Big V Round 12 (Regular Season): Blackburn tries to escape the last position defeating RMIT

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

Bottom-ranked Vikings managed to get a second victory on Saturday night. This time they edged fourth-ranked Redbacks in Melbourne 105-103. Worth to mention a great performance of naturalized Croatian forward Ivan Platenik (201-1983, college: Alaska-Anch.) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 28 points, 17 rebounds and 8 assists and American guard James Legan (190-1987, college: ECU) who added 37 points (!!!) and 7 rebounds (went 9 for 9 at the free throw line !!!) during the contest. Vikings' coach Matthew Brooks used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. The best for the losing side was American guard Darnell Hoskins Jr (180, college: SVSU, agency: 6th Man Basketball Agency) with 30 points. Blackburn maintains twelfth position with 2-13 record. RMIT at the other side keeps the fourth place with six games lost. Blackburn are looking forward to face higher ranked Sunbury (#10) on the road in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. RMIT will play against the league's second-placed Hume City (#2) where they are definitely not considered as a favorite in this game either.
Big V top team - Cougars (13-2) had no problems winning another game. This time they crushed eighth ranked Storm (5-11) in Keysborough 118-95. Americans were the main players on the court. The winners were led by forward Benjamin Okhotin (198-1999, college: PLNU, agency: Warren Sports International) who scored that evening 44 points (!!!), 5 rebounds and 5 assists and Gerrard Newby supported him with 30 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists. Cougars' coach felt very confident that he used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Even 34 points (!!!), 7 rebounds and 8 assists by guard Malik McKinney (190, college: West Liberty) did not help to save the game for Bellarine. Cougars have a solid three-game winning streak. Keysborough maintains first position with 13-2 record. Bellarine at the other side dropped to the ninth place with 11 games lost. Keysborough will play against Melbourne Uni (#7) on the road in the next round where they are favorite. Bellarine will play against Shepparton and hopes to get back on the winning track.
The game in Shepparton was also quite interesting. Fifth ranked Warriors (9-6) played at the court of 6th ranked Gators (8-8). Warriors defeated Gators 87-77 on Saturday. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Gators. The best player for the winners was Elijah Tillman who scored 22 points and 7 rebounds. At the other side the best for losing team was Bryce Brown who recorded a double-double by scoring 27 points and 11 rebounds. Pakenham maintains fifth position with 9-6 record. Loser Gators keeps the sixth place with eight games lost. Pakenham will meet at home league's leader Keysborough in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Shepparton will play against Bellarine (#9) and hope to secure a win.

There were no shocking results in the other games in round 12: Sunbury was destroyed by McKinnon on the opponent's court 107-83. Hume City managed to outperform Wyndham in a home game 97-88. Camberwell managed to beat Melbourne Uni on the road 96-89. McKinnon crushed Blackburn on its own court 106-74. RMIT beat Sunbury in a road game 103-94.
The most impressive stats of the last round was 25 points, 16 rebounds and 4 assists by Josh Uhr-Henry of RMIT.



Shepparton - Pakenham 77-87

The game in Shepparton was also quite interesting. Fifth ranked Warriors (9-6) played at the court of 6th ranked Gators (8-8). Warriors defeated Gators 87-77 on Saturday. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Gators. The best player for the winners was American center Elijah Tillman (203-1994, college: GBC) who scored 22 points and 7 rebounds. Ned Carr (, agency: Dominion Sports Group) chipped in a double-double by scoring 16 points and 12 rebounds. At the other side the best for losing team was American forward Bryce Brown (203, college: Lindsey Wilson) who recorded a double-double by scoring 27 points and 11 rebounds and his fellow American import forward Ryan Batte (198-1999, college: Thomas More) added 16 points and 12 rebounds respectively. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Pakenham maintains fifth position with 9-6 record. Loser Gators keeps the sixth place with eight games lost. Pakenham will meet at home league's leader Keysborough in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Shepparton will play against Bellarine (#9) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Shepparton: B.Brown 27+11reb+1ast, A.Dolny 18+2reb, R.Batte 16+12reb+3ast, J.Kooiman 12+7reb+3ast, E.Miraflores 4+1reb, L.Matthews 0
Pakenham: E.Tillman 22+7reb, C.Fredrickson 16+4reb+1ast, N.Carr 16+12reb+1ast, S.Coffey 13+8reb+3ast, N.Weideman 10+2reb+1ast, D.Larkin 8+6reb

