WABL Wrap Week 14 – 30/07/23
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:
Josh Mahama (U16 Boys) – Josh Mahama: Josh only scored 6 points, but had 1 assist, 8 steals, 3 blocks, 10 rebounds while only having 2 Turn overs. His defense really made a big difference.
Lily Taylor (U14 Girls) – Lily Taylor: Lily really shone this game and stepped up to the challenge. She did not shy away from the aggression or roughness of the game and never gave up. Lily fought all game long for steals, intercepts, deflections and rebounds. She was all over the court on offence and defence and also second top scored for our team. What was best to see was even when she lost the ball she went right to work and got it back. Her hunger and resilience were great and this was by far Lily’s best game.
U12 Girls Black (Lawrence West)
Loss against South West Slammers (29 – 36)
Coaches notes
A slow start allowed the Slammers to jump out to a 10-point lead by the end of the first quarter and we knew we were in for a grind of a game. We came out tough in the 2nd quarter with our defense starting to click back into place and managed to hold them scoreless for the entire period. We spaced well on offense and got great shots, unfortunately we just couldn’t get them to drop!
We held steady with them throughout the 3rd quarter, down 9 heading into the final quarter we knew we needed to make a big push. The next 7 minutes of basketball weren’t the prettiest minutes we have played, however as a group we did what needed to be done and with a minute left on the clock we were down by 1. Slammers at this point were rattled and had fallen back to half court defense, awaiting our next move.
A kick ahead pass and a quick rip & go saw us get a good look at a layup, but in a summary of what had been our experience all game it just missed the mark. We went strong to secure the rebound and put it back up…and it rimmed out. We managed to grab the ball again however so did they, resulting in a jump ball and our possession from the baseline.
Our baseline inbound worked perfectly and we were rewarded with an open layup right under the basket, that (you guessed it) sailed just over the basket and into the hands of the opposition. Slammers pushed the ball up the court and scored a quick layup, giving them the momentum and sealing our fate. 30 seconds of desperation saw some missed passes that allowed them to capitalise further, ending in a 7-point loss.
While re-living this was a little traumatic I am proud of the fight we put up to come so close in this one when it felt like nothing was going our way. The team we were at the start of this season simply couldn’t have done that. This highlights to me our development as a group, not only in basketball skills but also in resilience and sticking it out together. We can suffer through games like this one knowing it builds us as a team and makes us stronger together.
Player of the game
I’m going to cheat and pick 2 players this week.
Isobel Wood – When it comes to crunch time you want Bel on your team. She knew this was an important game for us to win and she rose to the challenge, playing some of her best basketball when we needed it most. After suffering a mid-game injury that would have had most of us calling it quits, Bel pushed through and her determination led the charge for our 4th quarter comeback that (almost) got us over the line. Thanks for everything you give to our team Bel!
Indianna Billett – While she doesn’t say much (something that the rest of the team could learn from!) its evident that Indi puts in the work. Her confidence is growing every week and she is having more of an impact on the court. This week I was particularly impressed by her aggressive play on both sides of the ball, cutting hard to the basket and getting physical for rebounds. Nice work Indi!
U12 Girls Orange (Lizzie Falconbridge)
Bye
U12 Girls White (Bruno Kongawoin)
Won against Mandurah Magic (73 – 5)
Coaches notes
I have been incredibly awestruck with our girls in this second half of the season. We’ve been setting small goals for each game and not only achieving but obliterating every single one of them.
Coming off a convincing away win over our division ladder leader Perth Readbacks Red last weekend, the running and pressure game we’ve implemented for the rest of the season saw us scoring the most points in a game in our division this season so far and having every player hit the scoresheet. This is what teamwork looks like and the girls are committed to continue putting in the hard work.
We recorded the least number of fouls as a team this week. As it’s been said “defense creates offense”. Indigo Anderson had been remarkably a monster defender. Her perpetual pressure on opposing point guards always creates havoc but most importantly the numerous offensive opportunities for her teammates to score. Awesome work Indigo.
Player of the game
Abby Duggan – after joining the team in the second half of the season and playing only a handful of games, Abby settled in very quickly and picked up what is required of her. She listened and executed as instructed and it showed in her performance.
