well. I wouldn’t be able to mention individual efforts without mentioning every single girl on the team.

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

Won against Joondalup Wolves Green 31-13

Coach comments

The team is vocalising more regularly on and off court which is increasing accuracy in transition passing. Their united effort in defence, particularly at the top of the key showed great improvement due mostly to better communication
Jacinta Wladyka was strong in offence, as was a Cara Hayes.
Big increase in confidence from Sally Dowling as she finds her pre-broken arm mojo
Great decision making from Alessia Wladyka with several intercepts and also assists.
Everybody attempted a good or great shot today.

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

Lost to Perry Lakes 48-33

Coach comments

I was really pleased with our improved effort on our boxing out and rebounding

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

Lost to Warwick 63-27

Coach comments

The girls made a concerted effort in the 2nd half to pursue the ball and fight hard for possessions.

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

Lost to South West Slammers 47-27

Coach comments

The girls played a strong first half moving the ball and getting good looks – we played as a team in the first half which contributed to a tied game at that point.
Mila Reyes demonstrated great aggressiveness, I really love to see it!
Grace Almond had a good game driving to the bucket!
Anna Zittrisch gave it her all even though she was feeling about 60% for the day!

U14 Division 4 Girls Grey – Lucy Dowling

Won against Cockburn Cougars 29-21

Coach comments

The girls played so well this week. There are still a few things we need to work on, especially our composure, but every single girl tried something we have been practising at training which was such a pleasure to see. Our defence was very good both within the half-court and in transition which translated to good offensive looks.
Ella Baxter had an amazing game offensively and in defence. It was great to see her building confidence and skill, her footwork is improving rapidly and this game showed it as her euro step scored us multiple points.
Sienna Care showed great positivity from the bench. Her support and commitment to the team show leadership and resilience many girls her age lack.
Salma Rahmadavi is one of the toughest, bravest kids in court – this was another great game from her. Salma’s ball-handling and composure was an asset, she generated good steals in transition.

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

Lost to Warwick 95-52

Coach comments

The most pleasing aspect of the game was the continued development of the bench who contributed 48% of our points and brought energy when they hit the floor.
Stella Gregory had an excellent second half and led the team in scoring 13 points.
Tatum Cooper had her best game of the season crashing the boards and scoring eight points.

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

Lost to Senators 63-35

Coach comments

We started well and played with much more control and lots more passing in our half-court offence which was great to see. However, we became a bit too tentative at times and forgot to attack the paint.
The girls are showing they can execute the different elements we have worked on in training and when we put it all together, the scoreboard will look a lot different I am sure.
We showed in the second half that when we apply our defensive principles we can stop any team and we held them pretty even on the scoreboard for the last two quarters.
We played some really nice basketball but for the most part, we struggled to find our rhythm. Despite the result, the girls have great team spirit and continue to play with great Redbacks intensity.
Everyone made a dent on the scoreboard this week but it was really nice to see Tegan Wilkinson step and nail a couple of free throws after strong attacking moves – she has been working hard at training on her shooting form and she looked much more smooth and confident at the free-throw line.
Hannah Saliacus was strong (again) on the defensive boards and Matilda Thomson showed great courage to chase the loose ball and great resilience to return to the court after a nasty head knock.

U16 Division 4 Girls – Geoff Alger

Lost to Joondalup Wolves 49-37

Coach comments

I loved the commitment demonstrated by all our players again this week. The fight for loose balls and rebounds, the improved pressure on the ball and the whole team’s composure with the ball were all there all game.
To do all of that with only 5 players for most of the second half showed real commitment. Great effort.
Tiana Alger’s defensive and rebounding efforts were very impactful.
Amelia Weber’s help defence and attack on the boards despite being so undersized saved many opposition points.
Our borrowed help, Matilda Pyne from the U14s provided energy, enthusiasm and remarkable composure.

