SPALDING WARATAH SENIOR LEAGUE | ROUND 13 RECAP

Championship Men:

The Maitland Mustangs were victors over the Sutherland Sharks, 92-80. The fifth placed Mustangs were always in control against the third-placed sharks, the Maitland side building on a commanding five-point half time lead to go and register an impressive 12-point conquest on the final buzzer. The Mustangs came out with great energy in the opening minutes as the Sharks struggled to get early points on in the match, pulling into the second quarter, 30-15. It was another strong performance from Maitland’s Isaiah Ellis registering a double-double with 32 points and 13 rebounds.  The Sharks were boasted by Kyle Steward who was central in their attack, scoring 21 points and five rebounds, but unfortunately his efforts were not enough as over the past few loses the Sharks have been dealt it has been a common theme, the Sharks consistently fading away in pressure fuelled key moments. The Sharks have more than enough star power in their side, so look for an electrifying back half of the season as they will look to redeem themselves and hopefully cement their position further up the ladder. 

The Maitland Mustangs will travel to Hills this weekend as the face off against seventh placed Hills Hornets while the Sutherland Sharks will play host to first placed Central Coast Crusaders in what will be sure exciting viewing on Saturday night.

Championship Women:

In their thirteenth straight win, the Newcastle Hunters were once again victors over second-placed Canberra Nationals on Saturday evening, 78-67. The Hunters had a very busy weekend, stretching it out to fourteen straight wins after backing up on Sunday to beat the Penrith Panthers, 75-43. In their first win of the weekend, the Newcastle Hunters held their annual charity night across their championship divisions as they donned a special jersey for the night for charity group Wheeling and Able in which the Hunters raised almost $6500. The Hunters displayed a lot of strength up front when it came to playing out-of-town Nationals, with WNBL superstar Lara McSpadden scoring a game-high 24 points and six rebounds and with teammate Jasmin Howe rounding out the match with her own 23 points and seven rebounds. The Nationals however, seemed to struggle offensively without UC Capitals forward Keely Froling who will be out for a number of weeks on Australian 3×3 FIBA World Cup duties, with Hannah Kaser picking up the pieces in attack with 23 match points and three rebounds but without the help up front, the Nationals were outpowered and struggled to matchup to undefeated Newcastle.

The Nationals however bounced back in their second match of the round, taking on the Central Coast Crusaders in a 27-point victory, 52-79. The Hunters will now hit the road for their next game against the eighth placed Sydney Comets this Saturday while the Nationals travel back up the coast to take on Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, who sit tenth on the ladder.

Division One Men:

It was an extraordinary clash last weekend for the Lithgow Lazers who hit the century mark as they overpowered a strong Wagga Wagga Heat outfit, 106-81. In a high point scoring affair, both teams had a number of strong shooters with Lithgow’s American, starter Michael Johnston in season best form adding 37 points to his teams score tally. Wagga Wagga was not without some sharp shooters of their own with American import Matt Brunell adding 29, followed by Dominic and Robert Tye with 12 and 11 respectively. In a clash that saw the Lazers ahead by 31 points heading into the final term, Wagga Wagga will hope to rebuild and take on the Oranage Eagles who sit underneath them in ninth in what will be an intense match this weekend. The Lazers on the other hand will travel to Dubbo this Saturday to take on the last-placed Rams.

Division One Women:

In the only match over the weekend, the Tamworth Thunderbolts were champions over the Dubbo Rams, 72-67. Emily Tudman topped the points for the Thunderbolts with 13 points, with teammates Bronte Chillingworth and Sienna Kennedy not far behind, scoring 12pts & 11pts respectfully. Tamworth shot out of the gates early on, leading into the second quarter 20-16.  However, the leadership, skill and toughness of the Rams cannot be faulted as they pulled together to tie up the game heading into the second half, 37-37.Dubbo’s Faatimah Amen-Ra will play an integral part of the Rams team going forward, as she top-scored in the clash with 25 points. The Coffs Harbour Suns remain out in front on the ladder, followed by Tamworth in second, Dubbo sitting nicely in third and Camden Valley still without a win, in last position.

Division One Youth Men:

The Hills Hornets were victors over a deflated Shoalhaven Tigers side, 84-55. The Tigers had the advantage of playing in front of a packed home crowd, however Scott Balsar’s side did not capitalise on their good fortunes, recording their eighth loss of the season so far.  The visitors dominated on all corners of the court, with Liam Moss top-scoring in the contest with a swift 31 points and was joined by teammates Jayden Prakash’s 18 pts & Tyrone Jay’s 13pts. The Hornets reached out in front in the first quarter, 26-11 and pressed their lead ahead for the entire game. The Tigers continued to push heading into the second half and looked to Kyle Leslie and Captain Riley O’Shannessy for not only motivation but for also points but ultimately fell short during the final plays of the match, however, both combinied for 29pts.  The Shoalhaven Tigers will hope for redemption with another home match this Saturday at the Den against Blacktown Storm, who sit one spot ahead on the Division One Youth Med Ladder in seventh. The Hills Hornets who sit in third, will also have a home match against last placed Maitland Mustangs.

Division One Youth Women:

In a tight-knit affair, the Newcastle Hunters escaped with a three-point win against home side the Sydney Comets, 69-72. In what can only be described as fast-paced, high scoring match-up, the Sydney Comets showcased NSW representatives Sarah Wacher & Emily Matthews on the scoresheet with Wacher collecting eight points while Matthews top-scored in the clash with a remarkable 34 points to her name. The Comets however were unlucky in the final term, with Newcastle’s Chyra Evans demanding the ball and ruling havoc on a stressed Sydney defence. Evans, an NSW representative herself, also contributed to the scoreboard, adding 22 points and top-scoring for the visitors while teammate Emily Crampton was not far behind with 21 match points. Newcastle remain in first position on the ladder, with only three losses this season while the Sydney Comets stay in the middle on 5^th with 7-6. Both sides will get a week off, and will be back in Round 15.

Division Two Youth Men:

The Inner West Bulls revealed why they sit at the top of the Division 2 Youth Men ladder with a thrilling one-point triumph against fifth placed Hornsby Spiders White, 81-82. The Inner West Bulls were quick to get off the mark with Thomas Newell getting the ball rolling with two points within the first minute of game play, however Hornsby hit back leading by two heading into the second quarter. Going into the second half, both teams were quick to outshine the other, with each team mirroring both offence and defence to tie the game up at 41-41. Both sides were not short of players reaching double figures with the visiting side’s Ethan Wilks top-scoring in the match with 31 points. Wilks’ teammates, Thomas Newell and William Jones also reached the milestone, scoring 18 and 10 points respectfully. Hornsby also added plenty of points to the scoresheet with Shachar Shorer (22) and Nowel Musa (16). Hornsby will look to get back in the winner’s circle this weekend when they take on the fourth placed Illawarra Hawks, while the Inner West Bulls travel to Golburn to take on seventh placed Goulburn bears.

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