IT was a weekend of near-perfection for Whittlesea, almost claiming a clean sweep across its Big V competitions.
The Pacers’ men continue to leave no stone unturned in their quest to claim division one glory, recovering from a 15-point half time deficit to score a six-point win over Bulleen in front of their supporters at Mill Park Basketball Stadium.
After a tight opening term which saw the term end as it started, with both teams scoring 24 points apiece, the Boomers went off in the second term to establish a foothold on the game, scoring 32 points to 17 to lead 56-41 at the main break.
Whatever was said in the Pacers’ changerooms, however, seemed to work a treat as the third term got underway.
Suddenly, the Pacers were able to get stops, and offensively, got the necessary buckets to make a massive charge, bringing the crowd into the game as Whittlesea scored 22 points to 13 to close the gap to just six points at the final change, 63-69.
A 14-7 run by the Pacers allowed it to hit the front with six minutes remaining, and thanks to some big shot making from Angus Fischer, the Pacers were able to get home to score a crucial 96-90 victory.
Fischer finished with 35 points and 14 rebounds in what was a spectacularly efficient outing, while Jason Dirkx and Bernolf Abary scored 14 points apiece.
Whittlesea’s women also scored a good win over Camberwell, holding off a third quarter charge to win by six points.
The Pacers made an excellent start to lead by four points at the opening change after scoring 17 points to 13 and increased their lead to eight in what was a low-scoring second term, holding a 29-21 lead at the main break.
Camberwell, however, made a big charge in the third term and levelled the scores by the end of the period, leaving everything to play for in the last change with the score sitting at 39-apiece.
Whittlesea made an exceptional start to the final term, going on a 12-0 run in the first four minutes of the term which allowed it to control the pace of play.
Despite Camberwell making a late charge, the Pacers held on to win 61-55.
Tegan Cunningham showed the way with 22 points, while Indiana Bodley scored nine points.
Whittlesea’s Youth League women had a terrific weekend, scoring two big victories.
On Saturday afternoon, the Pacers were able to wallop Ballarat by 47 points, scoring a 119-72 victory.
The Pacers dominated offensively after quarter time, and six players finished in double figures, led by Amy Temos and Ella Sutherland, who scored 25 points apiece.
Sunday saw the Pacers take an equally-significant victory over Geelong.
Facing a road trip and a back-to-back game, it was the Pacers who finished the stronger, clearing away in the last term to score a six-point victory.
Temos and Sutherland again delivered, with 18 and 16 points respectively, while Trinitee Salanoa-Seala was also impactful off the bench, scoring 16 points, including a perfect four from four from beyond the arc.
The only blemish on the scorecard for the weekend was the Youth League men falling to Altona by three points, 81-84.
In a tight game, it was the third quarter, where the Gators won the quarter by five points, which proved to be telling.
Isaac Meewella scored 23 points, while Joshua Pratt added 18 and Timothy Halden 17.
