WABL Wrap Week 12 – 17/7/22
Round 12 – Now that we are getting to the pointy end of the season our teams are turning their attention towards finals. Every game matters and its enjoyable to watch the intensity rise – Fire Up Suns!
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:
Mathew Canny (U20 Men) – This week the player of the game has gone to a someone, who after a tough start to the season, brought a changed mental approach to this weeks game and showed a massive step forward in his understanding of the role he is being asked to play. Congratulations Mathew Canny and we look forward to you bringing this each and every week for the rest of the season
Milla Tasovac (U16 Girls) – Milla showed great leadership and strength throughout the entire game, rebounding and intercepting the ball during Redbacks offensive attacks. Her stand out this week was her mature composure when setting the tempo of the game. Milla knew when to drive, which shots to take and when to slow the game offensively, she assisted her team mates throughout and executed everything that was asked of her from the bench. Milla’s confidence in her own abilities is starting to grow which is positively impacting the whole team
U12 GIRLS (LAWRENCE WEST)
Loss against Rockingham Flames (31 – 32)
COACHES NOTES
This week was a heartbreaker! Playing against a tough Rockingham squad we knew we had to come out firing from
the start. After a shaky first few minutes of play we settled and found a good rhythm. We managed to build an 8-point lead by the half.
After halftime it felt like nothing was going our way, a few miscommunications and unforced turnovers costing us big time with Rockingham doing a great job of taking advantage every time we slipped up. Our resilience was tested this week; however we will be stronger for it as a team moving forward.
The top 4 teams in our division are all so close so I’m excited for some more tough battles in the coming rounds. We need to keep our composure in these high-pressure situations if we want to achieve our goals this season, and we absolutely welcome the challenge. Bring on the next one!
PLAYER OF THE GAME
This week was a tale of 2 halves, so we are going to split the player of the game aswell.
Yasmin Rammal – Yas got off to a great start, playing one of the best games of basketball I have seen from this young superstar. Unfortunately, some truly rough luck saw her in foul trouble early and a more limited role in the 2nd half. In true Yas spirit she took it on the chin and managed her play style for the remainder of the game.
Another young lady that took a step forward this week is Chloe Ranschaert. When things got tough Chloe got more determined, her work on defense this week was fantastic and several times she made the extra effort to get herself into a great position to pressure the ball. It’s great to see Chloe’s confidence grow every week, she is certain to have a bright future ahead if she keeps putting in the hard work.
Well done girls!
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Even though we struggled this week, it certainly wasn’t from a lack of effort. The entire group gave everything they had, grinding out a very tough game. We can hold our heads high in the knowledge that we fought to the final second!
U12 BOYS (LIZZIE FALCONBRIDGE)
Won against Southwest Slammers (42 – 28)
COACHES NOTES
Our team defence is improving week by week as the boys are starting to trust each other more but we still have lapses during the game. We need to focus for the whole game to ensure we can close out games efficiently especially leading up to the end of the season.
Offensively we had great moments of ball movement which created easy shots for everyone but at times still very stagnant.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Alijah Acabado – Had his best game of the season, stepping up especially on the defensive end. Smallest boy on the team but always plays with a big heart and never gives up.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Elisha Dixon – His hard work at training is paying off on game day. Getting better every week since returning from a broken thumb earlier in the season, so good to see Smiles back to himself. Keep up the great work!!
