WABL Wrap Week 2 – 30/4/23
Round 2
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:
Raymond Tafira (U14 Boys) – Raymond brought the energy early and when he was on the court we were firing! Grabbing rebounds, outlet passing, finding windows, jumping at any loose ball and put his body on the line for his team mates.
Sienna Vivian (U18 Girls) – This week Sienna’s scoring and ball handling were really important leading the girls in scoring and providing much needed leadership
U12 Girls Black (Lawrence West)
Loss against Cockburn Cougars (30 – 52)
Coaches notes
Today we played a very well put together Cougars team, however our improvement over last week was fantastic! While they got away from us in the first half we drew Q3 and only lost Q4 by 3 points.
Our half court defense in stretches was the best I have seen from our group and our overall intensity was much improved. We are still adjusting to the physicality of this division and rebounding will continue to be our focus, but we are certainly heading in the right direction.
Shot selection was very good this game and our team stats are up across the board.
Player of the game
Yasmin Rammal – Rebounding was a big focus this week at training, and not only did Yas lead our team in rebounds she also finished the day with 3 blocks, and hit her first 3 pointer of the season. Nice work superstar!!
U12 Girls Orange (Lizzie Falconbridge)
Won against Eastern Suns (27 – 22)
Coaches notes
We won the game from the first half this week and held our lead. The girls had good energy and put up some great shots.
Our aggression & defense were excellent and the girls were continually pushing up hard and getting the ball. They were fighters to the end and gave 100% the whole game.
Player of the game
Eloise Sprogowski – Eloise was starting 5 this week. She has a good head on her and works hard at home and at training. This is her first year of basketball and 3 months ago couldn’t get a free throw in, she’s now one of our top scorers. Eloise played strongly throughout the whole game today in both offence and defence. She was our best mover on court, she pushed up hard, got passes off to the team and made some great shots.
U12 Girls White (Bruno Kongawoin)
Loss against Eastern Suns (22 – 27)
Coaches notes
The team was very physical and combative all throughout the game.
Player of the game
Dani Simmons
Other highlights
Very encouraging seeing the continued improvements in each player individual skills
U12 Boys Black (Lizzie Falconbridge)
Won against Willeton Tigers (57 – 39)
Coaches notes
Even though we played a pretty scrappy game we got away with the win, postiive sign is that we have plenty of room to grow individually and also as a team.
Great defensive pressure at moments during the game but the key now is to keep up that intensity for the whole game.
Player of the game
Alijah Acabado – As always puts in 100% on both ends of the court. Was great to see him dish of some great passes to find open team mates for open shots, also hitting two 3’s in the last quarter to seal the win.
U12 Boys Orange (Tim Hart)
Loss against Lakeside Lightning (38 – 42)
Coaches notes
There are two Lakeside teams in div 4, Lakeside White and Purple, we lost to Lakeside White today. Given our 2/17 foul shooting last week, we invested time at training and in the warm up and this week made 8/20 (40%) from the foul line (vs Lakeside’s 0/8). Suns were able to out-score Lakeside in Q1 and Q4, but Q2 saw an 8 point deficit which was difficult to undo. The two teams were closely matched and we look forward to our next match up. We set a goal to apply more on-ball pressure this week, this aspect of our game is showing improvement and will be a continual focus through the season.
Player of the game
Cohen had another solid game this week, with top assists, top rebounds and equal top steals. His defensive pressure (3-deflections, 5 steals), breakout speed up the court and accurate kick-ahead passes kept Lakeside on their toes. Cohen pulled down 25% of our rebounds, 20% of our points and shot 50% from the foul line (3 from 6). (7 pt, 11 reb, 4 assists, 5 stl)
Other highlights
We had a good spread of points this week through the team (as well as last), it is encouraging to see all of our players contribute in either assists or scoring (and most delivering in both areas). Lakeside was the better defensive team overall today with 34 steals vs 27 for Suns. Our offensive transition was challenged this week, with passes up the court being picked off or denied, forcing us to dribble and slow our movement. We also turned and met a defender and were sometimes not prepared for the encounter. We can improve here after a catch – by making better passing decisions (take a quick glance at court, perceiving the opportunities and dangers, and make a plan – we might need to first fake one way before passing or dribbling the other way). Lakeside forced 5 defensive jump balls, to Suns 3. Both teams were shooting at low percentage from the field this week (29% for Lakeside, 26% for Suns). We will continue to work on our shot selection and execution to improve our scoring percentage.