McKinnon - Sunbury 107-83

Very expected game in McKinnon where 10th ranked Jets (4-10) were crushed by third ranked Cougars (11-4) 107-83 on Saturday. McKinnon outrebounded Sunbury 43-26 including a 35-22 advantage in defensive rebounds. McKinnon looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists comparing to just 7 passes made by Sunbury's players. The best player for the winners was naturalized Lithuanian swingman Remo Simankevicius (198-1996, college: SNHU) who scored 26 points and 7 rebounds. Guard Mitchell Barry (190) chipped in 19 points and 6 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was American forward BJ Gladden (198-1995, college: Georgia South) who recorded 16 points and 7 rebounds and guard Nathan Marshall added 17 points and 4 steals respectively. Five McKinnon and four Sunbury players scored in double figures. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Cougars have a solid four-game winning streak. McKinnon maintains third position with 11-4 record having just two points less than leader Keysborough. Sunbury lost fifth consecutive game. They keep the tenth place with ten games lost. McKinnon will meet Camberwell (#8) in the next round where they are favorite. Sunbury will play against Blackburn and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Sunbury: J.Yorke-Frazer 18+1reb, N.Marshall 17+3reb+3ast, B.Gladden 16+7reb, C.Kirkman 13+4reb+2ast, J.Wragg 8+5reb+1ast, D.Cheyne 6+4reb
McKinnon: R.Simankevicius 26+7reb, L.Smith 20+2reb+3ast, M.Barry 19+4reb+6ast, S.Fowler 14+8reb+5ast, S.Maharaj 11+12reb, H.Romancz 6+1reb

Blackburn - RMIT 105-103

Bottom-ranked Vikings managed to get a second victory on Saturday night. This time they edged fourth-ranked Redbacks in Melbourne 105-103. Worth to mention a great performance of naturalized Croatian forward Ivan Platenik (201-1983, college: Alaska-Anch.) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 28 points, 17 rebounds and 8 assists and American guard James Legan (190-1987, college: ECU) who added 37 points (!!!) and 7 rebounds (went 9 for 9 at the free throw line !!!) during the contest. Vikings' coach Matthew Brooks used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. The best for the losing side was American guard Darnell Hoskins Jr (180, college: SVSU, agency: 6th Man Basketball Agency) with 30 points and Josh Uhr-Henry produced a double-double by scoring 17 points and 12 rebounds. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Blackburn maintains twelfth position with 2-13 record. RMIT at the other side keeps the fourth place with six games lost. Blackburn are looking forward to face higher ranked Sunbury (#10) on the road in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. RMIT will play against the league's second-placed Hume City (#2) where they are definitely not considered as a favorite in this game either.
Top scorers:
RMIT: D.Hoskins Jr. 30+1reb+2ast, M.Savic 22+4reb, J.Uhr-Henry 17+12reb+1ast, C.Gurgey 13+8reb+1ast, Z.Coleman-Bock 8+12reb+1ast, D.Steen 8+3reb
Blackburn: J.Legan 37+7reb+1ast, I.Platenik 28+17reb+8ast, E.Davy 13+5reb+3ast, N.Kanellis 10+3reb+6ast, M.Zuccolo 7+2reb, D.Agoth 6+5reb