U12 BOYS (JOEL WARNER)
Loss against Rockingham Flames (50 – 55)
COACHES NOTES
This week we played three of the best quarters that we have put together all season. We found ourselves behind in the first quarter and with some simple structure adjustments, found a way to get back into the game. We trailed at quarter time and again at half time but we were competing. Overall, for three quarters we executed well offensively, structured well defensively, and transitioned very well with the ball. What is particularly encouraging was the response that the boys made to in-game adjustments. Everything we practiced on Thursday evening was implemented in the game, so there are a lot of positives to be found. Our third quarter was outstanding and we took a lead into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, we didn’t close the game out well and we ultimately fell away. There were late game injuries which didn’t help; however, we need to continue to battle until the end and find the resilience to close out games. Our lapses this week were largely mental, and against good teams, like our fourth placed opposition this week, we can’t afford those lapses. We are a developing team who’ve come a really-long way this season, now it’s important that we learn to win the close games.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
This week’s player of the week was Phoenix. Phoenix makes an incredible difference to our team. He’s our most experienced player, and it shows as he is very versatile. On Sunday, Phoenix showed that he can play three positions and he did everything that was asked of him. I am pleased that Phoenix plays for our team because he’s a challenging player to defend against. Well done Phoenix, a thoroughly deserved player of the week.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
On Thursday the players who practiced were outstanding. As a result, those players were again rewarded on game day. It is great to again see Reed and Adam in the starting five. Those boys deserve those starting opportunities, and it is a pleasure to coach players who put in hard work each week. Adam is proving to be a reliable rebounder and Reed brings energy to each possession. From a coaching perspective our third quarter was great as we held our opposition to just one point, with our three trapping structures proving effective again. I would encourage the boys to continue to follow game-day instructions and be disciplined enough to stick to our style when we feel pressure. We will work on that on Thursday, and I will always encourage the players to be courageous enough to make mistakes within the systems. If we lose games because of our structures, so be it. However, I would like these boys to see for themselves that “systems beat superstars”. We might not have the most overall talent, but if we play the right way, we can compete with the best teams.
U12 BOYS (TIM HART)
Loss against Southwest Slammers (39 – 50)
COACHES NOTES
The boys played well without Callum, Angus, Aussie and Dante. Thankfully two development players were able to step in (Spencer and Austin). It was pleasing to see improvement in our head-up, in-front passing during offensive transition and in our set offense this week. Sebastian delivered some great passes up the court, as well as inside to cutters. The ball was placed in-front for his team mates to run onto for a lay-up. If the team made more of the lay-ups, Sebastian would have had 10+ assists this week. Sebastian showed improved free throw shooting, his best performance this season, with 5 from 10 for 50%. We showed more patience in our set offense, with a good number of passes made into cutters, and waiting for driving lanes to open up. Declan and Preston played the best games they have played this season. Declan showed a strong defensive effort in Q1, walling up and pressuring the ball when it came close to the key way, he pulled down a few defensive boards and was effective in making a safe outlet pass. Where adjustments needed to be made in Q4, Declan listened and adapted his play style to suit. Preston worked hard denying passes to his player, and in the process made some deflections and intercepts. Preston looked for cutters and picked up a few assists by anticipating where the cutter needed to receive the ball. Ram continued to box out and help us rebound the ball (5 rebounds – top this week), as well as wall-up when defending in the key way. Christian provided assistance on the defensive end, walling up to make it difficult for the opposition to get a clear shot, there were also a few loose balls which Christian fought for.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Close one this week, stand-out performances from Sebastian, Declan, Preston, and Mathew. Mathew Berkout just nabs it this week, for his on-ball pressure defense, 5 assists, and > 57% shooting (8 from 14). Mathew showed he could wait for a path to open up before driving, and if a drive wasn’t on, he could complete an effective pass/cut. His patience also allowed him to see and provide scoring opportunities for team mates.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Austin with his first bucket, a back-cut lay-up with the pass coming from Mathew. A sequence of bad passes from the team, and slow defensive transition in Q2 lost us the game. Despite Q2, we had the tempo for much of the game and were able to claw back 8 points in Q3.
U14 GIRLS (ANDREW HERBERT)
Loss against Southwest Slammers (35 – 59)
COACHES NOTES
A tough loss this week coming out of the holiday break. The girls didn’t give up which was great to see. This week execution of our regulars will a key focus as we prepare for to bounce back this Sunday on the road.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
POTR this week goes to Asha Windsor for doing well playing against a high tempo team getting back in defence and getting up the floor in offence. Asha showed more aggression attacking the basket which was great to see.
