WABL Wrap Week 3 – 07/05/23
Round 3
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:
Riley Pabst (U18 Boys) – 54 Points 11 Rebounds 5 Steals! An incredible game from Riley, highlighting why he is one of the elite junior players in the whole state!
Harper Ashbolt (U16 Girls) – Harper Ashbolt was outstanding in defence and offence and was a huge reason for our strong 2nd half. She took the game on and told her team mates to follow her and let’s get the WIN! She created lots of scoring options for her teammates through her tough defence. You know she is doing well when she is doing all this with a huge smile on her face.
U12 Girls Black (Lawrence West)
Won against Cockburn Cougars (47 – 26)
Coaches notes
This week we were focused, and it was clear from the opening tip that we were here to win. The girls did an amazing job executing our game plan and by half time had built a healthy 18 point lead. The second half saw the Cougars make their push and they came out strong! Fortunately our attention on defense was excellent and we were able to force a lot of tough shots. We held them to single digit scoring in all quarters while slowly pushing out our lead with unselfish team basketball.
A season high in both assists and FG% shows we are making the extra pass and taking good shots. This was a real team win with everyone contributing on both sides of the ball and its fantastic to see the trust we have in each other.
We will continue to work on disciplined defense to reduce our foul count and rebounding will remain a focus, however the improvement in our group is outstanding and I am proud of the effort and dedication each and every player has put in to this season so far.
Player of the game
With so many great contributions this week picking player of the game has been a nightmare! With near identical stats and great work as a team I just couldn’t pick one over the other so this week we are going with 2:
Emily Sunderland: Before the game Ellie was feeling unwell and unlikely to play so Emily was asked to play a bigger role with more responsibility. Not only did she shoulder the load defensively but recorded her season high in both points and shot attempts. It has been a joy to see Emily’s confidence grow every week and I am certain we are only scratching the surface of her abilities – keep up the great work mate!
Ellie Mullins: Ellie had a rough start this week, feeling unwell she decided she couldn’t play but would support her team mates from the sidelines. Towards the end of the first quarter Emily needed a (well earned) break. I looked over at Ellie and asked if she was ready, and without hesitation she said “Yes!”, took off her hoodie and ran onto the court. If that was all she did I would have been impressed that she put her team ahead of herself, but to then go on and put up a season high in points, rebounds, assists and blocks was incredible. Between Emily & Ellie they recorded 12 points, 18 rebounds, 4 steals and 5 blocks!!! What a dynamic duo!
Other highlights
So many this week:
Bel – Amazing energy this week, her fingerprints were all over this game and her discipline to defend without fouling was much improved
Bob – Bob worked some stuff out this week! Her activity gained us valuable extra possessions and she shot 100% from the foul line
Eliza – Our focus has been on rebounds and Eliza took this seriously. Her positioning under the basket was great and her focus on defense excellent
Jenny – Decision making was great this week and intensity on defense is never in question
Steph – This week Steph’s shot selection was excellent. Her disruptive defense caused a bunch of turnovers and she was always willing to make the extra pass to set up her team mates
Taneika – T is always willing to do the dirty work, diving on loose balls and giving 100%. This week she made some adjustments to her offense and as a result recorded a team high FG% (57%) as well as dishing out several assists to her team mates
Yas – Recording her first double-double of the season (12 points-11 assists) Yas quietly goes about being awesome and currently holds the team record of highest 3 point percentage for the season with 50%!
Special shout out to Indi for supporting her team mates while she waits for her fracture to heal and Indigo who has shown amazing dedication to supporting her team every week!
U12 Girls Orange (Lizzie Falconbridge)
Won against Warwick Senators (36 – 12)
Coaches notes
Our team work and passing is fantastic. The girls are sharing the ball and are great runners. We still need to work on shooting as a team, as we are getting to basket frequently. Harper and Eloise are strong offensively and defensively on court and can hesitate and retreat and get the passes off. This week Nyawuut and May stepped up and played hard, and were monumental to our game. Our aggression on the ball can’t be matched, we are fouling of course, but we plan to continue to move forward playing hard.
