ANOTHER week in the Big V basketball saw two big margins going in positive and negative directions for the Wallan Panthers at home.
The women’s Panthers team kickstarted the day, taking on the Mornington Breakers who sit two spots below them on the ladder.
The game started hot for the home team, who went on a 20-point run early in the first quarter.
The Panthers showed their versatility and relentlessness on offence and why they have a major gap in total points scored compared to their opposition.
In the second, the Breakers finally started to show some fight, but once again Wallan came out to dominate and lead the half 55-27.
Half time must have had a difference in game plan for the opposition team, as they came out into the third playing extremely high-pressured defence and tried to attack more baskets in the paint.
But it was not enough to stop the Panthers, who continued to charge their way to 39-point lead at the final break.
The Panthers closed out with a massive last quarter to finish the game 108-68 cancelling their two-game losing streak to get back on the winners list.
Ranika Guyton was once again dominant for the Panthers, dropping 30 points on the night and including herself as one of five players to have over 10 points for the match.
They sit third on the ladder and look forward to Shepparton next week, away.
The men’s team on the other hand got served a genuine reality check.
Also playing Mornington, the opposition came out early and scored the first nine points of the game before the Panthers finally secured their first layup.
It was a physical battle against the Breakers who were far too strong across the first half, taking a 17-point lead at the main break.
The Breakers took a different approach to their substitutions having 12 players on the roster for the day.
They played two different sets of five players and swapped out the whole field during the game with the occasional one for one substitution.
It presented a different challenge for Wallan who adapted well by the second half, but it was too soon to be able to claw back the score as they went down by 22 points.
The 65-87 loss marks Wallan’s fourth loss in a row which keeps them at sixth on the ladder on the same number of wins as last placed Collingwood.
They now move onto next week where they have the five-hour travel ahead of them to play Mildura.
By Cooper O’Brien