U12 Boys White (Patrick Massam)
Loss against Cockburn Cougars (22 – 56)
Coaches notes
Game time week 2. Players pumped to get back on the court. PAG’s (Parents and Grandparents) all loving a 10:45am start time against Cockburn Cougars at The Furnace.
Henry Ball & Nick Squire, our two development players having their first taste of WABL action, was great to see their confidence to run what they had been trained for.
First half we rode the pain train and learned some valuable lessons from Cockburn who moved well with the ball, and punished us with all round good passing, drives and outside shots.
Second half, it was a delight to the coaching staff, that the boys were not going to stay in school for long and they responded with some just hard grit defense. Slowing the Cougars down to a cuddly house cat.
All players stepped up their game and showed more confidence and on court composure from our first game. Especially our two youngest and smallest players Jack (“Russell”) Wakeling and Drew Bydder who we unleashed, brimming with confidence and lightning pace.
Well done Cockburn, well deserved win. And for our Sun’s boys, hopefully it was a valuable game in understanding hard nosed defense wins games, and drives the offence and we will have an enjoyable season and my voice box will be well rested. We all loved it!. Until Next week.
Player of the game
No individual this week. A number of players did well and would be to hard to pick an individual that stood out amongst a few.
U14 Boys Blue (Dave Yan)
Loss against Perry Lakes Hawks (44 – 64)
Coaches notes
Round 2 against Perry Lakes Hawks was always going to be tough. Our last match up at State Champs saw us drew with them on a 3 by Chandler.
We came into this hand short handed with 6 regular starters + DP Lukas Jones making his first start. Chandler Bydder did suit up but unfortunately wasn’t feeling the best and had limited minutes.
Lukas Jones (DP), without a doubt shone in the brightest moments against most likely one of the top 3 teams in this division. Lukas was dominant offensively with great efficiency shooting finishing with 14 points. Rebounding has improved as well as making timely interceptions and passes really was the reason we were in the game majority of the first half. Credit goes to this young man for persisting with his training and executing what is asked of by him, I have no doubt he will be a monster of a player in time.
Alec Bersan – The only reason Alec did not get the player of the game is purely because Lukas performance was his first game. Alec, you could not ask for a bigger change since training, similar to how Preston change, Alec after training confidence took a major hit.. after having a good discussion and finding out who he is as a person outside of basketball, and we finally connected and Alec showed us tonight that he is and will be one of our strongest player. From avoiding contact and rebound Alec went a full 180 and he was bumping using his strong core and even gave a look and a player trying to shove his arm.. then out muscling him for a rebound and confident stare down. He will bring courage to some of the boys who will look to him as a pillar of strength as the season goes by. I’m SOO proud of Alec, and his parents for spending time chatting to me putting in the work at home to get him mentally there. Well done Alec Absolute BEAST.
All our other boys played their hearts out.. that I cannot deny.. and they should be proud.. a special mention to:
Rylan – on a day where the offense just did not work Rylan would have close to 8 steals today.. let me repeat that.. EIGHT steals. and they weren’t tip tap steals.. they were I’m going to rip this ball out of your hand and make it mine. I am GRATEFUL as a coach to have such a player who gives it his absolutely all game in game out and with that comes with the emotional highs and low. 8 steals, 3 fouls.. that’s a pretty darn great ratio.
Kobe – having the courage.. to speak up to me and being right. Something he probably would not have done before but a moment in the 3rd where he was having no help bringing the ball up the court fatigued… and voicing it out to me on the bench knowing that in the past I would have told him to zip it. He was right on this occasion, and I’m proud he had the courage to say it even with tears in his eyes and that was a coaching error on my part.
Player of the game
Lukas Jones – Being a DP, called up because we were short in number and performing like he would start any day of the week. There is literally no better way to announce to the team who you are in your first game. 14 Points on above 50% shooting, plenty of rebounds and deflections throw in a couple of assist.
Other highlights
The Refs were Amazing. Often we only remember that bad called games, but the 2 refs were super consistent, yes there will always be missed calls but it went both ways. They conducted and kept the game in check. Credit is due and should be acknowledge.