Hume City - Wyndham 97-88

Very predictable result in Tullamarine where second ranked Hume City Broncos (12-2) defeated 11th ranked Devils (4-11) 97-88 on Saturday. Hume City forced 20 Wyndham turnovers and outrebounded them 52-38 including a 24-12 advantage in offensive rebounds. The best player for the winners was American guard Ricardo Time (188, college: Idaho Coll.) who scored 23 points and 7 rebounds. New Zealand Zach Mckenzie (-2002) chipped in a double-double by scoring 16 points and 13 rebounds. At the other side the best for losing team was guard Mayoum Mayoum (193, college: Miami Dade CC) who recorded 19 points and 8 rebounds and guard Mayuol Makuac (-2000) added 24 points and 4 steals respectively. Five Hume City and four Wyndham players scored in double figures. Hume City maintains second position with 12-2 record behind leader Keysborough. Wyndham lost third consecutive game. They keep the eleventh place with 11 games lost. Hume City will meet at home RMIT (#4) in the next round. Wyndham will play against Melbourne Uni (#7) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Wyndham: M.Makuac 24+2reb+1ast, G.Stevkovski 20+5reb+2ast, M.Mayoum 19+8reb+3ast, J.Rosemond 16+10reb+1ast, X.Cotton 7+7reb+1ast, S.Bradbury 2+4reb+3ast
Hume City: R.Time 23+7reb+2ast, Z.Mckenzie 16+13reb+3ast, E.Saifaleupolu 14+1reb+3ast, K.Gorski 13+1reb+2ast, K.Green 11+10reb+2ast, R.Coman 10+8reb+3ast

Keysborough - Bellarine 118-95

Big V top team - Cougars (13-2) had no problems winning another game. This time they crushed eighth ranked Storm (5-11) in Keysborough 118-95. Keysborough made 17-of-21 charity shots (81.0 percent) during the game. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 38 assists comparing to just 23 passes made by Bellarine's players. Americans were the main players on the court. The winners were led by forward Benjamin Okhotin (198-1999, college: PLNU, agency: Warren Sports International) who scored that evening 44 points (!!!), 5 rebounds and 5 assists and forward Gerrard Newby (196-1995, college: Union, KY) supported him with 30 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists. Cougars' coach felt very confident that he used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Even 34 points (!!!), 7 rebounds and 8 assists by guard Malik McKinney (190, college: West Liberty) did not help to save the game for Bellarine. Power forward Kerry Richardson (202-1999, college: Morehouse, agency: Elevate Sports Alliance) added 29 points and 16 rebounds. Cougars have a solid three-game winning streak. Keysborough maintains first position with 13-2 record. Bellarine at the other side dropped to the ninth place with 11 games lost. Keysborough will play against Melbourne Uni (#7) on the road in the next round where they are favorite. Bellarine will play against Shepparton and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Bellarine: M.McKinney 34+7reb+8ast, K.Richardson 29+16reb+3ast, B.Robertson 10+9reb+5ast, M.Kos 6+2reb+2ast, J.Terrill 5+2reb+1ast, L.McInerney 4+4reb+2ast
Keysborough: B.Okhotin 44+5reb+5ast, G.Newby 30+15reb+4ast, A.Williams 17+9reb+7ast, B.Ross 8, D.Hare 6+3reb+5ast, S.Grant 5+10reb+5ast

Melbourne Uni - Camberwell 89-96

There was a minor upset when 7th ranked Melbourne Uni (7-8) was defeated at home by tenth ranked Camberwell (5-9) 96-89 on Saturday. The best player for the winners was American guard Sean Conway (196-2001, college: St.John's, agency: Warren Sports International) who had a double-double by scoring 42 points (!!!), 10 rebounds and 6 assists. The other American import power forward Michael Reeves (205-2000, college: Dillard, agency: Warren Sports International) chipped in a double-double by scoring 18 points and 11 rebounds. Reeves is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. At the other side the best for losing team was forward Joel Rimes (196) who recorded 23 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists and British power forward Oliver Stanley (196-1994) added 19 points and 12 rebounds respectively. Four Melbourne Uni players scored in double figures. Melbourne Uni's coach Joshua Turton rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Camberwell moved-up to eighth place. Loser Melbourne Uni keeps the seventh position with eight games lost. Camberwell will meet at home higher ranked McKinnon (#3) in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Melbourne Uni will play against the league's leader Keysborough (#1) where they are definitely not considered as a favorite in this game either.
Top scorers:
Melbourne Uni: J.Rimes 23+9reb+4ast, O.Stanley 19+12reb+1ast, J.Moultrie 15+6reb+2ast, L.Soklevski 14+4reb+1ast, J.McNally 8+4reb, L.Kafritsas 6+7reb+2ast
Camberwell: S.Conway 42+10reb+6ast, M.Reeves 18+11reb+2ast, B.Crowe 14+4reb, T.James 8+3reb, T.Andre 6+6reb+8ast, M.Hart 4+1reb

