THE Wallan Panthers’ men saw their unbeaten start to the Big V division two season ended by Whittlesea on Thursday, but the women’s division two team continued their perfect start with a hard-fought win against Coburg.
Playing on the road, the women’s team had to overcome a 16-point three-quarter-time deficit, outscoring the Giants 24-4 in the final frame for a memorable 57-53 triumph.
Leading the charge was Olivia Dalmau, who scored 10 of her 18 points for the game in the fourth quarter, with eight of them coming from the free-throw line.
The stage for Dalmau’s heroics was set by import Kylah Collins, who singlehandedly kept Wallan within striking distance through the first three quarters.
Collins finished the game with 22 points, seven rebounds and an incredible 11 steals.
Wallan tops the ladder with a perfect 5-0 record through four rounds, and will receive a walkover win for their scheduled match against Mornington this weekend.
The Panthers’ men, meanwhile, were left to rue missed opportunities after a narrow 92-97 loss to Whittlesea on the road.
Wallan’s offence clicked into gear with a 33-point scoring outburst in the second quarter, with Arcaim Lallemand scoring 11 points, Tyler Best adding 10 and Keenan Gorski nailing a pair of three-pointers off the bench in his return from a knee injury.
But while Lallemand, 21 points, Best, 18, and guard Dom Bruno, 18, kept the scoreboard humming for Wallan, Whittlesea’s Pat Green added too much firepower of his own.
Green’s game-high 29 points came on efficient 11-13 shooting, while the likes of Zac Donoghue, Max Stojanovic and Blake Cuthbert added scoring punch off the bench for the Pacers.
The Wallan men will play another road game on Sunday when they take on Sherbrooke at Upwey High School.
Wallan’s youth league division two men also suffered their first setbacks of the season, dropping a pair of games to Whittlesea, 62-65, and Maccabi, 65-92, at the weekend.
Dylan Lombardo top scored for Wallan in both games, notching 15 points against Whittlesea and 21 against Maccabi.
The youth league team has a round five bye before returning to host Melton on April 30.
