WABL Wrap Week 10 – 25/06/23
All of our “Player of the Game” superstars will receive a FREE PIZZA from our friends at Domino’s Kalamunda – Thanks Guys!
Players of the round:
Holly Marsh (U14 Girls) – Player of the week this round goes to Holly Marsh for for dominating at both ends of the court. With a solid effort on the defensive end with 7 steals, Holly was able to get out into the open floor blowing past defenders. Holly contributed to the teams rebounding total with 5 boards but was too unstoppable on the offensive end with 4 assists and 29 points. A excellent all round performance Holly!
Jed Jones (U20 Boys) – Jed Jones was outstanding this week. He was pivotal in the zone we ran on defence, flying around and making life difficult for their guards, and then down the other end finishing with 25 points, knocking down 6 threes, was a great performance from him. Congratulations Jed!
U12 Girls Black (Lawrence West)
Loss against Willeton Tigers (29 – 64)
Coaches notes
This week we played for each other and it was a joy to watch. We moved the ball, played with pace and gave up good shots to get great shots. Everyone contributed and we consistently made the extra pass, which led This game felt a lot closer than the scoreboard reflects. We came out strong and stuck with them through the first quarter, however Willeton were quick to captalise on our drop in intensity during the 2nd quarter and by half time had a commanding lead. We rallied in the third but the damage was done and we couldnt close the gap.
Being our 2nd meeting it was interesting to compare the games and I’m happy that we are taking better shots, scoring nearly twice as much as we did in our first encounter from the same amount of attempts, and our assist totals also significantly higher. While our rebounds were up we need to secure offensive rebounds more consistently if we want to compete at this level, nothing comes easy and only 100% effort is good enough.
Our defense in parts of this game was tremendous and even the top of the ladder teams get shaken, when we can stay connected for an entire game we will be a problem for any team.
Player of the game
Isobel Wood – Bel’s disruptive defense caused chaos for the Tigers ball handlers this week, producing countless turnovers and forcing bad passes. She was active in passing lanes, leading our team in deflections and allowing her team mates to benefit with easy steals. On the offensive end she was aggressive to score getting to the foul line multiple times. Bel’s work ethic is fantastic and I always know she is giving 100%, regardless of situation – well done Superstar!
U12 Girls Orange (Lizzie Falconbridge)
Won against Perth Redbacks (27 – 6)
Coaches notes
We headed back to Vic Park Leisurelife Centre to play the Redbacks’ Black team. The girls hit the courts running with excellent defensive pressure, Mariska even tried to knock down walls, to create turnover after turnover.
The team demonstrated great passing and sharing of the ball as we tried new player combinations on the court with Zoe, Eloise and Amina hitting the boards to get rebounds. Rejoice helped Harper bring down he ball, while May and Lailani pressed up on the ball.
Everyone contributed to the win running multiple plays and getting game experience. Our supporters (parents, development players and grandparents) were vocal on the sidelines as we encouraged our girls to a well deserved victory. Our after game debrief extended to a nearby cafe where we enjoyed food and even more hoops, on the house.
Other Highlights – Development player Ayla was able to enjoy multiple minutes in her first WABL game today. She defended well and had a chance to bring the ball down. She had an excellent sense of space and made some great moves to the basket.
It was excellent to see all of our development players supporting the team and cheering them on at our super early (and cold!) game
Player of the game
Oceana Williams – Oceana came off the bench switched on with a defensive mindset. She fought for loose balls and pulled down some great rebounds. Oceana also pressed up when needed to put pressure on players, and created some swift turnovers.
U12 Girls White (Bruno Kongawoin)
Won against Warwick Senators (28 – 24)
Coaches notes
Very impressive effort from the team to get us home with “W”. It was not pretty but a win is a win after all. As always we executed as directed at times but the lack of concentration in the stretch for most of the second half was concerning. Our passing is getting better but we could have done more with it in the later part of the game. The late turnovers opened the door for the Warwick but a couple of converted fast-break baskets provided us with the buffer needed to finish the game on top.
Coming off the bench Cassidy Buckingham and Millie-Rose Ronan hit the offensive board hard even though we did not convert many of our second chances. That afforded us the opportunity to slow down Warwick running game.
We’re still struggling with our man to man defense. Something we need to focus on more in the second half on the competition.
