WABL Wrap Week 11 – 02/07/23
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:
Thomas Wakeman (U14 Boys) – Thomas Wakeman: An incredible leader on the floor, communicating and guiding teammates he is a coach on the floor. A true past first guard always prioritising his teammates and a win over self benefit, its is always great to see awesome team ball! during hillsides game there was no hesitation on defense taking on the big man or the quick ball handlers! Great job Tommy and well deserved!
Kira-Lee Cresswell (U18 Girls) – Kira-Lee Cresswell, had near on 10 interceptions, probably resulting in 5-6 steals and this week her offence prowess was on show too, it was nice to see her driving with purpose and taking shots in the rhythm of our offence. Great way to show growth Kira proud of you.
U12 Girls Black (Lawrence West)
Loss against Cockburn Cougars (29 – 64)
Coaches notes
Playing the top team in our division was always going to be tough but we came out ready to fight, pressing up hard on defense and scrapping for every loose ball. We stayed switched on and pushed the pace, seeing us only down by only 7 points at the half.
Unforunately a drop in our intensity to start the 2nd half saw us quickly fall to a 20 point deficit, and although we rallied in the 4th it just wasnt enough.
It’s encouraging to see that when we are playing to our potential we can compete with the best team in the state. We will continue to work on our rebounding and second chance opportunities.
Player of the game
Ellie Mullins – Ellie found her fire this week! With rebounding being our focus, she led from the front against a very physical opponent, proving that she is a fierce competitor who can take it to anyone in our division. Not only did she lead our team in rebounds, she also shot a very efficient 50% from the field, 100% from the free throw line and chipped in 6 assists, 3 steals and 1 block! Ellie’s impact on our team is huge and its exciting to see her expanding her game as she grows in confidence – another bright young star to keep an eye on!
U12 Girls Orange (Lizzie Falconbridge)
Loss against Eastern Suns (19 – 21)
Coaches notes
If Marvel was looking for its next Blockbuster film it could have came to Ray Owen for “The Clash of the Suns” The atmosphere was electric and the grandstand was filled with the Suns Community. The White team came out of the blocks firing with our girls struggling to break through their defence pressure. We had our fast breaks shut down and they double teamed our main ball handlers. We lost the drive in our defensive game and had the girls coming off the bench flat. Half time came and the girls needed a pep talk, we were after someone to lift the team and ignite the fire in our bellies to turn this game around. That someone was May, she came off the bench and stole a few balls, drove to the basket, grabbed rebounds and made passes in the keyway. Everyone lifted and started to play our brand of basketball. Special mention to Harper, Oceana, Mariska, Lily who jumped on board and got us back into the game. The cheering from that point on was deafening as the court was quickly surrounded by more spectators to watch a nail bitting finish. Good sportsmanship from both sides and great umpiring. We also had Mariska’s uncle taking our action photos today since we missed out last week, hopefully he got some great shots.
Other Highlights: Great to have Lily return to the team after such a long break. She fitted straight back into the lineup and was asked to hit the boards and give us some much needed height in the keyway. Also a special mention to Mary who was our development player today. Even though she didn’t get court time she never dropped her head and cheered on the whole game
Player of the game
May Cooper – May was the catalyst to our fight back. She jumped on court and attacked the ball creating turnover after turnover. Stealing balls and driving to the basket. She never dropped her head and lifted everyone around her..
U12 Girls White (Bruno Kongawoin)
Won against Eastern Suns (21 – 19)
Coaches notes
Once again, this week reflected the continued ball handling improvement journey we’ve been on as a team which facilitated many of our early fast break opportunities that set us on the path for the win. We are still struggling with our half court offense. Defensively, the girls executed extremely well picking up the ball early and taking away space resulting in double team opportunities to scramble the fightback from Team Orange.
The girls are maturing as a unit as the season progresses and we are looking forward to improve our mental endurance and concentration for a full game..