U14 GIRLS (JEMMA & JAYMEE)
Won against Hills Raiders (32 – 26)
U14 BOYS (ROB REES)
Won against Joondalup Wolves (59 – 46)
COACHES NOTES
We played game both defensively and offensively
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Julian Richardson played a very good all round game both offensively and defensively, his defense on his opposing player allowed others to benefit by causing turnovers and limiting the offensive of the opposition.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Several other players also had a very good game both defensively and offensively, a much improved team from the previous game.
U14 BOYS (THOR AMUNDSEN)
Loss against Warwick Senators (41 – 61)
COACHES NOTES
We put plenty of pressure on a much bigger and versatile opposition but inefficient shooting and a rebounding deficit handed them the win.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Roman Dowd was efficient from the FT line and was back in the thick of things.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Our forward pack in Taj (8pts, 3reb), Jaxon (11pts, 4reb) and Odin (10pts, 5ast, 6reb) all presented well against big bodied opposition. Hayden Parker on limited minutes also added to the scoreboard, posting 2 important buckets and a triple.
U14 BOYS (LUKE POYNER)
Won against Perth Redbacks (61 – 48)
COACHES NOTES
A solid performance from the boys today against Redbacks. We came out with some good hustle and controlled most of the rebounds. A strong start saw us gain a 11 point lead at the first break, that we maintained and extended despite a strong pushback by the Redbacks. The teamwork and passing exhibited by the boys has hugely improved since the start of the season, and this is reflected with the points contribution spread across so many players in the last few games.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Alfie Peacock – Played a strong game inside with some fantastic posting up down low. Equal top scored for the team with 13 points.
U14 BOYS (SHANNON TREW)
Won against Rockingham Flames (68 – 58)
COACHES NOTES
A game of two halves where we struggled to get defensive stops and rebounds in the first half, followed by a recommitment to defence in the second that led to a 12-2 run to close the game and a hard-fought 10 point win. Defensive intensity, improved help defence, and pack rebounding against a bigger team were the keys to the game in the end. Amazing to see the team rise to the occasion and get back on the winner’s sheet after a few recent narrow losses.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Oliver James – Ollie had his second 24 point game in a row but this week’s Player of the Game Award is for his work on the defensive end of the floor. In the first half when Rockingham were hurting us with their offensive rebounding, Ollie set an example for his team, boxing out hard and contesting every board with two strong hands. If not for his effort, we would not have remained within striking distance to mount our comeback in the second half.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Captain Jack Craven chipped in 18 much-needed points, set up plenty more, and was a vocal leader on the court. Aiden Avila shared defensive duties with Ollie on the Flames’ best player and was relentless with his effort, on the defensive box-out and chasing offensive boards. Tom Wakeman set the tone early with his hustle and aggression on both ends of the floor, while Tanzeke Edgar demonstrated his usual high energy and selflessness at the point.
U16 GIRLS (MATT HARDING)
Won against Lakeside Lightning (73 – 37)
COACHES NOTES
Once again all our Suns girls hit the score sheet.
Another Great positive was Isla-Rose Gray was promoted from top 14s into the top 16s team and she was very solid throughout the game, this young lady has a very bright future in basketball and with hard work selections for state reps is definitely a strong possibility over the next few years. Well done Isla and keep pushing yourself.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Kiralee Cresswell, this young lady every week gives 110% Kiralee is consistently one of the strongest defensive players in this division, she is very liked within her team mates and is the first to dive on a loose ball every week. We’ll done Kiralee
U16 GIRLS (CHARLIE SMART)
Won against Perth Redbacks (51 – 46)
COACHES NOTES
Important win for the U16 girls as they faced equal ladder position Perth Redbacks in a battle to secure 5th spot on the ladder to stay in touch with a finals position. Starting strongly, showing they had a point to prove as last time they met they lost by a single point in the dying seconds. The girls are improving solidly every week and during the game proved their ability to read the mid court play and intercept the ball or force turnovers to create their favourite offence of fast transition was fiercely dominant.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Mila – Mila showed great leadership and strength throughout the entire game, rebounding and intercepting the ball during Redbacks offensive attacks. Her stand out this week was her mature composure when setting the tempo of the game. Mila knew when to drive, which shots to take and when to slow the game offensively, she assisted her team mates throughout and executed everything that was asked of her from the bench. Mila’s confidence in her own abilities is starting to grow which is positively impacting the whole team.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Superb full team effort once again. These girls camaraderie and support of each other is faultless.