McKinnon - Blackburn 106-74

Everything went according to plan in McKinnon where third ranked Cougars (11-4) outscored bottom-ranked Vikings (2-13) 106-74 on Sunday. McKinnon outrebounded Blackburn 48-32 including 34 on the defensive glass. McKinnon looked well-organized offensively handing out 32 assists comparing to just 11 passes made by Blackburn's players. The best player for the winners was forward Shaquille Maharaj (196-1997, college: Camosun) who had a double-double by scoring 30 points and 10 rebounds. Guard Mitchell Barry (190) chipped in a double-double by scoring 18 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was American guard James Legan (190-1987, college: ECU) who recorded 18 points and 8 rebounds and naturalized Croatian forward Ivan Platenik (201-1983, college: Alaska-Anch.) added 18 points and 7 rebounds respectively. Five McKinnon and four Blackburn players scored in double figures. Cougars have a solid four-game winning streak. McKinnon maintains third position with 11-4 record having just two points less than leader Keysborough. Loser Vikings stay at the bottom place with 13 games lost. McKinnon will meet Camberwell (#8) in the next round where they are favorite. Blackburn will play against Sunbury (#10) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Blackburn: I.Platenik 18+7reb+1ast, J.Legan 18+8reb+2ast, A.Manyiel 13+2reb, D.Agoth 11+6reb+2ast, A.Kanellis 6+6reb+1ast, E.Davy 5+1reb+4ast
McKinnon: S.Maharaj 30+10reb+2ast, M.Barry 18+8reb+11ast, L.Peynenborg 15+7reb+3ast, L.Lyngberg 11+3reb+1ast, S.Fowler 11+11reb+3ast, R.Simankevicius 9+5reb

Sunbury - RMIT 94-103

There was no surprise in Sunbury where 10th ranked Jets (4-10) were defeated by fourth ranked Redbacks (10-6) 103-94 on Sunday. The best player for the winners was Josh Uhr-Henry who had a double-double by scoring 25 points, 16 rebounds and 4 assists. American guard Darnell Hoskins Jr (180, college: SVSU, agency: 6th Man Basketball Agency) chipped in 31 points. At the other side the best for losing team was guard Nathan Marshall who recorded 14 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists and Canadian guard Joshua Yorke-Frazer (183-1995, college: Seneca, agency: Gulf Coast Hoops) added 18 points and 7 assists respectively. Four RMIT and five Sunbury players scored in double figures. RMIT maintains fourth position with 10-6 record. Sunbury lost fifth consecutive game. They keep the tenth place with ten games lost. RMIT will meet league's second-placed Hume City in the next round and it may be the game of the week. Sunbury will play against Blackburn (#12) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Sunbury: J.Yorke-Frazer 18+7ast, J.Wragg 15+5reb, N.Marshall 14+8reb+6ast, K.Skenderis 14+3reb+4ast, L.Carnell 12+1reb, C.Kirkman 11+6reb+3ast
RMIT: D.Hoskins Jr. 31+3reb+1ast, J.Uhr-Henry 25+16reb+4ast, C.Gurgey 14+4reb+2ast, Z.Coleman-Bock 13+7reb, L.Agon 9+3reb+1ast, D.Steen 7+7reb+3ast