WABL Wrap Week 10 – 26/6/22
Round 10 – Half way through the season… how time flies! Playing at home it was great to see close games on almost every court
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:
Logan Haines (U14 Boys) – Exhibited great hustle all game on both ends of the court and showed his versatility in playing position. 5 points from the line giving him a 15-point top score for the team.
Jenny Rando (U12 Girls) – This week Jenny was asked to step up and fill some pretty big shoes. She took on our “Bulldog” role and made it her own, giving 100% effort all game and playing disciplined defense when in foul trouble. She also facilitated well for her team mates recording her season high in assists. Well done Jenny!
U12 GIRLS (LAWRENCE WEST)
Won against East Perth Eagles (38 – 28)
COACHES NOTES
It’s become clear that every team in our division is developing fast, and that we need to be prepared for a fight every week. A slow start or a dip in effort can make all the difference. To achieve our goals this season we need to be consistent in our effort and capitalise on all scoring opportunities when presented. We will re-focus our efforts this week and get back to playing at the level we are capable of.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Jenny Rando – This week Jenny was asked to step up and fill some pretty big shoes. She took on our “Bulldog” role and made it her own, giving 100% effort all game and playing disciplined defense when in foul trouble. She also facilitated well for her team mates recording her season high in assists. Well done Jenny!
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
While we don’t have a captain, we certainly have a strong leadership group within our team. When things are getting out of control, we can always rely on them to deliver a little calm and get us back on track. This week both Neve & Amber kept us in the game when we were struggling. It’s great to see us as a group gaining the confidence to attack the basket with nearly half our team going to the line for free throws.
Finally, a massive congratulations to Sienna Hall on her first WABL game. Sienna has been super supportive of her team mates throughout the season in her development role and it was an absolute pleasure to see her take to the court with her team – well done superstar!
U12 BOYS (LIZZIE FALCONBRIDGE)
Won against Willeton Tigers (52 – 34)
COACHES NOTES
With a couple boys out due to illness and few starters playing with injuries, it was positive to see the boys still maintain their defensive intensity and unselfish passing to allow easier shots. Our team defence is getting better week by week but we still need to work off ball movement on offence. The score line does not reflect how close the game was, the Willetton Tigers boys played great basketball for the whole game.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Leyton Rooke – Another great game pulling in 15 rebounds and putting up 14 points, also finding his teammates for open shots with 4 assists. He is consistently working on his game and it’s starting to flourish on game day – we’re going to have to call you Mr Double Double from now on!!
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Cal Kwe – Quiet achiever but always making the most of his court time. Always puts in 110% at training and awesome to see him have a great shooting day going 3/5. From a coaching prospective we are really happy to see him achieve his goals, keep up the hard work.
Dave Brar – Learning to use his natural basketball skills to find open team mates or create easy shots for them, finishing off with a team high 6 assists. Consistently improving on the defensive end by using his quickness and agility to cause turnovers and start the fast breaks.
Nate Miles and AJ Mok – Both the boys came into the game with leg injuries but it didn’t stop them from playing their high intensity defence, to combine for 10 steals and finding their teammates on the fast break with a combined 8 assists. These two boys are consistently setting the tone on the defensive end and always play unselfish basketball which makes our jobs as coaches easier.
U12 BOYS (JOEL WARNER)
Loss against Rockingham Flames (27 – 53)
COACHES NOTES
Our team played very well and the score-line isn’t necessarily reflective of how well we played. We pulled back within six points late in the third quarter and had significant momentum. I am really pleased that defensively we can stop any team. Our opposition from this game sit comfortably on top of the ladder and we are now in the position where our defensive systems can hold up against any opposition. A few small errors hurt us at important junctures and that was the difference between a six- or seven-point loss and a larger twenty-point loss. When we improve on those errors and lapses, we will have more success. The positive found in this experience is that the boys felt a little bit of pain after the game, in knowing that we are better than what the score-line showed.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
I’ve mentioned before that the overall goal when selecting player of the week is considering a player’s performance against what he has previously done, considering his contribution to the team goals and looking for improvements. This week the player of the week was Adam. Adam motivates himself, follows instructions as well as anyone on the team and plays his role. This week, he was exceptional. I found difficulty subbing Adam off at times during this game. His length and effort helped us claw back a big margin and he headed up one of our trapping schemes for the first time. On top of that he started several quarters this week. Adam has learned a huge amount in 10 weeks. Well done, Adam. A close second, and worth a mention was Tala. Every week he is outsized. Tala too, has come such a long way in ten weeks. He may be undersized but he gives his maximum effort each week. Tala may be smaller than every 5 player he’s matched up on this season but he gives nothing away with effort and energy.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
We are building a team culture that has no individuals. We have the right amount of positive peer pressure where the boys are regulating each-other and keeping each-other accountable at practice, so in that regard we are playing like boys that are older than 10 and 11 years old. Our style is exciting and the coaching staff have now had feedback from three other clubs that we are a fierce, yet fair team to play. I speak from time to time about playing with the right spirit and this week we demonstrated playing the right way again. It is encouraging to see a group of boys that really care about their efforts, their commitment to each-other and to team achievements.