U16 BOYS (BAILEY FERGUSON)
Won against Rockingham Flames (75 – 67)
U16 BOYS (LACHIE RILEY)
Loss against Southwest Slammers (83 – 105)
COACHES NOTES
The first time we played Slammers we lost by 64 points, so obviously losing by only 22 is a major improvement. We trialled a new defence during this game (Lock Left) and it worked really well interrupting Slammers game plan and forcing them left. Offence wise, we had our highest score for the season and we also scored the most out of any team in the division against the Slammers.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Jarron Atterton played well, taking on all the roles we asked of him.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
This game saw a massive effort from everyone and we went from aiming to “do better than the last time we played them” at the start of the game, to “we can win this” after the 1st quarter. Everyone really stepped up when we had 1 player injured and 2 in foul trouble and we had a big push in the 3rd to be only down by 15. This young team is continually improving as planned and will be a serious contender next year.
U16 BOYS (RAE D’SYLVA)
Loss against Rockingham Flames (64 – 87)
COACHES NOTES
We are moving the ball better and a lot of the boys are getting better with keeping their head up when going up the court.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Chase gallager he played more physical and rebounded really well .
U16 BOYS (TYRON NEILL)
Won against Rockingham Flames (81 – 60)
COACHES NOTES
All the boys showed up to play with a winning mentality, they all knew it was a must win game and the way they played definitely reflected that. Right from the outset everyone knew the role whether it be defensively or in offense and went about securing a comfortable 21 point win. After a 4 game losing streak it was great to see the boy’s get back to their dynamite brand of basketball in fast break transition and more importantly breaking down one of the best zone defense team’s in the division and scored consistently and at will.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Jesse Smith – This was probably the hardest week for player of the round as we had 2 guards that run amok, one in the first half in Isaiah and Tyler in the second half and then there was Jesse with a great all round performance. It was awesome to see Jesse with a positive attitude towards the game which saw him pull down a lot of rebounds at both ends of the court, was pivotal when using our 3-2 motion offense to break the opposition zone defense, got himself a few points, steals and even putting on a great block against the opposition centre which looked to be a definite score until Jesse was all over the ball on his release. Great all round effort Jesse, I’m looking forward to see you continue working and adding to our big man stock’s.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
As mentioned above it was a highlight reel watching Isaiah Gray in the 1st half (22 points) and Tyler Egan in the 2nd half (24 points) light up the court in offense in scoring and assists.
The team as a whole were impressive from start to finish and everyone in the team displayed multiple highlights throughout the game individually which led to a solid all round team performance which was great to see.
U18 GIRLS (DYSON LOWE)
Won against Lakeside Lightning (77 – 73)
COACHES NOTES
Not our best game as a team, had 5 people in foul trouble at halftime. Did a lot of the right things just couldn’t make baskets. When we are on we are one of the best teams, when we are off we are off, once we figure out how to be more consistent the girls will be fine.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Mahalia had a great game with a team high 21 points. She had an amazing defensive effort rebounding and being a menace. Her presence off the court is unmatched.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Was awesome to get a win for one of our girls 150th game. Fire up Abby congrats.
U18 BOYS (COOPER LOWE)
Loss against Lakeside Lightning (95 – 113)
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Hudson Lowe was the MVP for the game, set the tempo on both ends of the floor and kept us within striking distance down the stretch with some big plays.
U18 BOYS (ANGUS HYWOOD)
Loss against Southwest Slammers (79 – 81)
COACHES NOTES
Sundays game against Southwest Slammers was a show of great basketball for our boys.