U12 Boys Black (Lizzie Falconbridge)
Won against Perth Redbacks (55 – 31)
U12 Boys Orange (Tim Hart)
Loss against Rockingham Flames (39 – 72)
Coaches notes
A strong defensive effort in Q3 kept the Flames to 8 points in that quarter. The boys saw that their efforts in Q1 and Q3 reduced the opposition scoring rate. Unfortunately we had difficulty containing the Flames O-trans and rebound-close-put-backs in Q2 and Q4, they out-rebounded us 57-35 and had a higher steal count (38-20). Those areas of the game provided Flames with more possessions to score – and they did so with a higher shooting percentage.
Player of the game
Alex, for scoring 14 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 deflections, shooting 36% (4/11) from the field and 100% (6/6) from the foul line this week. Alex also had the equal-lowest number of turnovers (1) and lost balls (1) this game, well done Alex.
U12 Boys White (Patrick Massam)
Won against Mandurah Magic (60 – 34)
Coaches notes
This week we opened like a can of Pringles, and we were popping from the start with our biggest first half score of 37 – 11. It was good to see us get going early in a game for once.
We have some of the fastest legs in the business, and the whole team pushed our run & stun offence, being generated from good defence at the other end. All without picking up too many fouls which has also been a challenge for us.
With some good passing and pushing the ball up the floor, we managed to get the whole team on the scoreboard and not just relying on a few players to keep us in the game.
We had a little bit of a lapse in the third quarter allowing the Magic to outscore us 14 – 6. A bit of complacency started to creep in and the boys wriggled too deeply into the sofa of victory. Patrick was soon to reignite the flame and we led 17 – 9 in the fourth to take the win.
Tom, Ayman & Jack all played some really good minutes for us and showed some great composure around the basket to finish. And Austin, Chase and Lucas hustled and worked hard at the defensive end. Spence led the way in scoring with 15 supported by both Tom and Zac with 10.
Zac takes out our player of the game for bringing it at both ends, using his defense and rebounding and backing it up with good finishing at the hoop. Well done Zac enjoy the pizza of champions!
The boys will need to keep up that level of play and then some when we take on top of the ladder Rockingham Flames at home on Sunday.
Player of the game
Zac takes out our player of the game for bringing it at both ends, using his defense and rebounding and backing it up with good finishing at the hoop.
U12 Boys Blue (Dave Yan)
Loss against Cockburn Cougars (35 – 45)
Coaches notes
We started off strong again leading after the first qrt, even though our starting rotation for the 1st qrt didn’t perform to their best it was still a great sign that we had a 5 point lead into the second qrt.
Unfortunately we have had a drop in scoring 2 weeks in a row now from the 2nd qrt. Something which we will address come training this week.
A positive out of this game is the urgency of Josh Butler, his growth this season has been steady and we got to see him slowly getting more physical grabbing rebounds.
With the game out of reach down 16 it was a good opportunity to run through playing the time and free throw game to try and get back and we did get it back to a 10 point deficit. An experience which may come to fruition later down the track.
We will chalk this game down to missing shots, lack of intensity at times. Better now to have one of these then in the finals.
Player of the game
Josh Butler, in a game where physicality lacked in rebounding, Josh really put his body on the line and went in hard and tried his best for the team.
U14 Girls Black (Andrew Herbert)
Loss against East Perth Eagles (34 – 69)
Coaches notes
Another tough loss on the road this week. The ladies continued to battle throughout the game. We were on the back foot early but ending with only 4 players in the 4th quarter didn’t help. It really showed we need to be more disciplined in defence to make sure we are all available though out the entire 4th quarter.
Back to work we go!
Player of the game
This week player of the round goes to Izabelle Biggs for battling hard and Izzy definitely put her body on the line. We missed having Izzy on court for the second half and wish you a speedy recovery and hope to see you back in action soon!
U14 Girls Orange (Adam Brickwood)
Loss against Perry Lakes Hawkes (35 – 45)
Coaches notes
Playing against one of the top teams in the competition we knew we would have to play a disciplined game to compete.