U12 BOYS (TIM HART)
Won against Mandurah Magic (55 – 43)
COACHES NOTES
The team were able to secure a 10 – 0 buffer in Q1, which helped shift the pressure onto the opposition team to chase us. We have previously had difficulty in our Q1 performance – so it was good to see a change. We made good decisions following defensive rebounds, with effective outlet passes, running the lanes for scoring opportunities. When we ran our stack earlier in the game it gave us some uncontested buckets, with our runner making it clear of their defence. Mandurah figured out what we were doing and shut down the long pass, later in the game, however we were still able to move the ball to remaining players.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Callum, for playing his best game this season, (13 points @ 37%, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals). Callum pulled down the most boards this game, made effective outlet passes and moved well to follow his shots.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
We saw an uptick in rebounds this game (57). Preston and Declan were away this week, we had two development players take the court this week, Austin (4 rebounds) and Ollie. They were enthusiastic, and showed a growing awareness of the ball and their player in defence, and confidence to put up a shot when a clear option opened up. Ollie helped move the ball up the court and pass it on ahead to his team mates. Christian showed increased defensive intensity, he walled up and denied access to the keyway. Dante jarred a finger during the warm up, but was keen run the foor and help his team mates where he could (2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 5 steals, 1 block).
A solid game from Sebastian (16 points @ 36%, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals) and Mathew (18 points @ 40%, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 7 steals) who continue to show strength in O/D transition, and hard work inside on the boards. Aussie showed speed in reading where the ball would end up, and applied effective on-ball pressure (2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals). Ram continued to be a presence on the boards (10 rebounds), reading to intercept passes (5 steals), and walling up to help shut down access to the keyway.
U14 GIRLS (ANDREW HERBERT)
Loss against Willeton Tigers (50 – 59)
COACHES NOTES
The girls played a solid game today. We had 2 girls out with Covid & injury. It was a great opportunity for players to step up into their roles and show what they can do in their positions from the get go. The girls showed great resilience to get it the game back to 1pt but unfortunately weren’t able to hold it there. I look forward seeing them hit court against Joondalup this Sunday.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
This week POTR goes to Harper Ashbolt who showed great hustle to get down both ends of the floor. Harper didn’t stop, she was able to play with a high motor at all times & her effort was rewarded with by taking a charge. A solid effort Harper putting your body on the line for the team!
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
A solid team effort in half court defense. Scoring came from multiple ways this week with Kaia Rukuata 19pts – Asha Winsor 9pts – Macee Rothnie 8pts – Harper Ashbolt 6pts, Georgina Appleby & Isla-Rose Gray both contributed with 4pts.
U14 GIRLS (JEMMA & JAYMEE)
Win against Rockingham Flames (36 – 21)
COACHES NOTES
Defensive Pressure, Rebounding, Moving off the ball
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Ashlyn- As she had a ripper game at both ends of the court. In offence she was strong and aggressive, in defence she contained her player and didn’t let them score. She was a good team player and didn’t give up.