U18 Division 2 Girls White – Brayden Cook

Won against Joondalup Wolves 78-41

Coach comments

This week we played a lot better as a team which was an improvement from last week.
Everyone did a great job playing their role, we did a great job not settling for outside shots instead we played inside out and that helped generate better scoring opportunities.
Jasmin Wynne was strong inside, grabbing rebounds and going to work down low scoring on anyone.
Kaja Todorovic was fantastic all game scoring inside at will.
Kerry Hayden continued to be reliable from the perimeter scoring 17 points with three 3s.

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

Lost to Perry Lakes 95-38

Coach comments

We played match-up defence for the majority of this game, something we haven’t done much of before (as our zone defence has been quite effective) and the girls adjusted and played it quite well. In offense we had a lot of scoring opportunities, we just couldn’t convert.
Kirsty Slinger shot the ball well, shooting 100%, along with our team’s most rebounds and blocks.
Charlotte Horniman continued to work hard attacking the ring and shooting accurately from the free-throw line and mid-range. Shaqirah Akune shot well from the 3-point line going 2/3 (we will have to work on getting Shaqirah the ball more often out there). Meg Capewell impressed me with a couple of blocks and a nice baseline drive and finish with a reverse layup.
All the girls contributed in this game with assists and steals.

U12 Champs Boys – Dylan Vilardi

Lost to Warwick Senators 61-43

Coach comments

We showed consistent energy and effort throughout this entire game and won both the rebound count and turnover count.
Lucas Fry came off the bench and showed amazing energy throughout the whole game. He was amazing on the defensive end and gave it 100%.

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

Lost to Perry Lakes 44-33

Coach comments

We were down early and after an adjustment to our game plan, the boys battled hard to fight their way back into the game. In the end, we were just undersized.
Toby Deshon was locked in early which was great to see.
Cooper Roskell brought grit and speed to our press breaker.
In a game where we lacked size, we needed people to step up on defensive rebounds. Both Jett Murphy and Filip Jokanovic battled hard in the paint pulling down much-needed boards.

U12 Division 4 Boys White – Tyler Cusworth

Won against South West Slammers 56-49

Coach comments

The boys turned up ready to play. From the get-go we were putting scores on the board and played with high intensity. When we ran our plays we looked really good. We’re starting to play to a solid system now which shows in what has become a 6-game win streak.
Jake Chew dominated the scoreboard with 16 points. He also managed to make some crucial steals in the last quarter.
Luca Genovese was our go-to man bringing the ball up – he was able to create some great runs. The players coming off the bench showed they could come on, maintain intensity and help maintain our lead. Nick Knight led the way in that regard.

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

Won against Rockingham Flames 65-22

Coach comments

We played team-first basketball and moved the ball at a higher clip than in any other game. We looked dangerous in our half-court offence which hasn’t been the case to this point of the season.
It was great to have Travis Hunt back in the lineup. He came up with numerous steals, rebounds and buckets.

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

Won against Perry Lakes 74-48

Coach comments

The team’s emotional toughness was tested early with the opposition converting unlikely shots and calls not going our way. We focused on sticking to the team plan to take control of the game tempo and executed effectively and efficiently making the correct ‘reads over rules’.
The team’s commitment and focus to hunt rebounds and create ball pressure without fouling were executed near perfectly in the first half with the rebound count 16-1 and turnovers -9 in our favour. Our work rate and ball pressuring were neverending, forcing the opposition to play through our chest, allowing us the boys to put their bodies on the line, take charges and trap.
Jack Saliacus recovered from a week off with injury to start this week. He led the team in help, ball pressure and containment rules.
Jaxon Kowal displayed lightning footwork and a low stance that ensured the opposition was traumatised by his pressure and his ability and court vision to make assist after assist.
Mason Clarke and Ben Galvin were relentless in screening and attacking the ring whilst always ensuring they were the first back on D.
Jerry Davies, Levi Hewett, Zac Anfuso, Cleon Ryder, Romeo Lyszkowicz showed excellent defensive pressure, paint beast mentality, voice pressure and energy.