Player of the game
Hannah Fulton. Though Hannah’s efforts were not recognised on the scoresheet, her on-court presence on all level was the determining factor of our success. Well done Hannah
U12 Boys Black (Lizzie Falconbridge)
Won against Willeton Tigers (54 – 48)
Coaches notes
Our team took the lead early in the game and continually increased the gap to 20 points by the third quarter. The last quarter was humbling as the Willeton Tigers admirably clawed their way back to close the game with only a 6 point lead by our team. Having secured a second win in a row the team was not as excited as would be expected. It was good to see the boys not just using the score as a judge of team performance. They appear to have stepped above this to reflect more on how they played the game…. and the general consensus was that it was not one of our best played games. It is really good to see the boys now recognising when basketball is played well as a team and this is a great step that will help the team further the skills they are developing.
Player of the game
Kundai received nomination for player of the match. Consistency is one of Kundai’s super powers! Kundai has great focus and continues to drive to the basket scoring points and always demonstrates a great attitude.
U12 Boys Orange (Tim Hart)
Loss against Lakeside Lightning (41 – 60)
Coaches notes
Our shot percentage increased vs our last match up with Lightning, and turnovers were right down (7 this game vs. 21 in the first). While we managed to win the 3rd qtr contest, a large number of steals (35 Lightning vs 18 Suns), coupled with a higher shooting percentage (45% vs our 33%) gave Lightning the game. We had trouble guaging where to pass the ball, and didn’t move onto the ball well to receive it in flight.
Player of the game
Declan gave a strong performance, with a flurry of points dropping in the 3rd qtr. Declan secured 4 rebounds, helped apply pressure to the ball in the backcourt and top scored with 10 points (5 from 8 shots).
U12 Boys White (Patrick Massam)
Won against Rockingham Flames (52 – 50)
U12 Boys Blue (Dave Yan)
Loss against Perry Lakes Hawks (27 – 46)
Coaches notes
Since the second round when we suffered our first loss to Perry Lakes, we’ve had time to work on the Press that troubled us… good news.. we broke it… bad news.. we couldn’t finish our shots. This game came down to who made shots and who didn’t.
We started off strong, but we didn’t make our shots. It was just one of those days where we missed our first 4 shots and and they made their first, and we always felt like we were on the back foot.
Defensively and effort the boys gave it their all, that is all as coaches we could ask for. As coach I failed to make an adjustment mid game.. looking back at it.. perry lakes did not score one single basket outside the keyway.
Kobe had a tough shooting night going 0/7FG, but he made up with some tremendous defense. Something that we value highly. Josh, Alec, with fevers over the week and Preston with a foot injury fought gallantly and never gave up.
Our second unit(for this game) played the entire last qrt and came away with a +5 margin and Lukas showed us what he can do with rebounding and we will be expecting him to improve as the season goes on and get more minutes.
A shout out to all the parents again for their support and most importantly patience. Their trust in Coach Jarrod and myself to develop their boys is something we both appreciate.
Player of the game
Austin Francis was our player of the game, he earnt it with pure tenacity on defense and never giving up the play even when it looked dire. He didn’t let consecutive turnovers get him down, and continue to fight for every single possession. It’s great to have him back after missing him last week against Willeton.
U14 Girls Black (Andrew Herbert)
Won against Hills Raiders (46 – 42)
Coaches notes
Once again heading into the game with only 7 players, all the ladies contributed in a variety of ways getting the job done on the short trip across the hill to Mundaring.
It was great to see the effort everyone put in on court defensively and the poise in the final minute to carry us over the line.
It was also a solid team effort on the offensive end with Carmen Woods dropping 16 points, Charlotte Herbert 10, Izabelle Biggs 8 plus Charli Hill and Lucinta Akerman both adding 6 to the total.
Keep getting the job done week by week “TOGETHER!”
Player of the game
Player of the round this week goes to Carmen Woods. Carmen continues to give us spark in the starting lineup. Carmen’s performance was excellent at both ends of the court. With the starting point guard out sick and another fouling out early in the 4th, Carmen was the only one to put her hand up wanting to step up and control the point down the stretch. Keep up the great work Carmen!
U14 Girls Orange (Adam Brickwood)
Won against Southwest Slammers (38 – 24)
Coaches notes
Good all round team effort this week by the girls. We were able to find gaps in the defence on the wings and get the shots we were looking.