We got off to a great start in this game and were switched on from the tip. We were able to slow their transition and led by Matilda in the middle, compete hard on the boards against a much taller side.
Offensively we were able to make the necessary adjustments to shooting over the tall timber with Taylor (11 points) getting her outside shooting going helped us to be within a point at halftime.
We started strong in the second half as Benwech was able to get to the line and convert for us but as foul trouble and fatigue set in we faded away late to just fall short.
This game highlighted our improvement… A 34 point loss in game one to a 10 point loss in our second meeting shows we are heading in the right direction.
Player of the game
Each week I’m finding this tough to choose as all our team is now playing their roles which is such a great problem to have. This week I’ve chosen Neve Spry, each week she quietly goes about her business, always reliable and does all the little things in order for our team to compete. Very much appreciated by both coaches and teammates alike!
U14 Girls White (Daniel Heyman)
Loss against Lakeside Lightning (34 – 47)
Coaches notes
After a lack-luster performance last week, the girls came into this game with energy and a sense of purpose. The opposition jumped us early and made shots from outside, including four 3s. Our defensive structure and pressure was effective at causing them to take difficult midrange shots. To Lakeside’s credit, they converted from distance. We didn’t.
That was the way the game went. We had opportunity and executed well in our offense but couldn’t penetrate the clingwrap over the ring. We only scored 6 points by the end of the half. 6 point halves won’t win us games. Despite our lowest scoring half to date, we’d actually played well.
In the second half, the girls broke though. They started playing for each other with the pass and the shots were falling. It required a more aggressive mindset of attacking the defense to make opportunities. We tied the scoring in the second half but couldn’t make the stops to get back. Ultimately, when the other team is hot, they’re hot.
Notable performances came from Ella Michalczuk, who was handy with her deep seals in the paint, and from the relentless rim attack of Jaeda Aliphon. It was great to welcome back Anika Heyman, who’d missed several weeks with injury. Her impactful presence was felt at both ends.
Player of the game
Gabriella McCullaugh. Gabbi was exceptional from the jump. She was given the task of being aggressive offensively, and responded by making a concerted effort to attack the paint, resulting in being our top scorer. Her on-ball defence was textbook, consistently beating opponents to the spot, wreaking havoc on their attempts to advance the ball. Outstanding game Gabbi!
U14 Girls Blue (Tamara Reeves)
Loss against Warwick Senators (17 – 49)
Coaches notes
It was a hard fought game with the Senators being a rough and aggressive team. We missed some unlucky shots, but overall we were taking the right shots, driving in at the right time and passing around as a team. I said during the game I don’t care if you lose the ball, but I care about how much you fight to try and get it back, and that was the mindset that the girls used for the game. We were also implementing the use of screens more often which is great to see. Even with the score the girls kept a positive attitude, stuck together, were there for each other and never gave up.
Player of the game
Lily Taylor- Lily really shone this game and stepped up to the challenge. She did not shy away from the aggression or roughness of the game and never gave up. Lily fought all game long for steals, intercepts, deflections and rebounds. She was all over the court on offence and defence and also second top scored for our team. What was best to see was even when she lost the ball she went right to work and got it back. Her hunger and resilience were great and this was by far Lily’s best game.
U14 Boys Black (Shannon Trew)
Won against Perry Lakes Hawkes (58 – 54)
Coaches notes
Starting fast and jumping Perry Lakes early was our target in the 1st qtr and we did it well putting alot of pressure on the ball and finished 8 pts ahead in the first quarter.
Perry Lakes came out firing in the 2nd qtr and we struggled to keep up with their ball movement and they reduced our lead to 3 pts at half time.
The 2nd half was a tussle and both teams fought hard to take control and in the end we held our nerves and the lead and got the win.
It was another game where the leaders and voice came from the coaches, we need to have the leaders on the court adjusting the game situations and understanding what is needed and that will be the boys challenge on Thursday at training and Sunday at the game.
Player of the game
Special mentions to Toby and Josh for an outstanding effort in defence which made a huge difference in the end.
