2015 Australian U20’s Nationals Day 4 Recap – Victoria looks unstoppable
We're now in the home stretch of the U20's Australian Junior Championships, with the top teams now separating themselves from the pack. Here's a recap of Day 4's action.
SA Men | Photo credit: Basketball Australia/Kangaroo Photos
Men
South Australia 70, Tasmania 72
Photo credit: Basketball Australia/Kangaroo Photos
South Australia had a brilliant 2nd half but it wasn't enough as Tasmania managed to hold on in the dying moments to seal the victory. Monyjath Makoi was the catalyst for South Australia, and nearly single-handedly led them to victory, but the perimeter play of Tanner Krebs and Kyle Clark - as well as the clutch free-throw shooting of Lachlan Barker - made sure that Tasmania came away with the big win.
Key Performers:
SA: Monyjath Makoi (22 pts, 10 rbs), Kane De Wit (13 pts, 10 rbs)
TAS: Tanner Krebs (16 pts, 3 rbs, 3 asts), Kyle Clark (16 pts, 6 rbs, 3 asts)
NSW 96, Queensland 69
NSW men | Photo credit: Basketball Australia/Kangaroo Photos
Queensland's tough start to the tournament took another turn for the worst with a blowout loss to NSW. NSW hit a barrage of 3-pointers to run away with the big victory. In a very rounded effort, NSW got some great play out of Thomas Akamarmoi - who has been performing well off the bench all tournament. Jack McVeigh has a good shooting performance for Queensland but it wasn't enough as they now move to 0-5 on the tournament.
Key Performers:
NSW: Thomas Akamarmoi (18 pts, 4/7 3pt), Nicolas Pozoglou (15 pts, 5/10 3pt, 5 rbs)
QLD: Jack McVeigh (23 pts, 4 rbs), Darryl McDowell-White (6 pts, 5 rbs, 5 asts)
ACT 48, Victoria 89
Victoria has continued to cruise through this tournament with a big win over ACT. ACT was simply out-matched, giving up a lot of easy buckets while struggling to shoot over the length of the Victorian bigs. With a relatively young team, Victoria is showing a lot of poise - with one of the most consistent benches in the tournament.
Key Performers:
ACT: Evan Fowler (22 pts, 5 rbs), Bul Kuol (11 pts, 7 rbs, 4 asts)
VIC: Abi Akintola (15 pts, 5 rbs), Jack White (10 pts, 8 rbs, 3 asts)
Tasmania 51, Western Australia 44
Western Australia continues to surprise people with their ability to compete with some of the top teams in the tournament, but it wasn't enough as Tasmania came away with the close 51-44 win. In their 2nd game of the day, Tasmania had a lot of trouble knocking down shots from the perimeter, but their defensive effort was enough to get them over the line. Kyle Clark had a team-high 15 points for Tasmania while Rhys Vague had another impressive game for WA.
TAS: Kyle Clark (15 pts, 5 rbs, 4 asts), Joseph Chilcott (12 pts, 5 rbs)
WA: Rhys Vague (23 pts, 10 rbs), Mitchell Hampson (6 pts, 3 rbs, 2 asts)
Women
Tasmania 43, Victoria 89
Just like their male counterparts, the Victorian women's squad continued their undefeated run in the tournament. As usual, Alanna Smith dominated the paint on both ends of the floor while Alex Sharp is seemingly coming back from her shoulder injury without a hitch. Victoria made it tough for Tasmania, not allowing any easy buckets. The quickness of Rachel Antoniadou was also on show as Victoria would leak out for a lot of easy baskets in transition.
Key Performers:
TAS: Moriah Payne (12 pts, 10 rbs, 10 TO's)
VIC: Alanna Smith (24 pts, 10 rbs), Alex Sharp (17 pts, 10 rbs)
ACT 39, Western Australia 70
Western Australia is emerging as one of the top teams in the tournament, achieving 2 blowout wins in Day 4 - the first being a 70-39 victory over ACT. Ashlee Sidebottom continued to impress off the bench while Madeleine Dennis is proving to be a great leader for this squad. WA dominated the boards in this one, using their size and length to stifle a young ACT side.
Key Performers:
ACT: Sarah Taylor (13 pts, 8 rbs, 4 stls), Molly McPhee (11 pts, 6 rbs)
WA: Ashlee Sidebottom (15 pts, 13 rbs), Madeleine Dennis (9 pts, 10 rbs)
South Australia 57, NSW 74
After a rough start to the tournament, NSW is is now starting to come together. The great play on the wing by Sara Anastasieska - on both ends of the floor - has been a catalyst in the past few games. SA tried to lean on Australian representative players Demi Skinner and Taylor Ortlepp for most of the game but it wasn't enough as NSW ran away with it in the 4th quarter. Jasmine Forcadilla has the potential to be a game-changer for NSW if she's able to be a consistent offensive threat off the bench.
Key Performers:
SA: Demi Skinner (17 pts, 8 rbs), Taylor Ortlepp (14 pts, 4/20 FG, 9 rbs)
NSW: Jasmine Forcadilla (19 pts, 6 rbs), Sara Anastasieska (17 pts, 8 rbs, 5 stls)
Western Australia 89, Tasmania 44
In their 2nd game of the day, Western Australia came out firing to seal the win over Tasmania early. Once again, WA was able to use their superior size and length to control the paint on both ends of the floor. Megan McKay and Ashleigh Grant were able to dominate the boards and get easy baskets at the rim, while Tasmania just couldn't find a rhythm on the offensive end.
Key Performers:
WA: Megan McKay (22 pts, 10 rbs), Ashleigh Grant (12 pts, 11 rbs)
TAS: Samantha Phillips (10 pts, 2 rbs), Elizabeth Howe (7 pts, 7 rbs)
Victoria 84, Queensland 58
Photo credit: Basketball Australia/Kangaroo Photos
Victoria was another team who had a double-header in Day 4's action and, as expected, they managed to go 2-0. Queensland put up a tough fight and can arguably compete with Victoria's size and length inside, but Alanna Smith and Alex Sharp continued to be extremely active on both ends of the floor. Georgia Pineau showed a great all-round game while Ella Hellessey was effective off the bench. Courtney Woods got the start for QLD for the first time in this tournament and seemed to struggle in that role, with her seemingly performing better playing significant minutes off the bench.
Key Performers:
VIC: Alanna Smith (19 pts, 9 rbs, 6 blks), Georgia Pineau (17 pts, 6 rbs, 5 asts, 4 stls)
QLD: Samantha Deakin-Sharpe (16 pts, 3 rbs), Meg Essex (11 pts, 12 rbs)