Defensively, our ability to keep our opponents in front of us making it tough for them to find easy baskets was a highlight.
Credit to the Slammers, from the beginning they came out with strong effort on loose balls and jump ball situations which kept them in the game for 3 quarters.
In the final quarter we were able to raise our efforts and intensity plus shoot a better percentage which swung the game to our favour.
Well done girls!
Player of the game
Amber Brickwood – Amber was able to give us much needed control with the ball in her hands when the pressure was on, a strong rebounding presence and an efficient game high 11 points for our team.
U14 Girls White(Daniel Heyman)
Won against Lakeside Lightning (53 – 34)
Coaches notes
The girls played an outstanding team game, with their ball movement and defensive pressure being as good as it’s been all season. Despite a couple of mental lapses, we managed to regroup each time and raise our level of play to win each quarter. This is a huge area of growth for us, as in previous games we’ve got unstuck and failed to get back to our winning standard of play.
At the end, we ran over top of the opposition through a solid team effort where everyone was able to positively contribute to the success of the team.
Standout players include our two development players, Malia Williams (10pts, 11rbs, 5ast, 2stl & 3blk on 54%fg) and Tamzin Wilsmore (14pts, 4rbs, 2ast, 6stl & 1blk on 50%fg). Honestly though, I could name every player here, as they all played a vital role in this win.
Player of the game
Sonja Heyman. Sonja was outstanding, locking down the keyway with great help defence. She led the team with 3 blocks, also tallying a season high 9 rebounds and 7 points off efficient shooting and with her characteristic limited turnovers. With key bigs out, she stepped up her game and played her role, helping the team to victory.
U14 Girls Blue (Tamara Reeves)
Won against Perth Redbacks (34 – 28)
Coaches notes
Coached by Michael Danzo.
Even with 2 of our squad missing, the girls rose brilliantly to the occasion. Despite facing the Redbacks who we have been closely matched with in the past. Our focus areas in training have yielded impressive results. Rebounding was all-class and triple threat attacks are looking formidable. We kept the pressure up in defence, with good reads on many intercepts. Defensive communication will require some improvement however the girls are adapting to the style of help-defence to protect the rim. We finished out the game smartly and kept our nerve. Always remember that defence is what wins games!
Player of the game
Bonnie Clark was instrumental in attacking the defence. Bonnie’s speed and agility gives her a huge advantage that is beginning to show its true potential. A special mention also to Abigail Allan, rebounding especially in offence is one of our keys to victory. Abby adeptly reads opponents and won several intercepts leading to fast breaks.
U14 Boys Black (Shannon Trew)
Loss against Joondalup Wolves (46 – 53)
Coaches notes
Tough game on the road against a good Joondalup team. Boys got out to a good start with lots of energy and things were flying. After a time-out from Joondalup the quarter changed dramatically, we got hit with 6 quick fouls which changed our rotation/structure and Joondalup got an 8 point lead at qtr time.
2nd qtr we regrouped and came out strong and played some good basketball without being amazing and half the deficit at half time.
3rd qtr saw us get into foul trouble again for a few players and the game fully turned against us.
4th qtr was much the same but the boys fought hard and was it not for some fouled out players we felt like we could have won it.
Lessons learnt, time to recharge and refocus on the 2nd half of the season.
Player of the game
Bailey Ryan kept us in the game with some nice defence and lots of rebounds, things didn’t always go his way but he kept looking for windows in offence and making walls in defence.
U14 Boys Orange (Adrian Mok)
Loss against Hills Raiders (34 – 57)
Coaches notes
Even though the boys were under sized and under manned due to illness, none of the team gave up and we were only down by 3 going into the 3rd quarter. We just ran out of legs in the final quarter and not getting back on defence hurt the score board.
I’m so proud of how the boys are progessing even though our record doesn’t show it, better to play in a higher division to learn for the future.
Also a big thank you to all the parents for the continued support so far this season.
Player of the game
Cal Kwe – Always stay ready no matter whether he he play 2 minutes or 20 minutes in a game. Always brings the right attitude to training and games, next thing we need to work on is him using his speed on the court to blow past defenders. Love the way you work, keep it up!!!