Our Fans and Parents again amazing just like last week, well composed and behaved perfectly and supported loudly when needed. Same has to go with Perry Lakes Hawks side and coaching staff, professional and approachable.
U14 Girls Black (Andrew Herbert)
Won against Hills Raiders (44 – 42)
Coaches notes
A solid effort from the ladies this week, who are continuing to develop well as a team. The ladies came out strong again and showed great resilience to hold off Hills down the stretch. You all played “Hard, Smart & Together” Well done!!
Player of the game
This week goes to Lucinta Akerman. Lulu’s defence first mindset turns into team offence. Lulu has showed great discipline again on the defensive end, keeping herself out of foul trouble. Great job Lulu! 6Steals – 4Reb – 11Pts
Other highlights
Charlotte Herbert – 13Reb – 2Blk – 11Pts
Izabelle Biggs – 7Reb – 4Stl – 4Pts
Charlie Hill – 5Reb – 4Pts
Holly Marsh – 4Reb – 3Stl – 8Pts
U14 Girls Orange (Adam Brickwood)
Loss against Southwest Slammers (28 – 32)
Coaches notes
It was a tough loss but yet again we showed our on ball pressure can really stiffle our opponents ability to get into any sets. Our centre Matilda really controlled the paint and allowed us to take some gambles shooting the passing lanes knowing the help defence is solid.
Unfortunately foul trouble really cost us and our ability to execute in the last two minutes was the difference but our team will be the better for having the opportunity to play in such a tight contest.
Player of the game
Taylor James – Her first game for our side, she stepped in and played a great role for our team creating her own shot and finishing off the hard work of her teammates
U14 Girls White(Daniel Heyman)
Loss against Lakeside Lightning (41 – 54)
Coaches notes
Outstanding offensive teamwork. A much-improved effort on defence. We need to work on rebounding effort, particularly on the offensive boards. We also need to develop better passing under pressure.
Player of the game
Anika Heyman: Anika was outstanding at both ends of the floor; contesting shots and leading the scoring. She managed to hit 2/2 from deep, with these being the first 3s she has scored in game!
Other highlights
We applied a full court trap to great success and worked through multiple phases in our half-court offense.
U14 Girls Blue (Tamara Reeves)
Loss against Perth Redbacks (35 – 40)
Coaches notes
It was a really tough game between two quite even teams with us leading at some points. The girls fought hard and never gave up. The hustle was great all game even when they started to get tired. Offensively there were a lot of really good moves to get past defence and to the basket.
Player of the game
Leah Darroch- Leah seemed like she was everywhere on the court this game, from dribbling the ball up the court by working hard to get open, to being the first one back on defence, to telling her teammates where to go in our offensive plays.
U14 Boys Black (Shannon Trew)
Won against Joondalup Wolves (74 – 51)
Coaches notes
The boys jumped Joondalup early and had a 26-12 first qtr lead. We then went on and won the next 3 qtrs to have a convincing win. Everyone played with high energy and maximum effort in everything they did. The bench were screaming to get on and cheered extra loud which kept our energy levels high.
Player of the game
Raymond Tafira brought the energy early and when he was on the court we were firing! Grabbing rebounds, outlet passing, finding windows, jumping at any loose ball and put his body on the line for his team mates.
Other highlights
Bailey Ryan and Tanzeke Edgar finished with 19 points each.
Jackson Bailey had 10 very important points that came from hard running but also patience when needed.
U14 Boys Orange (Adrian Mok)
Loss against Hills Raiders (45 – 59)
Coaches notes
Great start to the game from our starters but after an injury to one of our key defenders the game slowly slipped away. To the boys credit, no one gave up and we played til the end. We had a couple of boys step up at stages during the game which is a great sign moving forward.
As we’ve started the season with injuries and illnesses and suffered a couple of losses, its good to see the boys playing as a team and not blaming each other on and off the court. Once we have a full healthy roster I’m excited to see the full potential of this young squad.
Player of the game
Shane Quartermaine – After having a slow pre season due to family reasons I was so happy to finally see him play to his maxiumum potential. Using his natural athleticsm and quickness, he was dominant on the defensive end with plenty of steals, blocks, rebounds and deflections to start our fast break game. The focus now is to keep up the consistency every week.
