Big V Round 10: Favourites fire as Lady Broncos buck Falcons women
Perennial big guns Ringwood, Waverley and Corio Bay continued to put space between them and the next best side in the men’s competition, while Hume City showed their title credentials with an overtime victory over the highly-fancied Falcons.
Credit: Photo Credit: Big V Media
State Championship Men
Corio Bay kicked off proceedings with a 103-82 win over an improved Eltham side, who hung around all night despite the final score suggesting otherwise. The Stingrays won every quarter but never blew the Wildcats away, with a 40-29 rebound count proving too much for the visitors to overcome. Jason Reardon dominated, netting 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting to go with 11 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals in a ripping display, while Duane Johnson (24 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 8-11 FG) and Ma’Alo Hicks (21 points, 9 rebounds, 9-14 FG) were also strong. Jarrad Fryar was brilliant for Eltham, nailing 27 points on blistering 10-of-13 shooting to go with 5 boards and 5 assists, keeping his side in it throughout.
Diamond Valley edged past Melbourne in an entertaining contest, with a 27-13 second term by the Eagles setting up the win. Both teams shot the ball well, however 20 turnovers cost the young Tigers as Matt Fennell (19 points, 10 rebounds) and Adam Moore (13 points, 5 rebounds, 6-9 FG) made them pay. The Tigers relied far too heavily on Geremy McKay (21 points, 8 rebounds) and Jock Landale (20 points, 9 rebounds), with the duo accounting for over half of their side’s points. The Eagles moved back into the top six as a result of the win, while Melbourne remains last with just 2 wins this season to date.
Waverley worked their way to a hard-fought 94-84 win over Hume City, with the home town Broncos refusing to go away until the final buzzer. Ivan Platenik was the difference in an even contest, nailing 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting and pulling in 11 rebounds to star, while Chris Arkell (21 points, 7 rebounds) continued his purple patch and Sedale Threatt (8 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 6 steals) filled the stat sheet as per usual. Jermaine Maybank was the Broncos’ best with 21 points and 4 rebounds and Brett Fennell added 17 points and 8 rebounds as their side slumped to a seventh consecutive defeat.
Werribee used a strong final term to get past Whittlesea in an 80-66 win to keep the Devils on the brink of the top six. Rustin Dowd (27 points, 4 assists) was huge as Jordan Hughes (16 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists) and Jonathon Sonda (17 points) chimed in with valuable contribution in the victory. The Pacers missed injured import Jermaine Williams enormously as Michael Petridis (19 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 5-22 FG) and Jason Dirkx (12 points, 8 rebounds, 4-16 FG) were forced to shoulder the load but combined for 9-of-38 shooting. Whittlesea now seem a long way from a finals berth after being the form team of the competition just a fortnight ago prior to Williams going down.
The Devils were brought back down to Earth on Sunday with a 112-80 thrashing at the hands of high-flying Waverley. The Falcons shot 37-of-66 for the match, including an incredible 18-of-35 from deep, to blitz the Devils and win each quarter by six points or more. Ivan Platenik (22 points, 9 rebounds, 8-11 FG) and Chris Arkell (22 points, 6-10 3PT) both completed strong weekends to lead their side, while for Werribee it was Rustin Dowd (20 points, 4 rebounds) leading the way in what was no doubt a disappointing performance for a side who is looking to break into the top six.
Ringwood used a 31-17 second term to ease to a 94-83 win away to Sherbrooke, who threatened to make things interesting in the final term. Bryan Dougher led the way with 29 points and 7 rebounds for the Hawks as they wore down their opponents following the second quarter blitz, with Trevor Latham (16 points, 9 rebounds) providing the grunt inside. For the Suns, it was the familiar story of Grant Johnson (30 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) and Titus Robinson (13 points, 13 rebounds) leading the charge but needing someone else to step up, with their side now a win out of the final playoffs spot.