Player of the game
Cassidy Buckingham. Cassy trained very well last week and it showed in her individual performance. She responded to instructions and executed well. She was very combative and competitive which is very encouraging to see
U12 Boys Black (Lizzie Falconbridge)
Won against Lakeside Lightning (67 – 47)
Coaches notes
From the start to the end the boys were on the go, determined to demonstrate the skills they are developing. As a team each player knew the position they were playing and all contributed to securing a win!! What a change from our first game with Lakeside where the team struggled to secure points with broken play and a continuous stream of fouls. This week when the opposition played defence our team pulled out, maintained control of the ball and forced Lakeside to come to them. When the opposition decided to push out in the last quarter the boys changed the gameplay to meet them head on and continued to score with Lakeside closing the gap. We had some highlights to the game where we saw a few of the signature moves the boys are developing!!! From Hayden flying through the air for the steal and Zac bounding gracefully through the defence for the drive – it was a great game to watch. Our defence game was on the slow side with the need to get back down the court more quickly. Lakeside showed great determination and skill as they often out-paced our defence game to score. Great attitudes and behaviour from all involved.
Player of the game
Zayde – what a shooting arm!! Scoring 5 three pointers and always driving and defending from everywhere on the court!!! A great team player and highly respected by his team!
U12 Boys Orange (Tim Hart)
Loss against Perry Lakes Hawks (36 – 67)
Coaches notes
Perry Lakes played well this week, they out-rebounded us 31-53 and shot 41%. Our foul shooting improved for us over our last match up with Perry Lakes (40% vs 12%) but Perry Lakes didn’t send us to the line as often. Fletcher worked on his foul shooting box-out technique and it was pleasing to see him have success so quickly. Our steals and turnovers stat were almost even, similar to the first match up. We had a good spread of steals and deflections this week showing a team-focus on defensive pressure.
Player of the game
Zane stood out this week with his pressure on-ball, as well as making reads to jump into passing lanes and compete for loose balls (5 steals). Zane also showed patience to find better scoring options, and successfully attacked gaps on both sides of the court (14 points, from 6/14 and 2/2 from the foul line). Zane you’re on a roll!
U12 Boys White (Patrick Massam)
Won against East Perth Eagles (45 – 42)
Coaches notes
We invited the East Perth Eagles with a frosty reception to The Furnace on a very cold Sunday morning in the hills. Youre welcome. The coffee was iced before the PAG’S (Parents & Grandparents) could resume their seats!
What is becoming an unfortunate tradition, the boys started of slow from the blocks, but we kept a steady pace of scoring. We found it tough to contain their two main scorers, especially “mini Iverson” with the shifty left hand, who was punishing us in the key. At some points the kids thought they had courtside seats, as they watched him fly through for the finish.
With the trifecta of coaches chiming in with grand schemes and ideas at half time. The boys nodded with usual agreeance and enthusiasm, without an inkling of recognition as to what was just said. Either way they left the huddle fired up and ready to go either way.
Our 4th quarter really showed that the boys are fit and conditioned, and when the going got tough, we kept on running. We had our highest ever score in a single quarter this season with a score of 20 points.
Very close finish , with oxygen masks dropping for the fans in the dying seconds.
It was great to see the boys stay with the game right to the end and finish a tough contest with a 3 point win.
Looking forward to our next contest with a dawn start against Perry Lakes.
Player of the game
Austin “Not in my house” Berkhout was our Player of the Game with 15 points, a fistful of assists, and great work guarding the keyway.
U12 Boys Blue (Dave Yan)
Won against Willeton Tigers (79 – 67)
Coaches notes
We entered our game against Willeton on a 6 game winning streak after starting 1W 2L. With our first game against Willeton ending in a 1pt win. It was a good game for us to measure how far we’ve progressed since our first game as a team.
Unfortunately our play of the game from last week Austin was sick (Austin played tremendous defense last week and had one of his best game outing) and the rest of the boys came in a cold morning really really switched on.
From the get go we never drop our intensity, that is the biggest take away from this game was from the moment the ball went up to the final buzzer whoever was on the court gave it their absolutely all and never had a dip in intensity.
We got out to an early lead and lead majority of the game by 17 points before winning by 12. A team that we did struggle against first time round it showed how far we’ve came.
