WHITTLESEA Pacers are in a strong position to contend as the regular season approaches its final week this week.
The division one men’s team did enough to beat Warrnambool by six points at Warrnambool Stadium, with strong two-point shooting responsible for their victory.
The Pacers got off to a hot start, leading by nine points at quarter time thanks to a 25-16 run, and were successful in increasing the lead in the second quarter, scoring another 27 points to 18 to lead 52-34 at the main break.
However, Whittlesea had to resist a hot run of scoring from Warrnambool’s Harry McGorm, who top-scored on the court with 38 points, as the Seahawks started to make their move.
Warrnambool scored 28 points to 23 in the third term as they were able to decrease the margin slightly, but it was still a 13-point game at the final change, with Whittlesea leading 75-62.
The Seahawks closed to within four points late in the game, but the Pacers held their nerve in the final stages to ensure it would win 96-90.
An even scoring spread was key for the Pacers, with Oscar Percy scoring 23 points, Pat Green 17, Bernolf Abary 12 and Jason Dirkx 10 as part of a well-rounded Pacers outfit.
With just one round left, a victory would see the Pacers more than likely finish in third position on the ladder, as they travel to Altona.
Whittlesea’s women had a bye and will round out their home-and-away campaign with a trip to Altona this weekend.
The Pacers’ Youth League women had a dominant victory over Ballarat at the Minerdome on Sunday afternoon, scoring a 35-point victory.
Whittlesea held firm across the first half, leading by 11 points at the opening change after a quick start, 21-10, before Ballarat had its best quarter of the afternoon, scoring 20 points to 19 to remain in the contest, with Whittlesea leading 40-30.
However, the Pacers started to shift up a gear throughout the second half, scoring 23 points to 10 in the third term to increase the lead to 23 points, 63-40, before its defence remained resolute in the final term, cashing in to score 26 points to 14 and running away with an 89 to 54 victory.
Zoe Wynd was a dominant force down low for the Pacers, scoring 20 points and collecting 16 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end, giving the likes of Olivia Jones (14 points) and Peyton Burns (12 points) second chance opportunities.
Whittlesea’s Youth League men rounded out their home-and-away campaign with a strong 12-point win over Sherbrooke at Mill Park Basketball Stadium on Saturday night.
In what was a topsy-turvy game of momentum swings, Whittlesea started strongly by scoring 30 points to 18 to lead early on, but it was all Sherbrooke in the second quarter as the Suns roared back into the game, scoring 25 points to 14 to make it a one-point ball game at the half time break, 44-43.
Nothing could separate the sides in the third quarter as both teams scored 22 points apiece, setting up a grandstand finish, 66-65.
However, it was Whittlesea who were much too strong for the Suns in crunch time, scoring 27 points to 16 to eventually take a 93-81 victory.
Isaac Meewella had a very impressive outing, scoring 32 points and eight rebounds, while Jamie Blanchard had 12 points, 11 assists and six boards, and Timothy Halden also crashed the glass and had a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards.
