SPALDING WARATAH SENIOR LEAGUE | ROUND 14 RECAP

Championship Men:

In the nail-bitter of the round, the Newcastle Hunters have registered their first win on the road this season against the Sydney Comets, 76-79. The Comets were seven straight on the trot before their shocking defeat against the Hunters with Newcastle aiming to work their way up the ladder with three wins from the last five matches to now keep their tally to 3-12. The Hunters played with persistence and perseverance with Sharif Watson leading the charge with a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds plus three assists and match that with teammate Jaidyn Goodwin’s 16 points and five rebounds, the visitors were always in good stride when it came to the final buzzer.  The Sydney Comets were always hot on the tail of the Hunters, with former NBL superstar Indiana Faithfull collecting his own 21 points and nine rebounds while Mr Consistent in Teon Beckett was remarkable with the ball in hand, collecting an outstanding 21 match points & 16 rebounds. The visitors only made nine turnovers in the entire game and lead 37-29 at the half-time break before they led the entire final term in the lead to claim their three-point triumph.  The Hunters will look to keep their newly found winning ways close to their chest as they take on fourth placed Maitland this weekend for the Kibble Mallon Cup while the Sydney Comets travel to Sutherland to take on the third placed Sharks.

Championship Women:

The Penrith Panthers were successful in taking on the Bankstown Bruins, 57-53. Penrith were always ahead at each break, leading at half-time 34-17. During the third quarter, Bankstown hit back limiting the Panthers in scoring opportunities as the Bruins stacked on 24 points compared to the home side’s five match points to make it 39-41 heading into the final term. However, the Panthers held on with the ball in hand to extend their lead by scoring 18 points compared to the Bruins 12pts to win the intense match by four. Tatiana Beaumont was magnificent, scoring 15 points and seven rebounds while Sarah Creanor had her best game of the season, scoring herself 11 points. Bankstown also had an army of point scorers with Tasmyn Haynes amassing 19 points and five rebounds plus Briana Maimone notching up a double-double with 14 points and ten rebounds. In what will be two fierce matches this weekend, the fifth-placed Bankstown Bruins will take on fourth-placed Norths Bears while the eighth-positioned Penrith Panthers face off with the Hills Hornets who occupy seventh position. 

Division One Men:

The Wagga Wagga Heat kept the Orange Eagles at five consecutive losses this season, with a 76-84 victory. The eighth placed Heat kept the game alive, leading the ninth-placed Eagles at all of the breaks with two-point lead heading into the second half, 33-35. The Eagles welcomed Kobe Mansell to collect their points adding 27pts to the scoresheet, followed by Mitchell Selwood’s 16 pts however, after edging out the visitors to keep the game to one point at the final break, they were unable to push their team to the victory podium. Wagga Wagga Heat had a host of standout players with Matthew Brunell undoubtedly leaving his mark on the scoreboard with 30 swift points, aided by teammate Zacchery Maloney’s 20pts. The Heat will face one of their toughest components so far this competition when they take on second placed Canberra Gunners Academy this weekend while the Eagles hit the road as they look to face off against sixth-placed Bankstown Bruins.

 Division One Youth Men:

The first placed Central Coast found themselves on the right side of the scoreboard last weekend, after their 82-89 victory over the eleventh placed Sutherland Sharks. The Sharks were down by 21 points going into the second half after a tremendous effort from the Central Coast starters, with Luke Cassidy controlling the majority of the match. Cassidy top scored for the visitors with 26 points while team mates Daniel Titus (25) & Will Cranston-Lown (20) lead the way in the significant Crusaders winning effort. Daniel Mankarious was the Sutherland Sharks stand out player, amassing his own solid effort with 28 points, coordinated with Christian Maran’s 22 points, however after all other players in the Sharks line-up unable to score more than 8 individual points, the Sharks were no match for the Crusaders. The Sharks will look for redemption this weekend as they face the third-placed Sydney Comets while the Crusaders will tip-off against the tenth-placed Manly Warringah Sea Eagles this Saturday afternoon.

Division One Youth Women:

In the closest match of the round, the Hornsby Spiders were successful in conquering the Illawarra Hawks, 49-46. In a low scoring affair, both teams had plenty to play for with the winner of this match to move to first position on the ladder. Illawarra went into the match on top, however after an exciting final term with Hornsby’s dazzling performance in attack, the home side escaped with the three-point win. Illawarra pilled on the points with Maddison Delaney and Soriah Vos, both combining for 26 match points however was not enough for the visitors.  Spiders’ Madekeine Suprain was exciting with the ball in hand, collecting 12 points along with teamamate Tylah Mundine’s 11 points. The first placed Spiders will look to keep their status as best in the league when they take on third placed Albury while second placed Illawarra have the week off with a bye. 

Division Two Youth Men:

The Hawkesbury Jets got one over the Springwood Scorchers, with the Jets winning their match, 80-71. The nine-point victory was testament to the Jets’ all-round effort in offensive and defence that lead the ninth placed Hawkesbury to move up to eighth placed on the ladder.  The Scorchers had the power up front to compete with the Jets, with Springwood’s Lachlan Slatford leading the charge, top scoring in the match with 26 points. However, without the defensive backing from his Scorchers team mates, his side went down in the final quarter after tying it up at 59-59 with 7 minutes left on the clock. The Jets were boasted by three players scoring double figures with Cameron Mcmillan adding 23pts, Michael Wilkins 20pts & Mark Okulis-Eather adding 15pts. The Scorchers remain south of the ladder in last position as they set to play fourth Norths Bears, while the Jets take on seventh Hills Hornets this Saturday.

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