Other highlights
James Young – Even though he played with a hand injury he was still instrumental on both ends of the court. This is due to his ability to run the floor quickly and attention to his personal fitness helps him run out games and play at 100%. Excited to see what he’ll be able to do when he’s fully healed.
Special thanks to Alijah Acabado and Mikael Leonov who filled in due a couple of our rotation players out with COVID.
U14 Boys White (Joel Warner)
Loss against East Perth Eagles (45 – 51)
Coaches notes
What an exciting game. We missed our crafty shooting guard Reuben so we needed to make up the points that he would have provided, and we did. I was very pleased with our scoring spread, which improved from last week, with all but one player contributing to the Team score. Credit to Elisha for playing after being unwell during the week, he gave it his all. Phoenix gave maximum effort all day and is an emerging leader in our Team. Peter again won his match-up and is becoming an exceptional player with great character. Kade made his first start for the Team as we needed a strong physical presence to open the game. Sam showed the poise we need and spaced the court well to allow for free-flowing scoring options. As a Team we need to work harder at execution in the half-court, however we won the transition game for a second week in a row. Unfortunately we didn’t get the result we were chasing as a Team, but we got a lot out of the game. Perhaps we got just what we needed; we will find out as the season progresses. I saw several characteristics in the players that I need to see to have long-term success, which is really pleasing. We will now return to practice and improve. Next week can’t come quick enough as we face a tough opponent in the undefeated Wolves. I welcome that challenge, knowing we have the courage to battle any Team in our league.
Player of the game
Player of the round goes to Asten Lund. Asten is a natural athlete who is rapidly learning the game. As coaches, James and I try to get him in positions that allow for him to take advantage of his strengths and on Sunday he was outstanding! What’s more impressive is that Asten is carrying a niggling injury so he showed his resilience and grit to get through the game. What impresses me about his performance was equal part on the court, (with his 17 points, half dozen rebounds and hard transition running) and equal part off the court… I say that because he was too sore to practice during the week, but he still attended and remained focussed. For the entirety of practice he received treatment on his sore back and tuned into what we were doing. He then translated that over to the game and had a big impact. He could have been sitting at home watching TV but he came to a late Friday practice and took in what he could. Those efforts and commitment to the Team are highly valuable and don’t go unnoticed. So Asten wins player of the week for his on-court performance, however his commitment to the Team off-court must be commended.
Other highlights
A few highlights included Ethan’s positivity, and his scoring presence. Even when he’s not scoring, he is dangerous and that’s a great weapon in our arsenal. Chad wore his heart on his sleeve and left everything on-court. Tala is getting stuck in some difficult match-ups but he remains ready at all times.
U14 Boys Blue (Hayden Bird)
Won against Warwick Senators (82 – 46)
Coaches notes
Another great team victory for the boys.
Highlights for the boys is always the team comradary that’s shown during games!
Close to nearly everyone on the floor is getting an opportunity to score the ball.
Defensively we turned up during the first, third and fourth quarter, being able to put their players in tough situation to turn the ball over!
Player of the game
Tadiwa Rukodzi: Tadiwa put in a brilliant performance scoring 25pts against the senators! Tadiwa not only had a great offence performance but defensively he was an absolute pest for the ball handlers, stripping the ball away leading to an easy finish at the basket for himself or a teammate. He always lifts he teammates up when he’s on the floor or on the bench a true leader! Great work Tadiwa and we’ll deserved!
Other highlights
Roentgen pastor: 17pts, great leadership and effort put out on the floor all game!
Sandrae Miguel Maesa: 15pts, alongside his scoring ability his defensive ability was able to match and maintain throughout the game!
U16 Girls Black (Charlie Smart)
Won against Perry Lakes Hawks (56 – 54)
Coaches notes
Our U16 girls knew they were in for a difficult match up on Sunday as they faced a seasoned and experienced Perry Lakes team. From ball up they took control both ends of the court and had a blistering start. Perry Lakes mounted a strong come back during 3rd quarter taking the lead. Suns girls dug deep and were determined to not lose on their home ground and fought valiantly ensuing a point for point game until the dying minutes. Nail bitter of a finish saw our girls finish with a 2 point win. Fantastic match up and a highly competitive game where the entire team came together and complimented each others strengths, supporting their teammates throughout.