U14 Boys White (Joel Warner)
Won against Rockingham Flames (52 – 50)
Coaches notes
Much like our game last week, on Sunday we faced a Rockingham Team that statistically was very similar to us. The players they had though, were very different to our personnel and we were caught with some challenging match-ups that really didn’t suit us. I love that, it provides an opportunity to learn and improve. A couple of the boys were thrown in the deep end with their match-ups and I was very pleased with how they responded. Quite notably Sam and Reuben had the job to tag-team one of the best point guards we have seen this season and they held him to 4 points, also limiting his play making.
Our Team defensive structures were effective but at the same time, so were Rockingham’s. It was an arm wrestle for the entirety of the game. This week we moved players and positions more than we have all season. We have a mindset that all players can play all, or almost all positions and the Team are instinctively learning to ‘read’ the game, so they are becoming more comfortable of how to play when they are in an unfamiliar role. With enough experience and confidence playing this way, the game simplifies a great deal. Modern basketball is at times ‘positionless’ so we are banking experience for the future, and the boys are seeing that systems beat superstars.
There were many positives this week, but in short, we saw a unified Team responding to continual pressure all afternoon, whilst coping with a very physical opposition. Elisha and Peter scored and rebounded well, Ethan, Chad and Tala were exceptional on the wing in defence and were unselfish with the ball, both Kade and Phoenix had additional responsibility as the ‘wolf’ in our Team trap too. Phoenix played four different positions, showing how versatile he can be. Adam played his first game of the season, coming in for Asten, and he gave us a huge spark, the boys got behind him and rode every possession! Adam’s dedication this season should be credited. He’s never missed a practice, never misses a game, he takes feedback well, and he’s improving every week at practice. There were certainly lapses in the game which need to be addressed, but all-in-all we beat a good Team, away from our home who were on a three-game win streak. Well done Suns White. Let’s get back to practice and get better for the undefeated top Team next week.
Player of the game
This week’s player of the game goes to Peter. On Sunday Peter was incredible. He ran in transition, rebounded, blocked shots, scored and set effective screens to open our pick-and-roll opportunities. Every week this young man impresses me, on Sunday he was Ironman! He was critical for our Team in the dying minutes of the game and our Suns White boys can rely on him in any situation. Peter is so versatile in offence, on Sunday, he gave us opportunities out of our mis-matches because he is an exceptional passer of the ball (think Luc Longley). Most importantly though, he only celebrates Team success, and I acknowledge his humility, a great quality in a sport that can at times be egotistical. On Sunday, Peter hit the game winning basket with 3.8 seconds on the clock and he celebrated with his Team-mates after the game. He didn’t show off as the player who scored the basket that won the game – he didn’t gloat, he was with his mates enjoying the moment as a group. That’s the Team first attitude that we are seeking in junior basketballers. Along with some other influential boys on our Team, Peter constantly demonstrates the Team Values, and at practice makes zero excuses. He just works and improves and Coach James and I see it every week on the court. His improvement is a credit to his hard work. Well done Peter, Suns White love your game style. You are influencing far more than the stat sheet shows.
U14 Boys Blue (Hayden Bird)
Won against Hills Raiders (78 – 47)
Coaches notes
All around great team game! very positive attitude and intense basketball even coming off the bench with the boys celebrating each other and chanting/cheering each other on.
It is great to see us becoming more postive and team orientated.
Player of the game
Thomas Wakeman: An incredible leader on the floor, communicating and guiding teammates he is a coach on the floor. A true pass first guard always prioritising his teammates and a win over self benefit, its is always great to see awesome team ball! during hillsides game there was no hesitation on defense taking on the big man or the quick ball handlers! Great job Tommy and well deserved!
U16 Girls Black (Charlie Smart)
Loss against Perry Lakes Hawks (49 – 61)
Coaches notes
Even though we had a depleted team the U16 girls braved the freezing temperatures to head to Bendat for and 8am game to face top of the ladder Perry Lakes.
