Tough weekend for Panthers
IT was a tough weekend for the Wallan Panthers in round nine of the Big V competition with the senior sides unable to secure wins.
The first of two games for the men saw the Panthers go down to Sherbrooke 86-95 at RB Robson Stadium on Saturday night.
The Panthers went into quarter time down by nine points which they failed to make up later in the game despite a closer contest.
Twenty-two points scored by both sides in the second quarter saw the deficit remain nine points into halftime, 37-46.
Momentum shifted for the Panthers in the third, scoring an extra four points on top of their opponent to close the gap to just five points at the final break, however the Suns proved the stronger side, having the better quarter and securing the win.
Jon Bailey led the Panthers, scoring a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while William Stewart had 16 points and five rebounds.
On Sunday, the men travelled to Collingwood College where hosts Collingwood All Stars shattered the chances of the Panthers securing a win at the weekend, going down 116-80.
Stewart led with 22 points, while Lachlan Lombardo and Bailey scored 20 and 12 points respectively.
The women hosted Gippsland on Saturday and narrowly went down by five points.
A second quarter 11-23 in favour of United proved just a little too much for the Panthers to recover from despite outscoring the away team 37-27 in the second half.
Maddison O’Nial led with a double-double, scoring 14 points and 11 rebounds, while captain Molly Young and Ranika Guyton supported with 11 points and seven rebounds and 12 points and six rebounds respectively.
The Youth Men celebrated Wallan’s only win for the weekend, securing an 88-93 road victory against Collingwood All Stars.
The Panthers set themselves up with an eight-point lead going into quarter-time, which the All Stars responded with a 34-21 second quarter to give them a five-point lead at the main break.
A tight contest in the third saw Wallan shave just one point of the home side’s lead before a 19-28 final quarter in favour of the Panthers allowed them to run away with the win.
Top scorers included Aduto Chipuwuop with 26 points and seven rebounds and Uling Lueth and Leeroy Cocco with 16 points each.
Meanwhile, the Youth Women suffered a 73-53 loss on the road against Westgate.
The home side led the Panthers by just three points at quarter time, however extended that to 11 into the main break.
Despite their efforts, the Panthers were unable to close the scoreboard gap and the 18-9 third quarter run was enough for the home side to hang on to their lead.
Leading point scorers included Chiara Sultana, 17, Tilly McNamara and Steph Savage with 14 apiece and Isabelle Schulz, who scored 11.
Whittlesea setting the pace
WHITTLESEA had a successful weekend in the Big V competition, with its men’s and women’s teams both maintaining their push for premiership glory.
An incredibly even team performance saw the Pacers’ men’s team score a 34-point victory at Bulleen.
After trailing slightly at the first change, the Pacers put their foot down after that, leading by five points at half time, before blowing the margin out in the second half, winning 111-77.
Raheem Anthony had another sensational display, scoring 27 points, adding seven rebounds and six assists, while Pat Green continued his great form, scoring 18 points on efficient shooting, while also collecting eight rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks in an all-round strong game. Jason Dirkx also scored 14 points, while Angus Fischer added 11.
Whittlesea’s women travelled all the way to Mildura to the Hothouse, but it was all the Pacers as they won three of the four quarters to take a 95-78 victory.
Tegan Cunningham used all her experience to be a dominant force around the rim, scoring 22 points to lead the way, while Meg Lucas scored 14 points. Both Hayley Munro, who scored 10 points and 13 rebounds; and Taylor Scott, with 13 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, enjoyed a double-double.
The Youth League division one women had a trickier time of it at the State Basketball Centre, with Whittlesea falling 71-100 to Knox.
Amy Temos, with 16 points, and Ella Sutherland, with 15 points, were the only two players to crack double digits, while Zoe Wynd had a strong individual performance with nine points, 15 rebounds and four blocks.
It was better news for Whittlesea’s men’s Youth League team, taking an 85-82 victory over Craigieburn away from home.
An even performance from Whittlesea’s key scorers saw Kuir Dhieu score 19 points and 11 rebounds to lead the way, while Jamie Blanchard scored 17 points, and Timothy Halden 15. Isaac Meewella also added 12 points off the bench.
Whittlesea travels this weekend, with the men’s team taking on Sherbrooke and the women’s team taking on Western Port.