Player of the game
Harper Dostal – She was absolutely brilliant on court and consistent all game and as our smallest player, she got some amazing rebounds giving us a 2nd and 3rd chance to get shots.up. Harpers defence was strong, hanging onto the ball like a terrier and even when our big man fouled out our smallest on court could shut down the oppositions big man.
Other highlights
We are pleased with the support from our parents, and other teams and coaches. Our girls were stoked to have our NBL1 mentors come along to watch their game and cheer them along and tell them how impressed they were with their improvement.
U12 Girls White (Bruno Kongawoin)
Won against East Perth Eagles (41 – 16)
Coaches notes
The highlights today is our player of the game leadership and kindred spirit on the court.
The positive takeaway is the girls better understanding of the competitive nature of the game is what makes it fun.
Player of the game
Indigo Anderson
Other highlights
The positive personalities and gregarious nature of the other teammates are starting to rub off onto the introverted ones paving the way to a better interaction on the court.
U12 Boys Black (Lizzie Falconbridge)
Won against Mandurah Magic (66 – 44)
Coaches notes
Round 3 saw our best teamwork played yet. Everyone stepped it up. The coach of the other team made comment on how disciplined and great our boys played defensively. The boys also did a great job of controlling the ball offensively and holding before taking the drive in the key. The team also displayed fantastic adaptability in adjusting their play as requested by coaches throughout the game.
Player of the game
Ram Gloria was our player of the round this week. He was spot on under the basket with many rebounds and putting up second shots. A couple of standout rejections for Ram this week too.
U12 Boys Orange (Tim Hart)
Loss against Joondalup Wolves (41 – 61)
Coaches notes
The game was an exciting and rewarding exprience for the team, while playing tougher opponents can be daunting, it helps us see what we are capable of, to learn about our strengths and weaknesses. First-half defensive intensity provided us with a 3-point game midway through the 2nd quarter. That may have rattled the Wolves, as they came out stronger in Q3 and we couldn’t catch them in Q4. Despite the final score, the Suns were competitive in three quarters of the game, which is encouraging given the Wolves performance in the season so far. Our defensive pressure will continue to improve and when we can maintain that focus for four quarters no matter who is on the court, we will be more competitive.
Player of the game
Darragh wins player of the round this week. His patience with the ball helped to settle the team, Darragh was able to change his direction and speed well to bring the ball up safely against a single defender. Darragh also set a defensive example for the boys this week, challenging opposition lay-ups by stepping into the opponents driving lane, competing for rebounds, deflecting loose balls and picking up a defensive jump ball. There were also a few times where he chased down a break-away player and deflected the ball away just before it met the keyway. Darragh tried to finish in the smile, and when he was sent to the line he made it count shooting 3/4 from the foul line.
Other highlights
Two of our rostered players were out this week, and a development player was able to help the team – thanks Josiah! Josiah ran hard and provided us with some extra energy. Declan is showing improved awareness of covering weak-side players, and continues to look for close scoring opportunities. Alex kept pushing hard up the court looking for weaknesses in the Wolves defence, he was our top scorer this week. Fletcher you competed for boards and you’re showing improvement in the catch-high-put-back we have been practicing – keep it up. Darragh and Alex have been practicing their foul shooting the past two weeks, and it showed during the game.
U12 Boys White (Patrick Massam)
Loss against East Perth Eagles (44 – 49)
Coaches notes
Suns U12 White hit the road for the first time this season against East Perth Eagles. This was our first game where our match up was a lot less David v Goliath.
If we could play two second halves each week, would be brilliant, as we really perform down the stretch and almost grabbed our first win today.
Zac Robertson, woke up on the “fired up” side of the bed and we loved it! He was our player of the match with his most all-round solid performance this season finishing with 10pts.
Spence Massam had the highest score to weight/height ratio in the entire league, dropping 15pts to keep us in the mix in the second half. Where we outscored the Eagles 28-19.
Austin “not in my house’ Berkhout continued to stack up his block stats with great key way defence.
Ollie also provided great ground cover and splashed a very handy baseline triple late in the 4th to give us another look at the W.
Was also great to see Tom, Chase, Jack & Lucas with some confident attacks on the basket, it was an area that we saw what they do in training turning into action on the court.
