SEABL: SPECTRES DISMANTLE BRAVES ON WAY TO TITLE Patrick Lucas, SEABL Freelancer Nunawading put in arguably their best performance for the year on the way to taking out their first mens Championship since 1995. The Spectres dominated all facets of the game, as an underperforming Bendigo were left to lament losing the championship game for the second year running. Shane McDonald (187-G-85, college: Nova SE) dominated the Braves backcourt, pouring in 28 points for the game on his way to the game MVP. Nunawading had an uncharacteristically strong start to the game. Three-point plays to both McDonald and import Eric Williams helped the Spectres take an eight-point lead before the Braves had registered a field goal. Defensive player of the year Luke Meyer struggled against the athleticism and strength of Williams on the defensive end, as the Spectres set the tone early with rugged post-play. Bendigo found their rhythm towards the end of the term, with East Conference MVP Ivan McFarlin (203-F-82, college: Oklahoma St.) helping himself to five points and five rebounds, and only trail 20-15 at the first break. Both teams then traded baskets to open the second term. McDonald continued to use his pace to score in the open court while Braves reserve Chris Hogan found his stroke from the perimeter to drain two threes for the quarter. But the turning point came towards the end of the quarter when McFarlin left the game with a hamstring injury. From there on, Bendigo failed to combat Nunawadings size in the frontcourt and the Spectres progressively began to get on top. Without McFarlins presence in the key, Nunawadings Nathan Kennedy had two open lay-ups to finish out the quarter and give the Spectres an 8-point edge heading into the main change. Smelling blood and hungry for a championship, Nunawading came out firing in the third. McDonald tore the game wide open with a myriad of close, mid- and long range shooting to light-up Bendigo for 13 points during the quarter. Bendigos dependence on McFarlin was exposed, as Nunawading took control in the key. A Hicks dunk to finish the quarter exemplified the discrepancy in the laneway, as the Spectres finished 19 points ahead at the last break, with the title virtually theirs. Braves coach Ben Harvey tried to make a change and peg the lead back in the fourth, starting Adam Tanner in the centre. But Chris Cameron physically dominated the undersized Tanner, and Nunawading continued to control the game. In a sign of frustration, Braves centre Sam Harris (221-C-84, college: ODU) got in a tussle with Kennedy late in the fourth, but it was too little too late as Nunawading triumphed 88-61. Despite only two points from ex-Boomer Luke Kendall, Nunawading completely trounced Bendigos backcourt, courtesy of Shane McDonald. The South All-star showed up the Braves pair of Probert and Randall, and led his team to the championship in a show of poise, aggression and bravery. Final Score Nunawading 88 Shane McDonald 28 points (10-16 FGM-A, 4-7 3PM-A), Eric Williams 15 points 7 rebounds Defeated Bendigo 61 Chris Hogan 13 points (3-8 3PM-A), Luke Meyer 13 points five rebounds Hugh McMeniman medal for MVP: Shane McDonald Courtesy of: https://www.seabl.com.au Central ABL:Cooper, Matthews help Norwood continue its finals dominance over Forestville Norwood has won its fifth straight final against Forestville, comfortably defeating the Eagles 104-85 at Mars on Saturday. In a game that was characteristically physical but unusually free-scoring, the Flames were too strong over the course over four quarters, and attacked the ball the harder of the two sides. The margin of victory for Norwood over Forestville in finals has grown in each of the last five games. After trailing by two points at quarter-time, the Flames set up their victory with a 36-24 second quarter. Forestville trailed by as much as 24 in the third quarter, before fighting back to within 11. They had chances to get closer, but Norwood had all the answers. The Flames shot 61 per cent from the field to the Eagles 42 per cent, had seven extra assists, and registered 13 more points at the foul-line. They also scored 46 points in the paint to 36, and had five extra points off turnovers. David Cooper (206-C/F-76) was in the midst of everything at both ends of the court. Cooper had 19 points on 7/10 FG shooting, 14 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks. He also drew 7 fouls and made 5/7 foul shots. Todd Matthews had 10 of his game-high 23 points in the first quarter, adding 8 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals along the way. Matthews shot 8/11 from the field and 3/4 from beyond the arc, before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. Andrew Webber (180-G-85, college: Armstr.Atlantic) scored 19 points, Nick Hambour posted 15 points and 8 rebounds, and Keith Krause provided an important cameo role off the bench with 10 points on 3/4 FG shooting in 14 minutes. Forestville struggled with foul trouble all night, which grew as a problem as the game progressed. Rashad Tucker (12 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists) fouled out of the game, while Adam Doyle and Nic Blair (16 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals each), Brad Sullivan (16 points), Trent Fildes (13 points, 3/3 3FG, 5 rebounds) and Majok Deng (204-C-93) (10 points, 8 rebounds, 7 fouls drawn) each picked up four fouls. The Eagles actually attempted 20 extra field goals, but had their running game shut down for most of the night, and did not help themselves by missing 10 of their 21 free throws. It was apparent Norwood was the more focussed side right from the tipoff. The Flames scored the first eight points and forced the Eagles, who were predictability trying to get out in transition, into running half court sets. A Tucker jumper settled the visitors, before some excellent play from Doyle and some hot shooting from Sullivan and Fildes got Forestville back into the game. Fildes was proving a tough matchup for the Norwood bigs, who did not look comfortable defending on the perimeter. The Flames guards were doing better offensively, with Matthews scoring freely and Andrew Webber doing some damage from the foul-line. The highlight of the opening period was when Tucker went to set a screen off a Forestville baseline play, before being left alone in the middle of the key for a powerful double-handed slam dunk. Doyle then closed out the quarter with a classy finish off a tough drive to give the Eagles their first lead of the night. The first three minutes of the second saw the teams trade leads back and forth, with neither able to grab the momentum. That was before Brad Davidson reverted to a full court trap, with some zone in the half court. The move worked to perfection, with a three-point play from Ben Howell and a dunk from Cooper sending the Flames on a 19-6 run for a 56-42 lead. Back-to-back threes from Blair and a basket from Deng had Forestville back in the game, before a series of unnecessary fouls gifted Norwood four points from the foul-line and a 10 point half-time lead. Strong play from Matthews, Cooper and Webber saw the Flames pile on the first 14 points of the third and race to a 74-50 lead. The Eagles did not look like scoring, nor did they look like getting a stop against a team who was running its structures explicitly. Normally, spectators would have been excused for assuming the game was over, but with Norwood versus Forestville, there is no such thing as a match-winning lead. And so the tide turned, led by Tucker and Deng. Tucker got into a rhythm offensively, while Deng was strong inside at both ends against his more experienced opponents. It was this combination that produced a buzzer-beater and capped a 21-9 run, as the Eagles closed to within 12 by the end of three. Forestville maintained the momentum early in the fourth and looked capable of reducing the deficit. However, all they had to show for this in the first 100 seconds was a free throw, and failed three times to get within single figures. Against the run of play, it was Norwood who scored the first field goal of the quarter, via another Cooper dunk off a dime from Matthews. It was almost another minute before the next field goal was scored, with Krause netting a trey from the top of the arc, giving the Flames a 16 point lead. The closest the Eagles got again was 12 points with 3.51 remaining after a hoop from Blair, as Norwood went on a 10-0 run to close out the match. Norwood verdict: The Flames are back in the Grand Final after a year off, and will now be favourites for a third premiership in four years. Their intensity was extremely impressive and they not only stopped the Eagles run, but ran at every opportunity themselves. With the Norwood stars on fire and role players contributing, it will be tough for Forestville and West to finish any higher than second. Forestville verdict: The Eagles looked a lot more fatigued than they did last week and will need to find their run and intensity again if they are to get up over the Bearcats. Forestville had patches of good play, but overall, this was its third unconvincing performance in the last month. Defence is the worry for the Eagles, meaning they will have to be on song offensively if they are to make it through to the Grand Final. By James Woite Courtesy of: Central ABL Big V: Keilor Thunder win premiership 30.08.2011 by Lance Jenkinson Northwest and Brimbank Weekly THE scriptwriters delivered a fairytale ending for Keilor Thunder in the Victorian Basketball League Big V womens division 2. The Thunder was a cut above the rest en route to the minor premiership and put the finishing touches on a fine season with a flawless finals series. They were crowned this years champions in front of their adoring fans at Keilor Basketball Stadium on Saturday night with a 2-0 sweep of Blackburn Vikings in the best-of-three grand final series. An ecstatic Thunder coach Steve Toy jumped for joy and his players were overjoyed at the final buzzer of the 73-60 win in game two. I think Ive jumped as high as I have in about 30 years, he told the Weekly after the game. It was really exciting counting the last seconds down. Its terrific. Nerves might have got the better of the Thunder in the first quarter. The hosts trailed by as much as six and had to battle to stay in the