IT was another successful night for the Wallan Panthers women’s team as they knocked off the ladder-leaders Chelsea in a showdown.
The matchup at RB Robson Stadium produced a thriller with the Wallan’s women’s running away with a five-point win.
The opposition started off strong, scoring the first six points of the match before the Panthers came back, leading the first quarter by one point. Into the second quarter they extended their lead, giving themselves an eight-point buffer at the half. The Panthers’ field goal percentage was far better than the Gulls’, which was crucial if they wanted to win the game.
The third term saw Chelsea make a comeback, leading by six with just under four minutes remaining.
In the final term, the Panthers’ stars Ranika Guyton and Emmie Gardiner combined for 22 points. The Panthers came out strong to level the scores halfway through the last, before winning 87-82. Guyton finished with 45 points and Gardiner with 20 and 16 rebounds.
Next week’s match features fifth-placed Coburg which could be handy for their percentage towards the back end of the season.
On to the men’s side who had a three-and-a-half-hour trip down to Warrnambool.
The men’s Panthers’, who sits eighth, were eager to get a win against the seventh-placed Warrnambool.
Wallan started strong by scoring seven points in just the first two minutes. Into the second quarter, Warrnambool came back, levelling the score at 42 apiece at the half.
In the third quarter, Warrnambool started to pull away, scoring 18 points to Wallan’s 13 to gain a five-point buffer heading into the last.
The final quarter saw Wallan outworked, eventually going down by 11 points in a close match, 83-72, leaving the Panthers reeling with a sixth straight loss.
By Riley Gray