Overall, a fun game, hopefully one that builds on the confidence of our boys as to what they can do out there in the battlefield.
We will need it, next week we take on the top team Perry Lakes at the Furnace. I heard they were googling us already.
Player of the game
Zac Robertson all round solid performance and 10pts
U14 Boys Blue (Dave Yan)
Loss against Joondalup Wolves (31 – 40)
Coaches notes
We played good for 3 quarters of the game, having a 7 point lead into the last qrt we were only able to put 2 points on the board while the opposition ran home with the game winning by 9 points.
There were plenty of positive takeaways from such a game, as we understood where we went well why we couldn’t pull away and how crucial it is going forward to protect the ball. Declan’s first game with his broken finger still wrapped up really showed how much he has worked on with his non preferred left hand while his right fingers are healing. Sometimes it takes an injury of such to really push a player to practice with everything else that works, and he came back stronger and honestly was one of our best players for this game with his high basketball IQ and composure.
From a coaching point of view, this loss was on myself. Hesitation in conserving an early time out in the 4th, hesitation in certain substitutions, and mostly worrying about player time management. I think the positive take away from this is understanding where I went wrong.
The boys did their best, we didn’t lose out of lack of effort. They should be extremely proud of themselves. We lost this game on our own terms which is something that can be adjusted over time. Great support yet again from the home fans and parents. Special mention to the refs both were consistent and called both ways. Well done.
Player of the game
Declan Hartono – For someone who hadn’t played a game in over month, he came out like a season veteran and if it wasn’t for min restrictions he would have never came off. Great handling of the ball, good vision and head fake and finishing. It’s going to be an amazing season for Declan once he’s fully recovered.
Other highlights
Seeing the boys understanding how to play against the clock. Understanding what it takes to stop the clock and foul and play the free throw game. Some of them understood, some didn’t, but given the opportunity to test things out.. there is no better way then through in the game.
U14 Girls Black (Andrew Herbert)
Loss against Cockburn Cougars (39 – 56)
Coaches notes
This week was always going to be a good test as our girls came up against the ladder leading Cockburn team on their home court. After quickly falling 10 point behind, the girls’ fought hard to go into the first break within reach. The opposition were well drilled and took advantage of our defensive breakdowns and their accurate shooting helped resist the many attempts made by our girls to even the score. Despite being behind the whole game the girls showed great fight throughout and never gave up. They now have a view of the competition benchmark and should have confidence that they can compete at this level once they become more consistent.
Player of the game
This weeks player of the round goes to Holly Marsh. Holly does the heavy lifting in the back court week in-week out, and her dribbling and passing skills provide the control that helps us navigate the opposition full court pressure with minimal turnovers. Holly is also a consistent contributor offensively and her high shooting efficiency this week from the free throw line, and a handy 3 point shot, kept us in the game. Well done Holly!
Other highlights
This team consists of numerous players who are in the their first WABL season who are competing in our top U14 team in a tough division. Their skills development, and understanding of structures, will take a little time, but it is exciting to see glimpses of their enormous potential, particularly the speed and energy they bring in the open floor. Big futures ahead for these new Suns!
U14 Girls Orange (Adam Brickwood)
Loss against Lakeside Lightning (33 – 49)
Coaches notes
Tough game and full credit to Lakeside the way they ran the game out in the second half. We really showed some positives on the offensive end with our ball movement and our outside shooting and hopefully we can string a solid 4 qtr effort next week.
Player of the game
Matilda Little – Once again she held together our interior on both ends of the floor and played a really balanced game
U14 Girls White(Daniel Heyman)
Loss against Willeton Tigers (37 – 45)
Coaches notes
The girls applied relentless ball pressure, resulting in 26 steals, fuelling our transition scoring. The collective rebounding effort improved from previous weeks, giving us more opportunities at second chance points. Heading into the final term1 point up, the girls were optimistic about getting our first win off the season but failed to get over the line, turning the ball over at critical moments. Heading into next week, we aim to consolidate our early game efforts with a strong fourth quarter and secure our first win of the season.