Coach Jarrod was instrumental on Tuesday with the boys training and you can see how the boys ball movement passing cutting was very effective today, our defense is equally as impressive.
Overall a very satisfying performance and probably one of our best game to date as a team. A shout out to Preston for having a game high 21 points. And it’s too long to name all other major contributors but the boys all can be named for what they did today.
Player of the game
Chandler Bydder has had moments of what he is fully capable off throughout the first 9 games.. after having a fairly quiet few weeks Chandler showed us who Chandler is. A natural right hander who would put shame to some lefties with his finishing on the left side. His aggression all came taking on a slower opponent and understanding when to attack the paint resulted in 18 points and I’m quite sure 100% efficiency with his red zone shots. Missing only 1 shot from the 3pt line.
U14 Girls Black (Andrew Herbert)
Won against Rockingham Flames (58 – 38)
Coaches notes
The ladies continued where they left off last week. Going into this game with only 7 players everyone stepped up again contributing in multiple ways, which was really great to see as you can see in team stats below:
Jade Roulston – 3Reb 2St 2Pts
Eunice Espanola – 4Reb 3St
Izabelle Biggs – 6Reb 2St 6Pts
Charli Hill – 7Reb 2St 8Pts
Holly Marsh – 7St 4Ass 5 Reb 29Pts
Lucinta Akerman – 9St 3Reb 4Pts
Charlotte Herbert- 9Reb 7Blk 13pts
Player of the game
Player of the week this round goes to Holly Marsh for for dominating at both ends of the court. With a solid effort on the defensive end with 7 steals, Holly was able to get out into the open floor blowing past defenders. Holly contributed to the teams rebounding total with 5 boards but was too unstoppable on the offensive end with 4 assists and 29 points. A excellent all round performance Holly!
U14 Girls Orange (Adam Brickwood)
Won against Lakeside Lightning (50 – 42)
Coaches notes
Lakeside gave us a good lesson in transition basketball last time we played so we knew what to expect this time round.
While we got off to a great start but as the first half wore on, they once again started to expose us in the open court to take a 7 point lead into the half.
To begin the 3rd we came out with better composure and began to chip away. Our ability to stay focused on our defensive assignments started to build pressure on the opposition causing a lot of turnovers and gave us a chance to return the favour in the open court, giving us our biggest score of the season.
Well done girls!
Player of the game
Benwech Kuach – She was the catalyst of our 3rd quarter run with her efforts and energy. Getting double figure steals and her top score for the season!
U14 Girls White(Daniel Heyman)
Loss against Willeton Tigers (27 – 47)
Coaches notes
We came into the match optimistic, playing the top of the table team, but were outgunned from the outset. Lacking the team defensive structure and individual efforts to be competitive, we quickly fell behind to a very tight and controlled Willetton team. As the game progressed, we worked our way back, after winning the 3rd, to at one stage be behind by only 5 points. Despite this, we couldn’t limit our turnovers and fell to a superior effort by the opposition.
Player of the game
Ashlyn Shields. Ashlyn played an awesome game, getting after it on the boards. She led our team with 7 rebounds and consistently executed our offensive game plan. Her energy and discipline were a positive example to the rest of the team, demonstrating the qualities required to play winning basketball.
U14 Girls Blue (Tamara Reeves)
Won against Hills Raiders (52 – 36)
Coaches notes
The girls had an awesome first quarter getting a 15 point lead right off the bat and they kept that margin all game. Once again they all played really well as a team, doing good passing and helping each other out. One really positive highlight is that everyone on the team scored! It was a good win, but we still have work to do on our fitness so we can sustain the intensity throughout the entire game. Well done girls, let’s keep on improving!
Player of the game
I chose 2 players of the round this week in Eloise Clince and Grace Danzo. Eloise showed some really strong rebounding and did some great passing into the keyway giving her teammates a chance for an easy bucket. She also top scored both teams with 15 points. Grace has really stepped up with her effort on the court these past two weeks in games and training which is very pleasing to see. Grace contributes to the team effort, not only on the court but also being vocal on the bench.