The girls rallied together and played for each other in arguably the strongest team effort they’ve had all season. They fought valiantly to stay within 3 points for a majority of the game with a few well executed 3s pushing out the score in the last quarter. Although not quite getting man of the match I need to mention our beast of the boards during the game Claire. She was fighting both ends of the court this week securing rebounds limiting second chance shots and even confident in driving into the key and popped a beautiful 3, showing us exactly why she has an incredible future if the sport when she digs deep.
Proud of the girls.
Player of the game
Asha – Asha stepped up her game and used her speed to work the court both ends. Solid scoring, rebounding and great defence, Asha left nothing in the sideline. Fantastic work Asha
U16 Girls Orange (Shannon Trew)
Loss against Joondalup Wolves (52 – 83)
Coaches notes
We knew this game was going to be hard with 4 critical players away and playing the undefeated top team from Joondalup plus 2 players that were pushing themselves through the game that were not 100% fit.
We started well but it become apparent very quickly that we couldn’t match them for height or speed and it was going to be a struggle. The girls never gave up and kept trying and there was bursts of energy but we couldn’t get enough girls firing at the same time to make a dent in the score.
Our 2 development players Holly and Ellie came into the team and played amazing and did the jobs we set them extremely well. Holly had 5 very important defensive stops and Ellie had 6 points and setup a few more baskets.
We should have a fully fit squad when we get back from the break and looking forward to a 2nd half of the season resurgence.
Player of the game
Heidi Lucassen was outstanding today at both ends of the court. Her energy and Effort was amazing and we couldn’t have got any more out her, she left it all on the court. Each week she has been working hard at training and doing extra sessions which has shown her development on a personal level but also for the team aspects. We know Heidi is going to continue to work hard and grow as a player.
U16 Boys Black (Brad Dowd)
Won against Joondalup Wolves (92 – 80)
Coaches notes
What a game! An amazing effort from EVERYONE. Everything we have been working on all season finally came together in this game. Our offence was good and our defence was great. We were challenged a couple of times, but the team rallied together, stuck to the plan and got the job done.
Leslie was more composed than ever, Justin adjusted to the challenges well and Shane had his strongest game so far.
Player of the game
Jarron Atterton wins player of the round after a gutsy performance finishing with 19 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals
U16 Boys Orange (Rob Rees)
Loss against Perry Lakes Hawks (77 – 85)
Coaches notes
2nd quarter come back was fantastic
Player of the game
Kobe Seubert put in a great effort all and really led the team well
U16 Boys White (Jordon Macpherson)
Won against Mandurah Magic (82 – 60)
Coaches notes
Wow! What a game.
I am pleased with the performance of the whole team, with everyone contributing in there own way.
We leaned heavily on our bench this week having a few out with injury, illness and holidays. Boy did they deliver!
AJ who has never played WABL before is developing at a great pace and was able to showcase what he has learned in this weeks game putting up 24pts and 15 rebounds.
Shout out also to Logan Haines who seized his opportunity to compete this week and got several defensive stops for us. Well done mate, all the hard work at training as a DP has paid off.
Our defence in the first half was exceptional which allowed us to pull out to a 20pt lead in the first quarter. From there we maintained a comfortable lead for the remainder of the game.
Player of the game
This weeks player of the week award goes to Ryan Eva. Ryan has been working hard to find his place within the squad. I appreciate it has not been easy however every week Ryan shows up with positivity and encouragement for his team mates. This week Ryan stepped up and was looking like the aggressive, fearless player I know him to be. I love that Ryan played as hard on the defensive end as the offensive. My highlight was the 3pt shot you hit in the last quarter and the big smile you gave the crowd! Well done mate keep building on this one.
U16 Boys Blue (Luke Poyner)
Loss against Joondalup Wolves (68 – 70)
Coaches notes
This weeks game saw the boys step up yet again with another fantastic performance. We all stepped up as a team to play one of our best games yet despite our roster still decimated with only 7 players available. We came into the game prepared and expecting it to be a tough and physical game and rose to the challenge.
We had a slow start to the game seeing us down by 9 at quarter time, but we found our rythm early in the second quarter and proceeded to play some of the best basketball of our season. We had pulled the scores back level by midway through the third quarter, and exchanged baskets to 3 quarter time where we were trailing by 3.