Player of the game
Vattalanie D’Sylva was outstandanding in her aggressive attacking of the keyway, seeking contact and getting to the line on multiple occasions. Her presence on defence stiffled the opposition both on ball and at the rim. Vattalanie showed a committment to doing the dirty work, getting after offensive boards and loose balls.
Other highlights
Gabriella McCullaugh was on fire from the field going 100% from within the arc. She top scored with 15 points and was crutial in spearheading our offensive attack.
U14 Girls Blue (Tamara Reeves)
Loss against Perth Redbacks (34 – 44)
Coaches notes
Both attitude and intensity were good and the girls didn’t give up even when they were down. The half court defense was good, Redbacks were kept out of the keyway and made to take long 2s. Even with players out the girls still kept together and went on the court and did their absolute best.
Player of the game
Bonnie Clark- Bonnie was unsettled by hard contact early in the game but came back better and stronger driving in on the left hand side and drawing fouls. She went to the free throw line and ending up with 5 made free throws. Mental toughness and resolve is a great trait to have.
U14 Boys Black (Shannon Trew)
Won against Lakeside Lightning (73 – 62)
Coaches notes
We knew going to Lakeside was never going to be easy and that showed in the first half and we trailed by 5 at half time. The boys came into the half time huddle full of energy and they all demanded from each other to put in more effort and they did that.
All players on the court were playing 2 way basketball and shut down lakesides scoring which turned into fast transition basketball which is how we play. Court spacing and ball movement was at a high standard and we spread their defence and found lots of windows to drive into for some easy points.
Player of the game
Luqman Rais was outstanding today in offence and defence. He scored 11 points from strong drives to the basket by finding windows between defenders and never forced any shots and used his team mates when drawing defence. On defence he was full of energy and played amazing help defence and caused alot of forced errors from his athleticism. This was the best game I have seen from him as a Sun player.
Other highlights
A great team effort by everyone involved and spread the points across everyone. The best option in offence was always taken and everyone shrunk the court in defence in the 2nd half.
Bailey, Raymond, Tanzeke with 10 plus point to go with high level defensive pressure.
Cash had 12 points in his first game for us against his old club and played controlled basketball and fitted straight into our system.
U14 Boys Orange (Adrian Mok)
Loss against Rockingham Flames (62 – 69)
Coaches notes
Finally our first week with a healthy roster, whilst our defense was better this week we still have massive room for improvement. Offensively there was a lot of fast breaks but when we got into our half court sets the game scoring slowed right down due to chemistry issues.
Another close game that came down to the last minute but we were let down by a couple of our leaders that were worried about the calls getting made/missed instead of finishing of the game.
Player of the game
Dave Brar – Kept us in the game dropping a massive 37 points, including a 3 pointer with 48 seconds to go to bring the margin down to 3. Not only is he a natural scorer but he is always looking for his open team mates to get a better shot, only room for improvement is more intensity on the defensive end.
Other highlights
James Young – Playing through a wrist injury he left an imprint on the game with his hustles, defensive pressure and rebounding on both ends. Can’t wait to see what his game will be like when he’s 100%.
Thank you to all the parents and family members who cheered so loudly for the team!!!
U14 Boys White (Joel Warner)
Loss against Joondalup Wolves (43 – 66)
Coaches notes
We’ve been discussing reward for effort at practice and our starting group every week have earned their starting spots. This week both Sam and Kade earned their staring positions. That’s two starts now for Kade and it was pleasing to see Sam in the line-up for the first week. As always, the players who are winning their match-ups are kept on court, so its important that players accept their role on the team and work towards continuously improving at practice. Tala warrants a mention in this discussion as he provided good hustle on consecutive plays when we were physically undersized at certain times in the game.
Player of the game
This week, the player of the round goes to Chad, who showed what he is capable of. He’s a ripping kid to coach and he wears his heart on his sleeve. On Sunday he made some great basketball reads in defence and stuck within our systems on offence. He’s beginning to execute with Peter in the way we need him to and read what the opposition gives him. It’s a big learning curve at this age so playing a read/ react style of basketball comes with its challenges. On Sunday, Chad pulled the group together when we needed him to, he held down multiple positions defensively and turned his passionate energy into useful basketball energy. It was great to see him contribute to our big third quarter fightback, allowing us to win the quarter and get back within 7 points.