U14 BOYS (ROB REES)
Won against Willeton Tigers (53 – 48)
COACHES NOTES
We started badly and then clawed our way back into the game
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Hudson Anton equal top scorer for us and showed plenty of grit and determination, his defensive effort helped get us back into the game.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
This was a hard-fought win against quality opposition
U14 BOYS (THOR AMUNDSEN)
Loss against Willeton Tigers (35 – 66)
COACHES NOTES
Another one we let slip, allowing the opposition to capitalise on our mistakes. Some good pieces of play but at the end it was too little, too late.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Kalin Bertolini was efficient in his shooting and defensive running. With two landing from beyond the arc, he executed his role well.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Our mids (Jax 14pts, Odin 6pts/6 ast and Taj with multiple rebounds) working through 3,4 and 5 again left everything on the court but again were overrun. Anthony also provided some good work through his passing and court vision.
U14 BOYS (LUKE POYNER)
Won against Eastern Suns (49 – 44)
COACHES NOTES
The second derby round against Suns Black for the season saw a competitive game that changed lead multiple times. Our boys were coming in hungry for a win after a couple of losses. We exhibited great hustle from the outset, chasing opportunities and playing a good pressure defence on and off the ball. It was great to see the boys coming together as a team and demonstrating the skills and plays we’ve been working on in training. A huge effort in the third quarter saw us leading by 16 points coming into the 4th period. Suns Black played well and pushed hard in the last to reduce the deficit to 5. Both teams played a great game of basketball and showed good sportsmanship, Go Suns!
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Logan Haines – Exhibited great hustle all game on both ends of the court and showed his versatility in playing position. 5 points from the line giving him a 15 point top score for the team.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
A great show of hustle from the entire team today. Alfie Peacock showed some big moves inside the key with some fantastic posting up and strong put-backs giving him 10 points. Together Jensen and Alfie proved they are a solid combination with some tough sealing out and controlling much of the rebounding.
U14 BOYS (SHANNON TREW)
Loss against Eastern Suns (44 – 49)
COACHES NOTES
The team worked on taking more open shots and not driving into traffic, unfortunately the shots didn’t drop but we have always focused on the action over the result so their shots will start to go in.
Defensively we hit 3 out of 4 qtr targets but unfortunately, we let in 27 points in the 3rd qtr which put us 16 behind at 3/4 time. While the coaches had a chat, the boys got together and decided they didn’t like how that qtr felt and said “we will go out and do better”.. and better they did, scoring 19 points to the other teams 8 through hard work and a positive attitude. Couldn’t be prouder of the boys never give up attitude. Bring on next week.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Thomas Wakeman – Tom gives us 100% every week with his defence and always leads our team values (Energy, effort and Attitude). Today we lacked a lot of that during the game but Tom never gave up, never stopped trying and keep all the boys Positive. He started our 4th qtr recovery and all the boys lifted through him.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
– Ollie kept trying on offence and on the boards and never gave up against taller opponents
– Jack’s hunger to score and to get everyone firing!
U16 GIRLS (MATT HARDING)
Won against Willeton Tigers (65 – 54)
COACHES NOTES
Once again, all our Suns girls hit the scorers sheet. Miss Kiralee Cresswell started the ball rolling with a shot from the Car Park that hit nothing but net.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Miss Imogen Sell, Imogen has the potential of really excelling to a very high level of basketball. Miss Sell was originally a Suns player but with a hiccup or 2 from a previous coach she decided to move over to East Perth. I was extremely happy when she decided to come back home to Suns, Miss Sell has been constantly 1 of the clubs outstanding junior ballers, I’m Super excited to see how she pushes herself in the next 2 or so years. An absolute pleasure to coach and mentor. Well done, Imogen
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Seeing that our last training our strongest General popped her shoulder out from just a freak accident, our dynamics had to change and with Miss Lily out for hopefully no longer than 6 weeks, Miss Suzan Rammal had to stand up to the plate and play the point guard position. For her first game as the General she didn’t turn the ball over once but Suzan will have to adapt to reading what pace the ball needs to move at, all I can say is that it was at an extremely fast pace
U16 GIRLS (CHARLIE SMART)
Won against East Perth Eagles (57 – 47)
COACHES NOTES
Tremendous full team effort saw the girls dig deep and fight every second of the game to secure a much needed and thoroughly deserved win. Even with a huge height disadvantage, some phenomenally strong boxing out from Amber saw us dominate under the basket both ends of court. Mid court pressure, brilliant team defence and patience in offence, taking the right shots at the right time saw them play the most structured and mature game this season.
The girls started strong and determined to make this game count, securing much needed points on the ladder and showing they are equally as good as anyone in the division.