U14 Division 2 Boys – Mitchell Jesson

Lost to Warwick Blue 42-29

Coach comments

Warwick Blue are the undefeated team in our division and our goal coming into this game was to execute four solid quarters of competitive basketball.
With two minutes to go, we were only 5 points down and while some turnovers were pounced on by Warwick to take the final margin to 13, I was hugely proud of our team’s effort. It was our best display of team defence for the season to date and we held Warwick to their equal-lowest score for the season.
Stirling Barnett played both wonderful individual and team defence. He also knocked down 5 of 6 free throws and took 7 boards.
Jay Hazell returned from injury to lead our team in scoring and rebounding with 8 points from 4/4 shooting and 9 rebounds.
Despite multiple frustrations, Cooper Hewer never dropped his head at either end of the court. He also took a brave charge against the opposition centre.
Ewan Maclean fought through enormous physical pressure to get the ball safely up the court time and time again. Ewan also played great individual defence.

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

Lost to East Perth Eagles 70-59

Coach comments

East Perth led in the early parts of the game by double digits but we managed to come back and get to within three and kept it under double digits for most of the second half.
The boys fought hard throughout the game and never gave up.
Another game with great team effort on both ends of the floor.

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

Lost to Hills Raiders 93-52

Coach comments

Given the score, the boys kept their heads up and kept playing.
The executed great off-ball movement, which opened up the keyway for drives
Tom Jakimowiez was relentless on the boards again, giving his all to gain possession
Hamish Maude’s offence was great, driving through the keyway and passing, as well as finishing baskets through multiple players
Kobe Kalebic led the team on the defensive end, grabbing steals and pushing the ball up the floor

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

Won against Senators Green 98-58

Coach comments

This was a great ‘team win’ against strong opposition. The final score reflects the effort, consistency and expectations that the team held themselves accountable to. Fundamentally, this was one of our strongest wins so far, due to so many positive factors falling into place for us.
Cameron Ford, Yawasyaf Yohans, Andrew Chilufya, Harry Cuerden, Cooper Deshon and Hamish Elder all made at least one three-pointer during the contest. Many hit more than one! This was an excellent improvement and makes us far more dangerous to guard.
Jaxon Sym was once again strong in transition, rebounding from a guard position and took on many challenges defensively.
Emmanuel Ngugi and Riley Ford battled hard against strong inside players. It was impressive to see us win the rebound count and contest so strongly at the rim.

U16 Division 3 Boys White – Luke Simonette

Lost to Redbacks Grey 81-69

Coach comments

For the second week in a row, we went into a game undermanned and undersized due to injury and unavailability. But that didn’t matter. Our team remained positive throughout the game, played great full-court pressure without fouling, rebounded well and moved the ball well in offensive transition and limited turnovers in the second half. I’m proud of their efforts.
Ali Hartmann slotted into a more ball heavy roll, adjusted well and also demonstrated great transition defence.
Lucas Martignago stepped into a team he is unfamiliar with to ensure we had 8 players for the game. Huge thanks to Lucas!

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

Won against Redbacks White 81-69

Coach comments

We were fortunate to come up against the higher-ranked Redbacks team in our division at a time they were missing three starters. With a desire to prove ourselves against stronger players, we started the game highly focused and with great energy.
The game was tough and hard-fought throughout and we displayed hugely improved ball pressure and ball movement. Other than a few brain fades in the third quarter with our full-court pressure that momentarily let Redbacks White back in, we showed just how far we have come in a few short months to finish strong and record our 7th win from 8 starts this season.
The highlight for me was the noise and energy from the bench with support for their teammates on the court.
While this was another great team effort with every player contributing well, the standout of the day was Kalisto Ubu with 16 pts and 10 strong rebounds (double-double).
The energy and drive from Benji Berardis was contagious and showed with a ‘best on court’ performance backed by 23 points – many coming from brutal defensive pressure.
A shout out to the Millards who announced they are now contenders for ‘parents of the year’ with pre-game coach cannolis. Vicki’s blueberry muffins were also great (but I didn’t get to see much of those as Mitch demolished half when I wasn’t watching). There has been team chatter of true Italian ‘homemade’ cannolis, but we can only wait patiently and hope … haha.