Other highlights
We won the third quarter and drew the second quarter. In every game so far we’ve beaten our opposition in a couple of quarters, but we can’t string more consistent patches together. That’s the next step for the Team to take. Conversely, our opposition had two dynamic scorers and a couple of our key players had individual defensive jobs on those players. Congratulations to Kade and Sam, who had specific jobs, keeping their opponents to their lowest scores for the season. As a Team, we can clearly defend as we kept the Wolves to a low score, we need to add some polish and finish on our scoring opportunities, because we are continuously in positions to score. Although the foul count (23 to 13) may have seemed a little lopsided and we played long stretches of the game in Team foul trouble, I was happy that the Suns boys didn’t react negatively. The Team rode the wave and played to the end. I can appreciate that our defensive style is disruptive and aggressive, so Coach James and I will make the required changes to keep players out of foul trouble. The final positive came from to note was the observation made by a parent, who remarked that one of our players found a way to smile through the adversity. To hear that feedback is wonderful. Although Coach James and I were disappointed at the result, the changes required are quite obvious, so we’ll get to work on improving straight away.
U14 Boys Blue (Hayden Bird)
Won against Southwest Slammers (42 – 41)
Coaches notes
It was a tough game through and through, but the boys really showed when the pressure is on they can turn on and show up, doing whatever it takes to get the win!
Such as getting the buzzer beater shot to secure the win!
Player of the game
Seth Londsdale: Really stepped up for sundays game, being the big man for the team that we really needed! Hustling for the ball, grabbing rebounds and getting blocks, anything that was asked of him he went out and got it done! Well deserved Seth good job!!
Other highlights
Tadiwa: 7pts / really stepped up when the pressure was on. with the buzzer beater to win the game!
Kuku: 6pts / played brilliant on ball D, scored 3 straight buckets to start our 4th quarter
U16 Girls Black (Charlie Smart)
Won against Perry Lakes Hawks (55 – 49)
Coaches notes
The team took a while to warm up and focus on Sunday, partly due to the early morning start which saw them head to Bendat to take on Perry Lakes.
Some really good moments throughout the game pushing the ball quickly in offensive transition and great rebounding both ends of the court. Heaps to work on and improve but came away with a hard fought win.
Player of the game
Alex Summers – Alex has had a quiet start to the season so far, so seeing her come out Sunday with the fight and determination, we have come to admire, led the team from ball up, assisting in securing their third win of the season. Some incredible shots which seemed a combination of skill and luck saw her top score with 17points. Great work Alex!
U16 Girls Orange (Shannon Trew)
Won against Mandurah Magic (68 – 49)
Coaches notes
The girls started off a little flat and lacked energy by all players at the same time in the first qtr. By the end of the 2nd qtr we had found that missing energy and looked forward to the 2nd half.
Our leaders on the court exploded and lead by example and we got out to a quick lead that kept increasing. Our defensive pressure was huge which turned into quick transition points. After 4-5 minutes the game was fully in our control and we played smart basketball at both ends and finished off the game strong.
Only downer we had was 3 players fouling out and 2 players on 4 fouls, which was always going to happen when you increase the pressure on the ball and play defence full of confidence.
Player of the game
Harper Ashbolt was outstanding in defence and offence and was a huge reason for our strong 2nd half. She took the game on and told her team mates to follow her and let’s get the WIN! She created lots of scoring options for her teammates through her tough defence. You know she is doing well when she is doing all this with a huge smile on her face.
Other highlights
Charlie had another 18 point game with many steals and lots of assists from her hard work.
Chelsea again played big and strong in offence/defence and finished with 13 points.
Brooklyn, the Mia’s, Heidi, Katie, Annie and Shelby were solid in defence and shut down any drives, closed out strong and help their team mates play in help defence with lots of communication.
U16 Boys Black (Brad Dowd)
Loss against Cockburn Cougars (93 – 103)
Coaches notes
What a game! Our team fought hard the entire game and I am very proud of the boys. We’ll get them next time.