Every one of the girls deserves a special mention, Alex gave everything in defence, rebounding, steals and determined drives to the basket saw her as huge threat. Mila, fantastic reads of court securing extremely important intercepts, confident full court drives and great strength boxing out. Lila was everywhere, her fight for ball, confident drives and superb shots saw her as a key player through the entire game. Chelsea has a mature understanding of the court and always gets into the right place at the right time, absolutely determined in hunting down a player forcing important turnovers, so proud to see her get on the scoreboard with some superbly timed shots. Missy assisted her team mates by closing down east Perth in the key, her shot selection and brilliant 3s gave us a dominant lead. Elissa undeterred by the physicality of her opponents, showed them not only was she a skilled guard but could knock down the long-range shots, she wasn’t afraid to take anyone on under the basket or in D. Amber was an absolute power house under the basket fiercely determined to secure every rebound and contest every shot.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Caitlin – Caitlin – Cait needed a confidence boost, to believe in her abilities as a basketball player and this game saw her dominate and show everyone just how far she has come. Cait came out on fire, securing a brilliant 3 levelling the game in the first quarter. Her eye for ball and ability to not just read where a pass will go but sheer speed to intercept it was amazing to watch. Cait fought extremely hard and executed everything that was asked of her and more. Using both hands to weave through her opponents with ease and foresight of exactly where her team mates were saw her not only top score for us but set up crucial assists for her team mates.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Only the second game of the season where we have had a full team and with minimal injuries which could potentially be a pivotal game as they over threw a team who were 3rd in the ladder.
U16 BOYS (BAILEY FERGUSON)
Loss against Perth Redbacks (53 – 62)
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Oscar Jenkins – with two of our key players sitting out, Oscar stepped up on both ends, pulling us back into a competitive margin.
U16 BOYS (LACHIE RILEY)
Loss against Willeton Tigers (108 – 79)
COACHES NOTES
79 points is our highest score this season. Our offensive skills are at a competitive level. It’s time to put a focus on defence.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Deacon Matthews, Deacon displayed great accuracy in the post finishing his shots with skill and finesse. His athletic ability is becoming more and more noticeable each week. Great 100th game Deacon (20 points)
U16 BOYS (RAE D’SYLVA)
Loss against East Perth Eagles (59 – 76)
COACHES NOTES
The boys found open shooters and played solid defence .
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Chase Gallager. He really came out of his shell and played more physical and attacked the basket.
U16 BOYS (TYRON NEILL)
Loss against Perth Redbacks (45 – 55)
COACHES NOTES
Redbacks had a good zone defense which we couldn’t penetrate but mostly our mid range shooting performance let us down and we shot ourselves out of the game.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Tyler Egan tried hard all game and was good to see him take on the opposition again and taking shots.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Laker Nelson also put in all game, had some good banter with the opposition centre and once we work on his fundamentals under the basket some more he’ll be a force to be reckoned with.
U18 GIRLS (DYSON LOWE)
Loss against Rockingham Flames (40 – 69)
COACHES NOTES
Tough game for the girls only had 7 due to injuries and Covid. We played our hardest but couldn’t get the result we wanted.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Ruby. She played well rebounding and defending. Had a tough job as our only big.
U18 BOYS (ANGUS HYWOOD)
Won against Warwick Senators (73 – 55)
COACHES NOTES
DO WHAT IT TAKES!
Sunday, we come up against a strong top contender for our division in the Senators. Unfortunately with multiple injuries & other commitments for players we went into this game with only 6 players.
Those 6 STEPPED UP!!
We did what it takes all across the court to win today..
Out manned but not out spirited!
Out sized but not out worked!
Out numbered but not out skilled!
The Suns boys played outstanding TEAM basketball today, the hunger for the contest on the ball & out working on the defensive end. The intensity, Focus & conviction that we attacked the offensive end with was absolutely A1.
ALEX – played the purest big man game possible, making the most of his opportunities at the rim with his team mates finding him down low for the strong finish -22Pts 14Reb 3Blk..