U14 Boys Orange (Adrian Mok)
Loss against Cockburn Cougars (41 – 45)
U14 Boys White (Joel Warner)
Loss against Joondalup Wolves (48 – 60)
Coaches notes
We’ve played the best three Teams in our division three weeks in a row and come up a little short. I think perhaps this was the best of the top three Teams, they were certainly the most organised. Joondalup are always a professional outfit, and they were well coached, so from that perspective the more games like this we have, the better we will develop. Some of their offensive schemes were identical to ours, so we had counters ready for everything we saw, however they finished at the hoop better than we did. We didn’t score on our chances and our jump shots just missed this week. Sometimes that happens and if we continue to shoot the right shots, I’m pretty happy. We were able to win the first quarter and were all tied up at half time. We did lose the second half, but got within four points in the fourth quarter, one of our better fightbacks. Joondalup had a very balanced scoring spread and we planned to limit their (usually) productive scorers, which was effective. That was a real positive this week. Further, during this game there were times when we needed to show our grit and toughness and the way we did that is something to celebrate. In a very physical game, we kept bouncing back up, which is an improvement on how we’ve handled ourselves in other games. The improvement the boys showed when responding to pressure (and when physically challenged) is something that Coach James and I also acknowledge. One of the parents suggested that the statistics probably didn’t reflect the effort the boys put in, and I agree with that. I don’t think the score was reflective of how tight the game was either. It just blew out a little in the end.
Player of the game
This week’s player of the round goes to Asten. This week, Asten got a bag of rebounds and played as close to the game plan as he has all year. With the exception of a couple of shots that were a little bit out of our system (and also very forgivable), he had a really good Team-focussed game. Positionally he was very good on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court and on Sunday he gave us a great running boost against a quick Joondalup Team. Asten was highly effective defensively and was a big part of limiting their second chance points. Credit also goes to Peter for again leading our Team in points and rebounds. We will keep working on ways to help Peter out. Asten winning player of the round this week reflects his improvement as a multi-position ‘big’ and Coach James and I recognize his improvement in understanding Team defence, low and high post defensive rotations and playing unselfish basketball. Asten is also showing that he can manage miss-matches, which he gets virtually every week. I’m really pleased for Asten this week, particularly as only a portion of his contribution is captured in the stats. Well done Asten.
U14 Boys Blue (Hayden Bird)
Won against Cockburn Cougars (73 – 39)
Coaches notes
This weeks game shows that when the boys play team orientated basketball we really take the game and run with it.
The best highlight of this weeks game is the boys getting around each other on the bench, chanting and cheering their team-mates on. Intensity was there from start to finish! The boys worked hard for a well deserved win!
Player of the game
Cooper Bowman: Cooper has come a tremendously long way from the start of the season. He is starting to play with a lot more confidence and believing more in himself. He’s a tough guard to play against with solid traditional defence, alongside with a pass first attitude Cooper is a great teammate. Great job Coops and well deserved!
U16 Girls Black (Charlie Smart)
Loss against East Perth Eagles (43 – 66)
U16 Girls Orange (Shannon Trew)
Won against Mandurah Magic (70 – 48)
Coaches notes
Despite starting slow and taking our time to get into the game we finished the first qtr ahead by 8 points- Defensive pressure was low and we didn’t get our normal easy transition points so we had to work hard on our half court Offence.
2nd qtr was much better in the defensive department and we kept Mandurah to 8 points for the qtr while we scored 15 to increase our lead and take full control of the game.
3rd qtr was more even with different rotation patterns used to bring some players into the match and trial some different offence styles with alot more open shots taken. Unfortunately we didn’t get the rebounds we needed so there was no 2nd or 3rd efforts which is a concern but an easy fix at training.
4th qtr saw some girls get into foul trouble or fouled out so we had to settle down and play smarter in defence and dictate m=Mandurah’s offence without being highly aggressive. Some great shot options and passes helped us increase the lead slowly and we finished with lots of smiles.
Player of the game
Charlie Osenton was again outstanding in defence and offence putting pressure on Mandurah at both ends of the court and got her team mates into the game in transition passes from her steals and interceptions. She never stopped the energy and effort for the 4 qtrs which included when sitting on the bench.