Player of the game
Jarron Atterton receives player of the round in his 50th WABL game. Jarron worked super hard all game and did everything he was asked, finishing with a double double, 14 points and 10 rebounds
U16 Boys Orange (Rob Rees)
Won against Joondalup Wolves (72 – 64)
Coaches notes
once again we had a come from behind win, our defensive effort was certainly the difference between us and the wolves.
Player of the game
Reif Dabbs – Reif had an outstanding game both offensively and defensively, he lead from the front when ever he was on the court.
Other highlights
We had 4 players foul out and still managed to have players come on and fill the spots of those players.
U16 Boys White (Jordon Macpherson)
Won against Mandurah Magic (117 – 58)
Coaches notes
Another solid win this week!
I really felt everyone was giving 100% energy and effort and this allowed us to dominate the floor at both ends.
The guys are starting to grasp our offence and how to play with more control.
Our half court defence has still got some way to come but we are heading in the right direction.
I can feel the groups energy starting to bond/gel as we understand our comrades strengths and weaknesses and embrace them for the greater good of our team.👍
Player of the game
Keelan Stanmore This weeks player of the week is Keelan Stanmore. With this being Keelan’s first year in WABL it is great to see how quickly he is adjusting to the competition and rising to the challenges I have set for him. Keelan impressed me with his execution of fundamental technique in defence and his IQ in offence to cut back door when his defender was ball watching or overplaying the passing lane. Keelan is gaining more confidence in his abilities and becoming a great contributor to our group.
Other highlights
Special shoutout to AJ for also impressing me yesterday with his energy and effort. His efforts in and around the paint with rebounds and putbacks paid off. Let’s bring that every week mate👍 I know you have a beast hiding in there somewhere. Yesterday we all saw a glimps of the player Ajang can be. Look out!!!
U16 Boys Blue (Luke Poyner)
Won against Southwest Slammers (65 – 57)
Coaches notes
The boys had a well deserved win today, playing a good game with and applying solid defensive pressure. We performed well against some very tough physical defense but held our composure and and used our offensive style well.
Player of the game
Kobe Varias – Stepped up with some great defensive pressure and rallied the team to our first win of the season. Grabbed a top score of 17 points for the game.
Other highlights
Jesstine Morales played a fantastic game showing his speed and hustle with some great steals and fast breaks – scoring a respectable 12 points.
U18 Girls Black (Travis Linaker)
Loss against Rockingham Flames (55 – 93)
Coaches notes
Rockingham came out hot and one of their players hitting ten threes and finishing with 44 points we had no answer to her and even when we did get hands in the way the ball still went in.
To counter that we just could not find the bottom of the net and missed way too many easy shots from good looks and this combined with an inability to look after ball giving up turnover after turnover meant it was a tough day at the office.
There was some positive signs though with some improvements in defense in general as the rest of the Flames were contained to just 49 points between them!
Player of the game
This week I am giving this award to Skye Thomas as she showed a much improved attitude towards the game even though we were getting convincingly beaten.
Other highlights
A solid debut from Tahlia Slob who did really well in tough circumstances.
U18 Girls Orange (Ric Batista)
Won against Mandurah Magic (62 – 56)
Coaches notes
A win is always nice, we gave them a 10-2 head start and after a timeout we challenged the girls to stick the course and believe in system and we began to get defections and put pressure on the opponents and tide turned our way.
Player of the game
Amber Marsh was a standout backing up her great game from last week with 18pts and 10rebs 1blk
Other highlights
Hannah Willemse was fantastic with 10pts and 12rebs and net rating of +14 showed great impact while on the court. Team buy-in, cheering and supporting, while not getting many minutes is a non measurable stat but this team is far superior to anything I’ve seen. Well done girls.
U18 Boys Black (Lachie Riley / Angus Hywood)
Won against Rockingham Flames (97 – 96)
Coaches notes
WHAT A SPECIAL GAME OF BASKETBALL!
This week we made the trip down to Rockingham to go up against a really strong competitive Flames team. Injuries & players out we took to the court with just 6 players.
What we then witnessed from there was what championship basketball is all about!
Our boys come out ready for the fight, matching the pace with Rockingham in the first quarter going score for score ending the 1st down by 2 we knew the game was there to be won.