Player of the game
Ana Vletter – Ana’s speed, athleticism and sheer fight throughout the entire game brought the entire team to step up and play at another level. Ana had some incredible deflections and secured valuable steals both ends of the court. She led by example and showed leadership and a determination unmatched by her opponents.
Other highlights
Fantastic full team effort just showed what these girls are capable of when they come together. When they executed what they had been learning in training they made the game look seemless.
U16 Girls Orange (Shannon Trew)
Loss against Warwick Senators (55 – 58)
Coaches notes
The girls started strong and fought hard against the Senators. It went basket for basket in the first qtr and they looked focused on playing fast and controlled basketball. 2nd qtr was superb, energy lifted and we had a 6 point lead at half time. Unfortunately a few players got in foul trouble and Senators powered past us in the 3rd as our energy and effort dropped off. We quickly lifted in the last qtr to level up scores and battled on until last 30 secs where Senators scored 3 tough points and we ran out of time to get it back.
Player of the game
Charlie Osenton lead from the front and had 17 points through hard work and determination to lift her team mates. This was Charlie’s best game for the Suns and I know she won’t rest on this and will continue to grow as a player and person.
Other highlights
Chelsea finished with 10 points and worked hard on the boards and defence.
Mia Crofts had 9 points in her 1st game with the Suns from limited minutes and will look to build on it again next week.
U16 Boys Black (Brad Dowd)
Won against Joondalup Wolves (85 – 75)
Coaches notes
Another strong TEAM effort resulting in our first win. It was a hard fought game with the lead changing multiple times in each quarter, but our defensive hustle rattled them in the end. We ran our offence well and made some great shot selections. Very proud of the team.
Player of the game
Justin Morgan again receives player of the round with 27 points and multiple steals
U16 Boys Orange (Rob Rees)
Won against Perry Lakes Hawks (65 – 61)
Coaches notes
We were down 15 points and came back to win by 4, tough defense really made the difference, offensively we were not great but we played tough defense and rebounded well.
Player of the game
Joshua Mahama Tough defense and Rebounding
U16 Boys White (Jordon Macpherson)
Won against Mandurah Magic (72 – 64)
Coaches notes
I am absolutely thrilled to report another fantastic win for our team in our latest game against Mandurah Gold. We started the first quarter a little slow however as a collective group everyone lifted their intensity in defence and started to trust our offence system. We outscored Mandurah 30pts to 17pts in the 2nd quarter having only achieved 11pts total in the 1st quarter. Again we outscored our opponent in the 3rd quarter 22pts to 8pts and tightened the screws in the final quarter to secure another great win.
As our leaders instil a strong benchmark for effort and energy it is infectious amongst the group and a number of players stepped up their game from last week. Although our shot percentage dropped a few points this week, the fact that everyone contributed allowed us to maintain our offensive pressure.
A special shoutout to Milan, who had a sensational 25-point game and was incredibly exciting to watch on the court. As a coach, I am always looking for those little 1 percenter efforts throughout the game, and this week’s special mentions go to Lionel and Daniel, who both contributed three assists and four steals. Their backcourt pressure was outstanding in the second and third quarters and had our opponents wondering what hit them.
Thank you again to all the parents and friends who came out to support us today. We couldn’t do it without you.
Player of the game
Lionel Chitiyo – This week’s player of the game is Lionel Chitiyo, who has been developing into his role as our point guard with great maturity and selflessness. Lionel understands that basketball is not just about scoring buckets but about being a team player and sacrificing for the greater good. His efforts in our full-court press caused multiple stops and turnovers and had a hugely positive impact on the team. True leadership on display. Well done, Lionel, and I am excited to see you grow into this role with our team.
Other highlights
Lastly, I want to give a special mention to Keelan, who has been a quiet achiever on the team. Keelan has continued to be focused and take onboard all of the constructive criticism that we give him, and his improvement in confidence really stood out to me in this game. Well done, Keelan.
U16 Boys Blue (Luke Poyner)
Loss against Joondalup Wolves (74 – 95)
Coaches notes
We had a much better offensive game this week, making good use of movement to get the ball to our bigs and scoring inside as well as from range. Defensively we had some great individual efforts on the court and a good highlight of areas we can improve.
