By Jonty Ralphsmith
Pakenham’s Championship Men have suffered a disappointing 118-92 defeat at the hands of Keysborough.
Keysborough pulled away through the middle of the first quarter, with Pakenham chipping away at a lead which got as high as 22 early in the third quarter.
The Warriors got it within 10 in the early stages of the fourth quarter, before three consecutive threes to Keysborough gave the hosts an insurmountable buffer.
Cal McNiff shot excellently off the bench, making eight of nine of his field goals attempted in just over 20 minutes of game time.
The Youth Men’s ominous undefeated start to the season has continued, getting up 115-61 against Bellarine.
The Warriors remain one of the two remaining undefeated sides in the competition – alongside Westgate – and have by far the greatest percentage six weeks into the season.
Braden Venning’s side finished the first quarter with a withering 18-0 burst to take a 27-12 lead into the first break, building on that healthy buffer as the match wore on.
Jarred Small made two threes to go with a steal and offensive rebound to kickstart a massive afternoon for himself.
Small finished with 35 points, going at eight from 13 from beyond the three point line, with that mirrored in his team’s overall efficiency, Pakenham making 17/28 threes attempted.
Pakenham is averaging 11 points per game, while conceding just 71 so far this season ahead of a home clash with the 3-2 Albury-Wodonga.
The Youth Women also had a win, getting up 76-71 over Geelong.
A big start set the scene for Pakenham, with the Warriors leading 14-2 midway through the first quarter, with Chelsea Schreuder leading the way.
Schreuder made a layup within 11 seconds which was a sign of things to come, as she put in another two, to go with a steal, assist and defensive rebound during Pakenham’s fine start.
Geelong chipped away at the deficit through the second quarter, trimming Pakenham’s lead, which got as high as 16, to just eight just before halftime.
But Tyla Scorah’s three point shooting proved decisive and stabilising for Pakenham just as their momentum was stymieing.
Scorah made one just before the half, and Pakenham’s first 12 points of the third quarter all came from her Midas touch.
In an important five minute period, Scorah shot all seven of Pakenham’s field goals attempted and made five of them – all from beyond the three point line – to maintain a healthy buffer.
Geelong still closed to within four thanks to a big finish to the third quarter and hit the lead briefly midway through the last quarter before a series of decisive plays went Pakenham’s way.
Schreuder made two steals in the last two minutes when Geelong was still within three; Isabella McEwan extended the lead to five with 28 seconds remaining; and minutes earlier, Stella O’Loughlin got six points in a crucial two-minute period.
Schreuder finished with a whopping seven steals, to go with 14 points, five defensive rebounds and eight assists, while O’Loughlin accompanied 18 points with eight rebounds and six assists.
Pakenham’s men play Shepparton Sunday; youth men face Albury Wodonga; and youth women have Collingwood and Wyndham across the weekend.