Bulleen heaped more misery on Whittlesea with an 82-75 win which came much harder than the Boomers probably expected after a blistering 16-4 run to open the game. The Pacers fought back and got level in the second term before the visitors eventually ground out the win, with Thadd Varmall (21 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals) recovering from a slow start to steal the show. Liam Norton (18 points, 6 rebounds) and Karl Beston (14 points, 11 rebounds, 6-10 FG) were also strong, while Nick Masunda (15 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals) was explosive off the bench in just 21 minutes. Michael Petridis (17 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists) and Jason Dirkx (14 points, 5 rebounds) led from the front for the Pacers, while Brendan Hughes contributed 17 points off the bench.
McKinnon unveiled Corey Maynard against Hawthorn and hung on for a tense 80-78 win over the spirited Magic to remain in the top six. In a close contest throughout, Maynard (15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals) was solid without being spectacular as Kale Harrison netted 22 points and pulled in 9 rebounds to steal the show and lead his side to another important victory. For the Magic, Ben Waldren (21 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists) continued his rapid rise to stardom with another brilliant display as Jay Allen was held to just 8 points on 3-of-12 shooting in a dirty afternoon for the shooting star.
State Championship Women
Hume City and Waverley played out an overtime epic to open the round, with the Broncos keeping the Falcons at bay in the extra period for a 74-68 win. Colleen Planeta (26 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals, 5 blocks) starred for the Broncos, who also got good minutes out of Samara Gallaher (15 points, 8 rebounds) and Viv Saad (13 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals) off the bench. The Falcons’ star duo of Brigitte Ardossi (16 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists) and Tegan Cunningham (11 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists) were solid but played second fiddle to Katie Bluzer, who netted 17 points in a strong display despite the loss.
Ringwood shook off a determined Bulleen side for an 80-71 win despite the Boomers continuing to push the title favourites all night. A 7-0 run to open the game and 13-1 run to open the second half put the Hawks well in control and made Bulleen play catch-up, with Amber Hegge (23 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks) and Tara Blair (18 points, 10 rebounds, 5-8 3PT) breaking the defensive shackles after being well-held until halftime. For the Boomers, new import Tara Booker (22 points, 11 rebounds) added a new dimension in her second game while Funda Nakkasoglu (22 points, 4 rebounds) continued to run rampant with the ball in hand.
Eltham ground out an unconvincing win over Melbourne, with the 72-63 victory soured by a possible injury to Hayley Munro. The WNBL star played just 8 minutes and had 6 points on 3-of-4 shooting before being reduced to the bench for the rest of the contest, with Isabella Brancatisano (14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals) and Rebecca Guglielmino (11 points, 9 rebounds) picking up the slack. Chloe Little (22 points, 9 rebounds) and Sydnei Moss (18 points, 12 rebounds) were the best for the Tigers, who remain on the bottom of the ladder with just one win for the season.
McKinnon ground out an important win over Sherbrooke, who returned to their dogged defensive ways in a 68-58 loss. Lauren Taal (17 points) and Tess Feery (13 points, 7 rebounds) picked up the slack as stars Alex Lough (4 points, 10 rebounds, 1-7 FG) and Julie Brookhouse (8 points, 4 rebounds) were well-held by the determined Suns. The home side got another strong game from Sarah Millar (19 points, 5 rebounds) and Leigh-Ann Schouw (11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals) bobbed up in support, however their side suffered a seventh straight loss and remain languishing above only Melbourne and improving Warrandyte after a promising start to the campaign. The Cougars put a two-game gap on Bulleen in the race for the finals spot as a result of the win.
Warrandyte nabbed their second win of the season in a dour 50-44 victory over Diamond Valley. The visitors recovered from a six-point quarter time deficit to hold the Eagles to just 27 points the rest of the way, including 16-of-68 shooting for the match. Tamara Nesmith was clearly the best player on the court, netting 21 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in a dominant display, while Amanda Hedereics (12 points, 10 rebounds) was also solid. The entire Eagles side failed to register a single stat in double digits, with Carly Turner (8 points, 8 rebounds) leading both categories despite being restricted to just 4-of-17 shooting.
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