contest. They got off to a flyer, Toy said. It took us a while to peg them back. The Thunder knew only one way to reverse the trend. They tightened the screws with their trademark defence. A mere 17 points was all the Thunder conceded in periods two and three. They went to three-quarter-time with a commanding 14-point lead. This strategic ability to lock down opposition teams when they get a roll on has been the key to the Thunders remarkable season. Our defence was fantastic, Toy said. That really set the tone for the rest of the game. The Thunder could not have achieved their great heights without Katherine Black. The imposing centre finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. This pointed the way to the premiership but not the grand final MVP award, which was controversially given to Vikings star Lauren Hoare. Toy was not too fussed and lauded Blacks superb series. Its unusual, yeah, but thats one persons opinion, he said. Ill take the premiership any day. She was absolutely awesome all night. She made shots and got stops when we needed them. She has been fantastic since the finals started and its like shes stepped up another gear. Karla Mavor was important for the Thunder with 13 points, five rebounds and two assists, Nala Tubb had 11 points and four rebounds and Lauren Toy counted nine points and five rebounds. It wasnt a win built on individual brilliance. They have worked really hard and well as a team, Toy said. Not very often do you get a team with the chemistry this team has got. They has been pulling in the same direction all year. Keilor Thunders champion team is: Steve Toy (coach), Kristen Mavor (captain), Debbie Burgoyne, Nala Tubb, Lauren Toy, Katie Malane, Alysha Carden-David, Michelle Reid, Karla Mavor, Gab Jansen, Jessica Francke, Katherine Black, Ashleigh Gunn. Courtesy of: bigv.com.au Mackay Meteors win 2011 QBL Talk N Text - Petron Blaze 73-85 Undermanned Petron foiled Talk 'N Text's Grand Slam bid Sunday night, carving out a masterful 85-73 win to bag the PBA Governors Cup championship before a crowd of 17,000 at the rocking Araneta Coliseum. Import Anthony Grundy, atoning for a dismal five-point output in Game 6 the last time, exploded at the right time for the Boosters with 26 points as he keyed a huge third quarter run just when momentum appeared to be shifting for the Tropang Texters'side. Grundy had 12 points during that decisive stretch that saw the Boosters reverse a 41-42 deficit to their biggest lead of the match, 62-48. The Tropang Texters played catch up from there, before Arwind Santos, who finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds to emerge as the hands-down choice as Finals MVP, scored on a breakaway two-handed slam with 37 seconds left for an 81-73 lead that sparked the over at the Petron bench and its hordes of supporters. Grundy made possible that Santos basket after completing a steal off a Maurice Baker pass to Ranidel de Ocampo. The Boosters, a heavy underdog against the powerhouse Tropang Texters, won the best-of-seven title series, 4-3, and clinched their 19th PBA championship overall. They likewise avenged their 4-2 loss against the Tropang Texters in the Philippine Cup Finals early this year. The victory was sweeter for coach Ato Agustin as he made it among the company of select PBA coaches who won a championship during their rookie year. Denok Miranda added 16 points for the Boosters, and Alex Cabagnot had 12, nine rebounds and eight assists in winning his first league championship together with Santos and rookie coach Ato Agustin. Talk 'N Text became the latest team after Alaska in 1998 to come up short of completing a sweep of all three season conferences. Import Maurice Baker finished with 22 points to lead the Tropang Texters, who failed to get the scoring support from injured player Jayson Castro and Larry Fonacier. Castro, hounded by an MCL injury and a sprained left ankle he suffered in the third period, only had two points, while Fonacier failed to score and finished with a 0-of-10 shooting from the field. A long three-point shot by Jimmy Alapag to beat the buzzer made it 64-53 heading into the pivotal fourth. A big break came the Tropang Texters' way halfway into the second quarter when Jojo Duncil was called for a flagrant foul 2 against Baker, resulting to the ejection of the tough Petron guard. Baker canned both free throws, and then added another pair of charities a few minutes later following a foul called this time on Sunday Salvacion. The four straight points of Baker formed part of a 7-0 blast by Talk 'N Text, cutting a 13-point deficit to just 28-34 with 6:15 left before halftime. Petron managed to keep the six-point lead at the break, 40-34. The Boosters went on an offensive mode early, with Miranda accounting for the team's first seven points. Then Danny Ildefonso, Santos and Cabagnot took over. A three-pointer by Cabagnot gave Petron a 20-11 lead with 5:24 to go, and then stretched it to a double-digit edge with another triple by Grundy to make it 25-13. The first period ended with the Boosters on top, 28-17. OMG, GMA News *Courtesy of www.pba-online.net |
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