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

Lost to Willetton 85-61

Coach comments

While poor shooting percentage and fouls meant we couldn’t get back in the game, we played quite well with improved structure, good effort and great positivity.
Riley Panizza started the game with great energy and positivity and continued with 14 points.
Josh Welsh had great aggression at the basket to also record 14 points.
Naoki worked really hard all game until fracturing his ankle on a drive at the basket 🙁 We wish him a speedy recovery (and thanks to the parents for the graphic photos of poor Naoki’s incident and resulting ankle balloon in the team chat … ouch).
Thanks so much to CJ for joining us for the game.
Thanks also to the parents in this team for their positivity and support as we keep pushing hard for wins.

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

Lost to Warwick Senators Blue 69-57

Coach comments

For the first time this season we played the type of defence that can win you a championship – lots of talk, better boxing out and everyone on the same page. Unfortunately, our offense went missing. We’re going to have some games soon where we put everything together and when that happens, it’s going to lead to some very satisfying victories.

Marcellas Bear had his best game of the season. He rebounded, played good defence and finished strongly around the rim. He came into our squad late but has started to settle in.
Josh Peterson had a great all-round game. Always known for his defence, he was patient on offense, made the right reads and was rewarded.

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

Won against Perry Lakes Hawks 78-65

Coach comments

We played much better containment full-court man-to-man defence this week. We were able to really keep the pressure on all game long and grind away at the opposition.
We ran the fast break well and in our half-court sets were able to adjust to their zone and execute some different looks.
We found the open player a lot better this week which meant we had good open looks at the basket.

Everyone was able to get on the scoreboard which was very pleasing. Jesse Wilcox had a great shooting game and again controlled our tempo well.
Oliver Pedley, Darren Fernandez and Luis Uribe were solid contributors offensively.
Oliver was a beast defensively on the boards and being aggressive. It was a very good team effort. We significantly increased our intensity to ensure we bounced back strongly from last week’s loss.

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

Won against Bunbury 115-76

Coach comments

I was unable to attend as I was ill, so thank you to Michael and Andre for taking up the coaching reins on the day. This was a great team effort in a high-scoring game that saw scoreboard contributions from all players.

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

Won against East Perth 78-69

Coach comments

This was a great team win with contributions from all 10 players at both ends of the court. Our D is always strong, but in this game, we stayed on the attack in O the full four quarters. We consistently got in the paint, found each other and shot the ball really well as a consequence. There was great unity on our bench throughout the game and everyone was locked in on the goal of playing our style. The team-first attitude of this group is exceptional.

Jake Vilardi, Tsepo Mhlope and Harry Maude played great defence and showed excellent composure in the fourth when the opposition made a run.
Thanos Snooks was strong on rebounds and very efficient on O—especially from deep. We had great scoring contributions and defence from Aiden Cannington, Danny Ryan and Declan Pyne.
Oakley Fung stayed aggressive when things weren’t going his way and drained a big three when we needed it.
Mackenzie Tanner led our scoring with a great balance of attacking the rim alongside his shooting. Akira Rowe-Fox backed this up with efficient finishing and getting to the line for 6 made free throws.

U20 Men White – Michael Clarke

Lost to Warwick Blue 96-85

Coach comments

Despite missing five players due to injury or illness, we took it right up to the undefeated, best team in our league.

U20 Men Grey – Rob Gordon

Lost to Rockingham Flames 111-79

Coach comments

At one point we led this game and there were some solid individual efforts.
Josh Dohler had a very good game as did Kaden Morcombe