U14 Boys Black (Shannon Trew)
Loss against Southwest Slammers (51 – 65)
Coaches notes
Top of the table match against a very good and strong team and we didn’t get off to a great start with us being 2 bigs short. The boys fought hard and focus on our game and not the oppositions game and they never gave up.
The coaches challenged the boys to win the 2nd half and they did. Everyone showed Energy and effort for the whole 2nd half which was pleasing for the coaches.
Hopefully when we meet them again we will have a full squad and put up another awesome game.
Player of the game
Raymond Tafira came into the game with a sore leg and he demanded that he plays and didn’t want to let the boys down and he definitely didn’t. Raymond finished with 17 points and a bag of highlights to go with it. Huge heart and a massive team player.
U14 Boys Orange (Adrian Mok)
Loss against South West Slammers (46 – 72)
U14 Boys White (Joel Warner)
Won against Lakeside Lightning (73 – 56)
Coaches notes
This week we played a solid Lakeside Team, putting together a more organised and polished performance than last week. The match-up was perfect for us to see exactly where we fix in the mix of the Division, and Coach James and I had been looking forward to this game as a genuine test. On paper, Lakeside defend about 17 points better than we do and we score about 13 points better than them. So the equation was really simple, be highly organised defensively and limit their opportunities, whilst taking care of the ball and generating more shot options. During the week we practiced some quick options out of transition to make sure our shooting volume (opportunity) was high, the idea being that we wanted to generate more shots than we have in other games. To practice getting up a greater volume of quality shots without playing scrappy is quite difficult with juniors, so Coach James and I were really happy with the end performance. A lot of preparation went into the week, and I am happy for the boys to see it pay off. Overall, it was probably our best Team effort with balanced scoring and genuine contributions in all spots. I could credit everyone in this wrap-up, but will make specific reference to Kade for earning his first start and impacting the game immediately. Also, to Reuben for doing the small things that can go unnoticed, including pulling down a fourth quarter rebound when he had no business getting the ball amongst the bigger players. Chad showed great composure and Peter was exceptional with soft hands, great finishing at the basket and establishing the tempo after defensive rebounds. On top of all of that, the bench positivity at all stages was great. We are seeing a lot of hard work pay off, with the Suns White group becoming increasingly more balanced.
Player of the game
This week’s player of the round goes to Tala. Tala very narrowly missed out on a starting opportunity on Sunday, having had a good week at practice last week and banking several good games in a row. Tala has played increasing minutes over the last month, and on Sunday he worked hard, held his defensive lines, and positioned himself correctly in both offence and defence. He made some clever offensive reads and boxed out with determination. Coach James has been preaching to him (non-stop) about the value of using the correct technique when boxing out, and he was an asset to our Team with his strong-bodied boxing out on Sunday. What is most pleasing is that Tala is applying himself to a new role this season, and with that comes a rapid learning curve. Coach James and I are excited to see Tala’s further development. Well done Tala, a great performance this week.
U14 Boys Blue (Hayden Bird)
Won against Warwick Senators (76 – 63)
Coaches notes
Positive team play was very observant and a main part of our win!
With the boys maintaining there strong team bond and chemistry mixed in with each others intensity it really lit the fire and let it go!!
it was great to see the boys be able to push through and play through the pressure that Warwick had presented to us!
Player of the game
Seth Rossides, Seth really had shown how far he has really come since the beginning of the season. Scoring his first bucket and putting on some great pressures defence,he rocks up to every game being that extra voice we can hear to help hype the team up. great work Seth!
U16 Girls Black (Charlie Smart)
Won against Warwick Senators (50 – 49)
U16 Girls Orange (Shannon Trew)
Loss against Lakeside Lightning (48 – 53)
Coaches notes
Words can’t describe what happened in this game. The girls were up against many challenges, some that were out of their control and they fought hard and never gave up the whole game.
The 16 to 29 foul count really hurt us in more ways than one, 4 players were fouled out and we had 3-4 injured players finish the game.
The girls were down by 11 points at 3/4 time and we were running out of players, the remaining girls pumped themselves up with the support of the parents and coaches and went out in the 4th and almost won it. Another 2-3 mins and the girls could have.
Massive effort by all and everyone should be proud of themselves and their team mates.