U16 Boys Black (Brad Dowd)
Won against Mandurah Magic (90 – 66)
U16 Boys Orange (Rob Rees)
Won against Eastern Suns (83 – 52)
Coaches notes
We managed to win and get some good court time in for all players, our defense was the highlight,
and our overall stats were up from the week before.
Player of the game
Josh Mahama only scored 6 points, but had 1 assist, 8 steals, 3 blocks, 10 rebounds while only having 2 Turn overs, his defense really made a big difference.
U16 Boys White (Jordon Macpherson)
Won against Perth Redbacks (96 – 50)
Coaches notes
A solid win this week.
We maintained control throughout the game. Our defensive pressure is in the upper echelon of this division.
At times we rushed our half court offence. However, our transition offence game was back in full swing.
This week was an opportunity for our to bench to have significant minutes and to show me what they have learned. I was impressed. Communication, positioning, and execution were all on point!
Player of the game
This weeks player of game was earned by Keelan Stanmore. Keelan has been building more confidence around all aspects of his game. Keelan surprised me at training and in game this week with his level of communication to his team mates. Keelan had several help side stops this week coming to his team mates aid with quick reaction time. Displaying a strong understanding of what we as a group are trying to do defensively. Way to be a leader Keelan! Keep shooting.
U16 Boys Blue (Luke Poyner)
Loss against Eastern Suns (52 – 83)
U18 Girls Black (Travis Linaker)
Loss against Joondalup Wolves (50 – 101)
Coaches notes
Another tough game it was good to see the girls come back together in the last part of the game as a team.
Player of the game
Grace O’Meara Smith takes the award as her consistency, work and desire to improve her game and her team work is really starting to show
U18 Girls Orange (Ric Batista)
Won against Joondalup Wolves (51 – 44)
Coaches notes
Great all around game with contributions really even across the board. Sienna was wonderful with her catch and shoot game on song, she started a 3 point revolution for our team which really got us going. Amber played out most of the game as our only big and was super solid on the boards and was a big part of us stamping our authority with huge buckets in the middle of the zone. Louise rejoined us from injury this week and hit 2 massive 3’s back to back which pretty much broke the game wide open. Everyone else had solid games hitting shots and playing magnificent defence along the way. A real team game.
Player of the game
Sienna Vivian again played a wonderful leaders game, after a little “pep” talk from coach in the second quarter, Sienna was instrumental in hassling full court and took it on herself to find important buckets for the team. This leadership really sparked the rest of the teams belief. I’m so proud of the young leader Sienna has grown into this season, well done mate.
U18 Boys Black (Lachie Riley / Angus Hywood)
Loss against Joondalup Wolves (71 – 103)
U18 Boys Orange (Brad Coutts)
Loss against Perth Redbacks (92 – 126)
Coaches notes
Not a lot of positives however did keep fighting and won the last quarter.
Player of the game
Ryan Tafira – After getting early fouls and being on 4 fouls by half time managed to play out the game and hit the scoreboard with 27 points
U18 Boys White (Rae D’Sylva)
Loss against Eastern Suns (76 – 83)
U18 Boys Blue (Tyron Neill)
Won against Eastern Suns (83 -76)
U20 Boys Black (Lochy Brown)
Loss against Hills Raiders (84 – 95)
Coaches notes
All credit to a Hills Raiders team who came ready to play and fought all the way until the final whistle.
For us the consistency hurt us, whether that was defensively, passing efficiency and intensity finishing at the ring.
Not our best performance but on to the last few games of the season.
Player of the game
Ryan Coutts- once again Ryan put the pressure on Raiders on the scoreboard and offensive rebounding.
U20 Boys Orange (Cooper Lowe)
Won against Joondalup Wolves (84 – 79)
Coaches notes
It was a great team win, with the boys putting in a near on 4 quarter performance to secure a much needed win on the road. We just have to be more disciplined when we have a lead, and lot let a small pitch of the game un do a lot of good work we did.
Player of the game
This could have gone to a couple of players, but this week it goes to Leon. His ability to slow the game down and play at his pace, and get team mates involved but also finding a way to score himself, is impressive and easy to coach. He’s also been super important in our defence the last couple of weeks, and this game was no exception. Congrats Leon!