Rockingham had the legs on the bench to wear out our boys with the 2nd quarter going in their favour, utilising the fitness & height mismatch they looked to stretch the game. Adjustments were made with a big focus for our boys on denying the pass & restricting Rockingham options for scoring & forcing Bad percentage shots from there least likely scorers.
Half time down by 12pts & tired in the legs a special thing happened-the boys were honest with each other & as a team made a commitment to each other to push through to the end with a real underdog spirit.
That is when it was showtime!
Harrison Hart & Saxon Counsel -Outstanding & tough all game playing incredible on ball defence switching on the guards & shutting down the perimeter shooters, while setting up our plays with good assists & firing great shots up.
Jarad Miller- The Workhose! coming back from illness & not playing last week Jarad was our defensive rock down low, blocking shots, rebounding like a beast & driving the teams engine room against much bigger opponents.
Dominic Puno-The Silent Assassin
Dom goes about his business consistently every game but it was this week he stepped up his defence in the big crunch time moments with some big steals leading to scores pulling the game into a shots reach!
Riley Pabst- Your favourite players favourite player with 54pts! What a game, Leading from the start Riley pushed the team offence, motivated the team with his commitment/energy on defence & did all the right things to put the team in a winning position. The special thing is, It wasn’t Riley points scoring ability that showed just what type of player Riley is.
Yawasyaf Yohans- THE SHOT!
The game on the line, defence locks up the ball, gets the steal, transition up the court, finds Yahni in the corner, sets his feet, BANG 3Pointer!!
Although it was the shot that snatched the game it was every single possession throughout the game that led to that moment. Yahni did all the right things for his team & snatched back the game by being in the right place with a Steph Curry shot!
A special & spiritual basketball game to be apart of that has instilled a great sense of belief in the team that they belong matching up with the best of them!
Unreal Game Suns, Proud would be downplaying just how us coaches, Parents & players feel after this one!
FIRE UP SUNS!
Coach Angus
Player of the game
Riley Pabst – 54Points 11Rebounds 5Steals An incredible game from Riley, highlighting why he is one of the elite junior players in the whole state!
Other highlights
Hannah Willemse
U18 Boys Orange (Brad Coutts)
Won against Warwick Senators (82 – 81)
Coaches notes
Being down by 2 with 11 seconds left and being able to execute a SLOB quite well to leave 1.3 seconds on the clock and win the game. Trailing at quarter time by 9 and winning second quarter to get back into game.
Player of the game
Jurahan Cross playing against his old team with a lot of energy both ends, having 3 fouls at half time and staying locked in without fouling out.
Other highlights
Great minutes from the whole team which gave us the win and getting consecutive stops to get us back in the game as well as executing the final play for the win.
U18 Boys White (Rae D’Sylva)
Won against Perth Redbacks (90 – 74)
Coaches notes
Our offence was much better this week with the ball movement getting better each week. The standout was our team defence on everything we have been working on at training coming together in the game.
Player of the game
Jayden Mcclure . The hustle Jayden brings to every game is incredible and this week his rebounding and defence was his best game so far. His points did not show on the score board but to have such a big impact towards the win on the defensive end is a attribute to any team.
Other highlights
The boys are starting to gel better as a team.
U18 Boys Blue (Tyron Neill)
Loss against Perth Redbacks (52 – 102)
U20 Boys Black (Lochy Brown)
Loss against Rockingham Flames (77 – 107)
Coaches notes
A disappointing effort compared to the first two rounds. We lacked the team work and desire we have shown previously and Flames ran away with the game early.
Credit to the boys for picking up the effort in the second half and playing the game out.
Player of the game
Noah Jacques – Noah led the way in transition and defence which are the areas we value the most on this team.
U20 Boys Orange (Cooper Lowe)
Loss against Perry Lakes Hawks (100 – 121)
Coaches notes
I wasn’t able to be there due to NBL1 commitments, but it’s pleasing to see a great offensive output scoring 100 points. Now we just need to focus on our team rebounding and not giving teams second and third chance points to keep their scoreboard ticking over.
Player of the game
This weeks player of the game goes to Jed Jones, a very solid display of 17 points in his 150th game for the club.