Player of the game
Jackson Nicolaou had a stand out game today, demonstraiting great defensive hustle and leaving nothing on the court. He also played a pivotal role offensively with a pile of assists and scoring 7 points despite facing tough pressure.
Other highlights
Elliot Okwilagwe stepped up offensively and showed some great work inside scoring 16 well-earned points. Oliver James had another great offensive effort with a 21 point top score for the team.
U18 Girls Black (Travis Linaker)
Loss against Cockburn Cougars (44 – 67)
Coaches notes
After a fantastic start that caught the Cougars off guard forcing them to call an early time out we just couldn’t stay on task with our process.
We had much better defensive game this week holding the opposition to just points but that is only 1/2:the battle and we just couldn’t find the bottom of the net.
Again lot’s of positives during the game but we are going to have to do better, and be more consistent if we want to put wins on the board.
Player of the game
All the girls put in solid work during the game and it is tough some weeks to find a standout but this week Suzan Rammal answered the call and did everything asked of her without question and with good intensity.
U18 Girls Orange (Ric Batista)
Loss against Perry Lakes Hawks (46 – 61)
Coaches notes
We started red hot, the girls were electric in the first half. We tripled our score from last week and kept an opponent who scored 105 last week to 61.
Player of the game
Sienna Vivian – this week Sienna’s scoring and ball handling were really important leading the girls in scoring and providing much needed leadership
Other highlights
Working as a team until the very end is a great feeling. We just got tired against a bunch of really tall girls and the rebound count started to favour them. Amber and Hannah worked so hard on the boards. I asked the team to be a bit more desperate and they responded really well, Amber was again very good in leading the way.
U18 Boys Black (Lachie Riley / Angus Hywood)
Won against Cockburn Cougars (64 – 129)
U18 Boys Orange (Brad Coutts)
Loss against Warwick Senators (93 – 117)
Coaches notes
Our positives this week were that we improved our offensive structure and scored 93 points against a quality side. We won the second half 57 – 55 and the last quarter 35 – 23 so after being down by 36 at 3/4 time the boys kept at it till the end.
Player of the game
Zavier Pickersgill scored a team high 34 points however was his decision making driving into the keyway which improved his scoring by not hesitating and backing himself to complete his drives.
U18 Boys White (Rae D’Sylva)
Loss against Perth Redbacks (79 – 85)
Coaches notes
We can score quickly and play strong defence in patches.
Player of the game
Aiden rosario. Aiden was strong on the rebounds and was a strong rim protector
Other highlights
We were down by 10 with 2 minutes to go and came back and tied the game which was incredible we just have to try and sustain that energy for the whole game.
U18 Boys Blue (Tyron Neill)
Won against Southwest Slammers (77 – 38)
Coaches notes
Defensively the boys were on point with the opposition only scoring 11 points in the first half and 38 points total. In offense the boys are starting to gel and understand their role to create open lanes and more scoring opportunities.
Player of the game
Isaiah Gray – Isaiah was relentless in defense breaking down the opponents piece by piece with his team mates. In the 3rd when the opportunity presented he lead the way and blew the opposition away scoring 14 points in a 30-8 quarter whilst setting up his team with spectacular score involvements. When Isaiah plays this way it really is jaw dropping to watch, well done m8.
Other highlights
Main highlight to take away was brilliant team ball we played that allowed us to run away with the game. Another highlight along with Isaiah’s game was Laker Nelson’s defensive pressure and his ability to read plays which leads to intercepts and steals, which in this case the opposition never had an answer for.
U20 Boys Black (Lochy Brown)
Won against Southwest Slammers (71 – 68)
Coaches notes
A close win against a good side that forced us to make adjustments throughout the whole game. The guys executed and trusted each other the entire game, wether or not the shots were dropping.
We are a defence first team and for the second week in a row we held a team under 70 points which is a credit to all the players. Our offence will come the more these guys play together which will be exciting to see.
Player of the game
Harley Thomas – I challenged Harley to put his ego aside this week and focus on the next play and boy did he do that. Deflections, steals, rebounds and great screens were almost automatic with him during the entire game. And when it was time to step up Harley hit two big 3’s at the end of the game to give us the win. Way to impact in every aspect of the game.
U20 Boys Orange (Cooper Lowe)
Won against Warwick Senators (67 – 59)