Player of the game
Harper Ashbolt was outstanding and never gave up and finished with 14 points. Harper was elbowed, pushed, slapped, driven into the ground and she got up each time and pumped up her team mates and we went to war for her mates. Had she not fouled out she would have lead the team to the win. She is a great leader and energy builder to everyone around her.
U16 Boys Black (Brad Dowd)
Loss against Rockingham Flames (79 – 105)
Coaches notes
Highlights: the 1st, 3rd and 4th quarters were amazing and the boys should be proud. We had a great start to the game, only being down by 5 points at quarter time. We reset at half time and started off with a 8 – 0 run and ended up winning the 2nd half by 5 points. We stuck to the game plan a lot better this game, as the team continues to grow.
Lowlights: the 2nd quarter… what happened in the 2nd? not entirely sure and had we not dropped the 2nd by so many this would have more than likely been a win. We will look at what went wrong in the 2nd and learn from it.
Tom had his biggest game so far with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 1 assist. Tom is getting stronger and stronger ever game, keep up the good work mate.
One of our guards really stepped up in the rebound department when asked, pulling down 7 rebounds, well done Zakk.
Player of the game
Justin Morgan played a remarkable game with 31 points and 6 assists. It was great to seem him scoring, whilst also including his teammates. Well done Justin!
U16 Boys Orange (Rob Rees)
Won against Rockingham Flames (106 – 69)
Coaches notes
We played great Full Court Defense, rebounded, and shot well, we need to improve our half-court defense we allowed too many dribble drive penetrations that the opposition scored from
Player of the game
Rieff Dabbs, Reiff had an excellent both offensively and defensively with 24 points 8 total rebounds, 6 assists, 8 steals and 2 blocks, as well as this he was quite vocal and had good body language
U16 Boys White (Jordon Macpherson)
Loss against Southwest Slammers (66 – 70)
Coaches notes
Although we lost this one there were highlights throughout the game we can build on.
Again every player contributed in there own way. Energy and effort brought us back from our deficit to a 3pt lead late in the 4th quarter. Unfortunately a few mistakes late in the game were our undoing however I know the boys will be keen to fix this up for next week.
Shout out to Lionel and Riley for their grit and determination in defence, Aj for continuing to grow confidence in his abilities and be aggressive both ends of the floor (also hitting both of his free throws!) I also want to commend the guys coming off the bench as they continue to develop, giving me the luxury of depth and balance to our rotations. Well done boys.
Player of the game
This weeks award goes to Daniel Sexton. Daniel worked his tail off all game on both ends of the floor. With 7 steals, 2 assists and only 1 turnover this was a great display of control and focus. Well done Daniel!
U16 Boys Blue (Luke Poyner)
Loss against Perry Lakes Hawks (66 – 85)
Coaches notes
Despite still being short rostered due to injuries, our start of the second half of the season saw us play much more competitively than the first round of the season. The first half of the game saw us traiding baskets and the lead multiple times, with us down by only 4 points at half time. It was fantastic to see the boys continuing their run of improvements and showing how competitive we can be.
Two injuries in the third quarter slowed our momentum and allowed the lead to get stretched out to 15 at 3 quarter time. The boys rallied midway through the final term to get our deficit back to within reach but were unfortunately unable to bring it home after losing more players to foul trouble.
In all it was a great display of how well we can play and I am looking forward to seeing further improvements in the future.!
Player of the game
Jesstine Morales played a fantastic game on both ends of the court with some great rebounding and steals defensively at the top ofthe key. He worked hard offensively with some great passing and some good shot choices from outside and in the lane. Jesstine top scored for the team with 18 points.
U18 Girls Black (Travis Linaker)
Loss against Warwick Senators (109 – 43)
Coaches notes
With a depleted roster this week the girls showed heart but were just no match for a very strong and disciplined Senators side. We still cannot finish in the paint often enough and until we can will struggle to post winning scores.
Player of the game
Imogen Sell returned to her defensive best this game and takes out the award
U18 Girls Orange (Ric Batista)
Loss against Perth Redbacks (54 – 78)
Coaches notes
We were a little short handed this week with 2 of our better players out. Despite that we were able to put 54 points on the board all within our offensive sets and did not just adlib to score. Ella was protected a bit better this week and was able to impact the scoreboard. Hannah found a little form in the last quarter, Sienna lead well with her 10pts and Amber is a just a beast, with another 16 rebound game. The rest worked hard all game. We had more possessions and had 6 more shots than the opposition, so we’ll be working on conversions this week and this team is on the rise. Shooting 9-34 from the free throw line killed us in a 24 point game we missed 25 free throws. But our team structures and rules are slowly sinking in and we’re getting better and better at them on both ends.