SAM – Performing in his role stronger every week, rebounding & playing tall while also stretching the court with great driving & shooting ability! 10Pts 6Rebs 2Ast
PROGRESS – Each week Pro gives us his all, defensively he is nightmare for opposition & now with his confidence in his ability with the ball his role offensively is becoming dangerous! Unfortunately, without rotations Pro fouled out working extremely hard for his team. 2Pts 7Rebs
JOSH – Coming back in from an ankle injury Josh has not missed a beat pushing the pace in transition, guarding strongly on ball, Knocking down massive 3-Pointers to stretch the court & a nasty couple of blocks! Great to have you back Bluey.. 13Pts 2Stl 2Blk
HARRISON – H is always the most dangerous shooter in any game & opposition are starting to pay him the respect of playing up on him & doubling him when he has the ball. H made the adjustments today working stronger off ball to get open looks & create space to play his game while getting to the line. 17Pts 3Ast -6/6FTs
JOSEPH – Joseph is always a strong point scorer for his team but today we got to see Joseph at his best without scoring! The impact on todays game from Joseph ability to collapse a defence on drives & find his open team mate is just what showed just how well he sees & plays the game!
9Pts 8Reb 5Ast
Unbelievable game today by the playing group, we did what it takes to play strong, honest, high intensity basketball & secured the W!
Let’s continue to work & be ready for this second half of the season.
FIRE UP SUNS!
PLAYER OF THE GAME
The Whole playing group this week, everyone played their role in the TEAM!!
U18 BOYS (HAYDEN BIRD)
Loss against Perth Redbacks (72 – 101)
COACHES NOTES
Having scoring our most points this season against the top side. We put up an amazing performance even though we went up against the top side in our division. Great aspects of Team work and moving the ball around and also having a great attitude spark mixed with communication. Great to see all these boys coming together as a very well-rounded team.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Dominic puno, Dominic put up 13pts for our boys and kept his head high while pushing his other team yes to be better. Dominic really came out of his shell this game and put on a performance that both the parents and the boys where excited to watch. From grabbing tough boards, creating space for Teammates and himself to stopping the big guys from scoring, Dominic did it all for us.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Wayne beier: 15pts and a great effort stopping the guards from scoring, holding them off and forcing the turnover.
Liam Elliot: 13pts even with a late start Liam still stepped up and played well for our boys playing our big spot
Treylen Tembo: 10pts Trey consistently got in the right spot to take high percentage shots while even though being smaller than most was also grabbing offensive and defensive boards
U18 BOYS (RICK BATISTA)
Won against Joondalup Wolves (96 – 89)
COACHES NOTES
We only had 7 players for today’s game and every player gave me their all with one player feeling unwell during the game too. It was great to see 7 boys give everything they had to protect what they’ve built. Joondalup are a much-improved team in our division and it was good to prove, we too have improved beyond sight.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Toughest one so far but Saxon Counsels 31 was integral in n keeping the score ticking over.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Jet Olsen was phenomenal again with 23 points, Kalvyn was important with 16 including a buzzer beating 3 in the first qtr and the man in the middle found his range today Lachlan Moy was very good with his 15 pts… congratulations boys was great to see everyone play like a solid unit.
U20 BOYS (DAN VLAHOV)
Loss against Cockburn Cougars (69 – 82)
COACHES NOTES
This week saw the team come up against opposition that have been competing for the top 4 spot alongside us all year, it was a make-or-break game and unfortunately, we were unable to get the job done.
Our ongoing inability to get off to a good start in the first half, coupled with players struggling to find range from outside the arc, poor finishing inside the paint, and too many easy turnovers, left us chasing all day. Compounding the issues this week we saw our usual high defensive effort not where it should have been and this meant we let Cockburn score near their highest, rather than keeping them to near their lowest as we have done to all other teams this year.
The team did manage a third / fourth quarter fight back to get within 4 points but couldn’t maintain the effort to take the lead and lock the game away. On the positive……..scoring was again spread amongst the group and we saw a much higher level of positive body language and on court communication, even though we were losing which is very encouraging for the coaching staff.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Austin Cole takes home the award this week due to being the spark for our comeback and showing his desire to work on, and action, what is being asked of him.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
The players are all working hard but we need to work smarter and not give away as many easy points to the opposition, and whilst we have stayed inside the top 6 to lock in our finals spot, we will need to lift and walk the talk every week from here.
There is plenty to like about this group of players and we look forward to seeing them stamp their ownership on this division in the remaining 8 games before we begin our run for the grand final.
Fire up boys!