The final quarter saw the Wolves push early to extend the lead out to a 10 point margin. But we did not give up and stepped up our game to bring the scores back to level. The boys showed they are maturing as a team with some great execution of plans after time outs, and keeping control of the game. An unfortunate deflection and quick transistion saw us 2 points down with less than a second on the clock and no time-outs left to call.
Despite the final score, the boys playing so well with only 7 and out scoring the wolves for each of the last 3 quarters of the game meant the the loss wasn’t at all disappointing, and only continues our run of improvements into the mid-season break.
A big shout out to the entire team with a massive effort in rebounding this week with us pulling down 71% of all rebounds for the game.
Player of the game
Jackson Nicolaou played with determination and hustle for the entire game. Jackson stepped up and lead the teams offensive and defensive efforts on the court with 22 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds.
U18 Girls Black (Travis Linaker)
Loss against Cockburn Cougars (60 – 103)
Coaches notes
Despite the score line, for me, this was our best game for the season and it was against the ladder leaders. The girls were together and focused and I have said since day 1 that I don’t mind losing if in the process we give our best effort, and today that was the case. I am still convinced that we can beat teams like this we just have to continue to build on the basics but to be fair I just want to focus on how great it was to see this team play as a team. Well done.
Player of the game
Mahalia Rukuata this week gets my vote for a stand out game. It should be noted that it was a tough choice for this game with Skye Thomas knocking down 21 points and playing her best defensive game for the year and all of the rest of the girls contributing in such a positive manner.
U18 Girls Orange (Ric Batista)
Loss against Mandurah Magic (35 – 72)
Coaches notes
Was a tough game with only 8 girls and 4 of them carrying illness. We tried hard but we’re very tired and Mandurah were able to outplay us in many facets. Amber Marsh was phenomenal again (i robbed her last week and said she had 16reb but in fact she had 24reb), hers and Sienna’s leadership were very commendable. Ella tried hard as per normal and defensively Kira was a different animal.
Player of the game
Kira-Lee Cresswell, had near on 10 interceptions, probably resulting in 5-6 steals and this week her offence prowess was on show too, it was nice to see her driving with purpose and taking shots in the rhythm of our offence. Great way to show growth Kira proud of you.
U18 Boys Black (Lachie Riley / Angus Hywood)
Loss against Cockburn Cougars (87 – 138)
U18 Boys Orange (Brad Coutts)
Loss against Warwick Senators (71 – 83)
Coaches notes
The final score didn’t show the full value of this game unfortunately. Down by 10 in the first quarter then up by 10 into the third quarter and 4 points down with 3 minutes to play. Was another great effort against the top side of the comp who were 9 – 1 coming into this game. Coming off a first round 24 point loss to lose by 12 was disappointing to lose however pleasing to be in the contest.
U18 Boys White (Rae D’Sylva)
Won against Willeton Tigers (90 – 77)
Coaches notes
Our defence had gotten better from week to week with the players having their best defensive game this week and playing as one unit on the offensive end
Player of the game
Tyson geraghty . This week Tyson was more aggressive on offence and had a big defensive game with a lot of blocked shots.
U18 Boys Blue (Tyron Neill)
Won against Lakeside Lightning (86 -70)
Coaches notes
Another great team effort by the boys heading into the mini break which saw them control the game from start to finish and never at any point looked vulnerable which led us to a comfortable win.
Player of the game
Team effort – Everyone contributed to this win with no real standouts, next game 2 awards will be up for grabs!
U20 Boys Black (Lochy Brown)
Loss against Perth Redbacks (91 – 100)
Coaches notes
What a great game of basketball. The effort and execution of our team was evident throughout the whole 40 minutes. All credit to the Redbacks who hit some difficult shots the entire game.
As the coach I should have made more adjustments through the course of the game. But my respect for my players has only grown as they showed grit and determination in a tough loss.
Player of the game
Levi Hawksworth – stepping into the starting lineup and delivering. Running the lanes, strong defender and strong finishes at the ring.
U20 Boys Orange (Cooper Lowe)
Loss against Perth Redbacks (69 – 73)