By Russell Bennett
The Pakenham Warriors’ Big V basketball sides are still soaring despite a rare off night for Brent Russell’s senior men’s team on Saturday night.
The Warriors came out flat on their Cardinia Life home court against Craigieburn and were down seven – 23-16 – at the end of the first.
That was then extended to eight points by the half before, at one stage, the deficit ballooned out to 16 points against a mid-table Eagles outfit.
The statistics told a large part of the story at the main break, with the home side shooting less than 30 per cent from the field overall and less than 25 per cent from beyond the arc.
The Warriors weren’t playing with their usual, trademark intensity and gave up a telling 15 second chance points, with the Eagles taking – and making – their opportunities from close to mid-range.
The result is sure to be an eye opener for Russell’s side, and could provide just the spark and motivation it needs to propel it forward for the rest of the season.
Despite the quality and depth of the roster, lapses on both sides of the ball against any side could prove particularly costly.
Nick Ross (5-14 shooting for 13 points) and captain Ben Gaze (3-14 for 10 points) were down on their usual production, but shooter Robin Maartens was a shining light with 21 points on 7-15 shooting despite going at just 1-7 from deep.
In brighter news, the Warriors’ Youth League men won the curtain-raiser over the Eagles in a hugely entertaining, high-scoring clash – 94-91.
The Warriors were again led by Tobie Dean with a stellar 27 points on 8-17 shooting to go along with nine boards, while Lee Belton finished with 14 points, Aidan Jenkinson 11, and Tom Greer 10.
Meanwhile, Darren Thomas’s Youth League women continued their impressive run with a clinical 85-56 win over the Whittlesea Pacers on Sunday – also at The Colosseum at Cardinia Life.
After starting slow and trailing by a point at quarter-time, Pakenham sprang to life in the second and put the foot to the floor in the second half.
Emily Patterson was a real standout with a massive 20-point, 16-rebound double-double while Ellie Coutts’ incredibly consistent season continued with 12 points, 17 boards, four assists and four steals.
Pakenham sits in third on the Youth League women Division 2 standings with a 7-4 record from its first 11 games and will this week host the Mornington Breakers from 1pm on Sunday.
Brent Russell’s senior men remain comfortably clear atop the Division 2 ladder with nine wins from their opening 10 games and will this Saturday night take on the Sherbrooke Suns in Belgrave before hosting Mornington the following day from 5pm.
Simo Pajdic’s Youth League men also sit atop the standings of their division with a 12-2 record from their opening 14 games of the season. They’ll be the middle game of this Sunday’s triple-header against the Breakers, tipping off at 3pm.