Player of the game
Ella ‘Steph’ Curry 15pts 6reb and 3stls gets the nomination this week she tried hard and had to take almost the whole ball carrying load this week. She drove in and was fouled over and over and if she had of hit her free throws would have had a career game. We added some new drive and kick tools to her game this week and she showed some really strong growth areas.
U18 Boys Black (Lachie Riley / Angus Hywood)
Loss against Warwick Senators (75 – 111)
Coaches notes
We come into the game with 6 players and 0 of our 4 big men. It was never going to be easy. Saxon, Micheal, Riley, Dom, Brody and Yawasyaf all showed massive amounts of resilience and just kept going and going and going. Against a team that trapped and played high pressure defence the WHOLE game, the boys did not waiver their efforts. With tired legs the boys continue to play with a positive attitude, and although they may not have felt like winners… every spectator from both sides of the bench where impressed. So much so that the senators coach joined our huddle and shared his admiration and advice to persevere.
Player of the game
Brody Ryan: Brody was forced to play out of position this week as he was our tallest team mate for the game. He gave a tonne of effort defensively and found good shots offensively.
U18 Boys Orange (Brad Coutts)
Won against Mandurah Magic (100 – 89)
Coaches notes
There were a lot of things to like about this game including taking our outside shots, a 37 point 3rd quarter after being down at half time by 10 and turning a first round loss of 93-75 into an 11 point second round Win.
Player of the game
As ive missed a couple of weeks i had 3 awards this week. Ryan Tafira – continued to regain full fitness after injury and used his size at both ends of the court to put up good numbers. Eusaint Espanola – Got good outside looks and hit the scoreboard with 17 points and some great transition. Thomas Coutts – Likewise got some good outside looks and also hit the scoreboard as well as changing roles through the game. All these 3 players benifited from the Team playing the best Team Basketball we have played this year moving the ball around through hands, looking for steals and taking charges in defence.
U18 Boys White (Rae D’Sylva)
Won against Southwest Slammers (116 – 66)
Coaches notes
Our defence was strong for all 4 quarters and ball movement was the best it’s been which translated towards an even spread on the score sheet.
Player of the game
Lucas chaplin, Lucas had a great offensive game.
U18 Boys Blue (Tyron Neill)
Won against Willeton Tigers (55 – 48)
Coaches notes
With a half time score of 32-21 in Willetton’s favor the boys had some work to do if we wanted the win and work hard as a team they did. Defensively the team went into beast mode keeping the opposition to just 16 points in the second half whilst putting 34 on the board ourselves and breaking the game open in the last minute with pure pressure when it was neck and neck for the majority of the last to come away with a 7 point win.
Player of the game
Aidan Thompson & Kai Miles (aka The Smash Brothers) answered my SOS call and run amok in the second half when the team needed it the most. With an injured shooting guard the boys put up 34 points between them, getting the game set up and in motion to steal a cheeky win at the last.
U20 Boys Black (Lochy Brown)
Won against Cockburn Cougars (88 – 77)
Coaches notes
Starting the game with 6 and ending with 4 players over the last 5 minutes is a big ask for a playing group. But these boys stuck together, backed their teammates up and closed out a tough game.
Player of the game
Kiarn Linaker- A great dominant performance on both ends of the floor. Controlling the boards on defense and putting rim pressure on offense
U20 Boys Orange (Cooper Lowe)
Won against Mandurah Magic (82 – 78)
Coaches notes
Nice to get back on the winners list with a close win down in Mandurah. Once we realised the 1% plays were going to be the difference in the game, we hustled hard and got stops that lead into easy scores. Hopefully the boys respond well at training and can start this weekends game with that intensity, not in the middle of the 4th quarter.
Player of the game
Jed Jones was outstanding this week. He was pivotal in the zone we ran on defence, flying around and making life difficult for their guards, and then down the other end finishing with 25 points, knocking down 6 threes, was a great performance from him. Congratulations Jed!