The Slammers managed to get a W against us earlier this season with only 6 players making that road trip, we wanted this one back!
We started the first quarter on fire pushing an 11-2 run to open things up, the boys were fired up and prepared for this game. Slammers bounced back with fast transitions to pull it back 18-21 at the quarter. The second was where we were challenged most, our defensive pressure slipped a little giving the Slammers a 16-28 quarter to lead at the half.
Half time we readjusted, made some new focus points for our game & went on to play our style of basketball in the 3rd & 4th quarters. Outscoring them 45-32 in the last half goes to show we start & finish strong but a 4 quarter effort is what is essential to team success.
Although a loss this team has grown so much and success is around the corner.
A solid end to this season can see us still make playoffs, playoff runs to a championship can be all about timing!
This team has got what it takes.
Onwards and upwards
Fire up Suns!
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Joseph Lo Biundo- Joseph is a born leader & incredible basketball player! Joseph went into this game honouring a loss within his family more determined than ever. Joseph lead from the front all game knocking down big shots, playing strong defence and vocally leading the team towards the W.
U18 BOYS (HAYDEN BIRD)
Loss against Cockburn Cougars (53 – 61)
COACHES NOTES
Even with a slow start the boys really stepped up the start of the third. Second half we really flourished and work together as a team with a main emphasis on communication which helped us cut down their original lead of 18pt down to 4pt at one point in the 4th.
Energy was high and even though we had the loss the boys celebrated like a win with great sportsmanship and better team connections which is amazing to see each game as it keeps improving.
The boys played amazing defence as well that the other coach even complimented and had said they played well and it made it very difficult for the opposition to create and make their own shots.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Dominic Puno, started the game off 5-0 run against Cockburn really setting the tone for himself and his team. Dominic stuck to his position on defence which helped shit down the other team, causing turnovers, forcing the steal and grabbing boards off the miss. Dominic really put in his all to get the best production done on the court.
U18 BOYS (RICK BATISTA)
Loss against East Perth Eagles (85 – 89)
COACHES NOTES
The boys went down by as many as 15 early in the second period but we managed to stick with it and fight our way back in to the game having a 4 point lead with 2 mins to go. Unfortunately 7-8 missed free throws sealed our fate and we were not able to cling on. This was the first team that was very smartly drilled against our trap and we had to adjust on the fly and we did that quite well.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Adam Charlton, played his role really well we asked him to play a hybrid role as a small this week and he was able to adapt to it well
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
We played a heavy guard and small man rotation this week, so hats off to the bigs who had to watch a lot of the game from the pine and didn’t complain, they cheered the boys on with every shot and were consummate professionals in what was a tough situation
U20 BOYS (DAN VLAHOV)
Won against Rockingham Flames (106 – 56)
COACHES NOTES
This was the game that was going to decide our path to the finals, if we lost this one it would have put us on a tough road and none of us wanted that.
The team responded, and for the first time this year we hit the first break 16 points up. Rockingham stepped it up in the second quarter but we managed to hold them off and after half time we pushed on and, although we didn’t hot our defensive goal of holding Rockingham to 50 points, we kept the offensive pressure up and showed that we are capable of playing four quarters .
Solid contributions from all players this week saw many of the team actioning the things that the coaching staff have been talking to them about all season leading to strong defensive effort and good points spread throughout the group making the player of the game a tough decision.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
This week the player of the game has gone to a someone, who after a tough start to the season, brought a changed mental approach to this weeks game and showed a massive step forward in his understanding of the role he is being asked to play. Congratulations Mathew Canny and we look forward to you bringing this each and every week for the rest of the season
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
The team was challenged to play “hustle basketball” at our team meeting prior to this game and they responded with effort, determination and communication taking a positive step towards the level required to beat the top 4 teams in this division and ensure they make a genuine claim on the ultimate prize.
In the after game wrap up the team was reminded to not be satisfied with todays result and to use it a base to build on and continue to work to bring even more effort for the run to the finals as we are yet to beat any of this seasons genuine grand final contenders.