Wallan Panthers men kicked off its Country Basketball League, CBL, season in style, with back-to-back wins defeating Seymour Blasters and Shepparton Gators.
In a rare seven-point win, Wallan’s men defeated the Blasters at Seymour’s home court.
Seymour took an early lead Saturday night, ending the first quarter up by three points before heading into halftime up by four.
The Panthers took the lead in the third quarter leaving Seymour to chase them down, unsuccessfully, in the final quarter taking the win 73 to 66.
Wallan coach Scott Baillie said he was nervous before his senior coaching debut.
“I tried to show no fear on my face going into it to show the guys there was nothing to worry about and I trusted them,” he said.
“They seemed quite hyped going into it, which was good, and they believed they’d be able to walk away with the win.
“It was definitely a bit of a pat on the back for me and hats off to the boys for training as hard as what they have been – to be able to then put it out on the court was really great.”
Baillie said club members even approached him following the win to mention it might’ve been a historic victory, as Wallan, to their knowledge, had not defeated the powerhouse Seymour side on their home court before.
Wallan point guard Ryan Phillipe was lead scorer followed by Seymour’s Ethan Bateman and Eden Hobbs with 17 and 15 points respectively.
On Sunday, the Panthers treated fans to a home court 41-point win over Shepparton Gators.
Wallan led 29 to four before extending its lead heading into halftime to be up by 40 points.
Despite a third quarter surge and the Gators coming to within 28 points, the Panthers pushed back in the final quarter, winning 96 to 55.
“We wanted to get the jump on the game. We wanted to make sure they had plenty of energy and set the tempo from the start,” Baillie said.
“We changed up the starting lineup from the night before to see how a couple of players would be able to handle that little bit more pressure going into the starting five.”
Phillipe again led the scoring with 18 while Wallan big man Luke Liesegang added 17 points.
“Luke started the game really well and I think his leadership on the court for that game especially stood out,” Baillie said.
Young players Orlando Andersen-Wells, Jacob Skora and Owen Smith also had the chance to hit the court much to the delight of the crowd, which had nearly two full under 16 Wallan sides supporting their teammates who are development players in the senior side.
“Just the chanting, the noise and everything that came from that is honestly what you want in a home crowd,” Baillie said.
“They were chanting to get the younger guys on … for them to finish out the game on the court was great and they took the game in their stride.”
Wallan is home to Benalla on Saturday, while Seymour has a double-header playing Shepparton on Saturday and Wangaratta on Sunday.
Women
Seymour Blasters had a 42-point win over the young Wallan Panthers to kick of their CBL season.
The Blasters led throughout and despite Wallan outscoring them in the third quarter, won 89 to 47.
Seymour’s Maddison Ford was leading scorer with 17 points followed by Wallan’s Melissa Buckley with 14.
Wallan then lost to Shepparton Gators 63 to 72 on Sunday.
In a close first half, Wallan led by one point heading into halftime before Shepparton took the lead in the second.
Wallan’s Olivia Woods was leading scorer with 19 and Melissa Buckley had another 14-point game.
This Saturday, both teams play away with Wallan at Wodonga and Seymour travelling to Shepparton.
