WABL Wrap Week 6 – 28/05/23
Round 4
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:
May Cooper (U12 Girls) – May Cooper – Followed our game strategy defensively and played her role to help setup the margin so we could give our bench a bit more of a run. Her extra practice at home is now showing on the court, never stop working and the results will come.
Taye Gopolang (U14 Boys) – Taye Gopolang – Week by week he is getting more comfortable with the team and we can now see the all his hard work pay off. Teaming up with AJ on the defensive end they caused plenty of steals, deflections and loose balls to lead to easy layups. Can’t wait to see how much he grows with more training, very exciting future to come.
U12 Girls Black (Lawrence West)
Won against Lakeside Lightning (47 – 25)
Coaches notes
After a disappointing performance last week, the team were challenged to show up big and prove we wanted it more… and we absolutely did! I could not be happier with our work as a team and attention to our focus points (offensive rebounds and foul discipline). The girls recorded both a season high in offensive rebounds and season low in fouls!!
Lakeside just couldn’t get momentum; every shot was contested and every rebound hard earned. Any chance at a run was suffocated by our excellent defensive pressure and desire for rebounds, resulting in them single digit scoring each quarter.
Our energy was fantastic and we played a great team game of basketball, with big contributions from everyone. When we are locked in we are a problem to defend with multiple scoring threats and the creative passing we showcased today was fantastic.
Player of the game
Yasmin Rammal – Yas brings the fire every week and is always a candidate for this award. This week was no different with 12 points (50% from 3pt), 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks. She locked in on our focus points and did whatever was required, including bringing great energy and cheering on her teammates from the bench – well done superstar!
U12 Girls Orange (Lizzie Falconbridge)
Won against East Perth Eagles (25 – 11)
Coaches notes
Fantastic team work and defense for the the majority of the game, holding the opposition down to 3 points for the first 3 quarters.
Great leadership from Harper, even though she played with foul trouble for most of the game she still lead our defensive charge – LOVE YOUR WORK!!!
Rejoice was pivotal on both ends of the court grabbing rebounds, blocking shots and finding open teammates for the right shot (make or miss).
Eloise lead our offence by always getting down the court and getting into the right positions, just need to finish off better by not rushing the shot. Next game I would love to see her put more effort on the defensive end to lock down oppositions ball handlers.
Player of the game
May Cooper – Followed our game strategy defensively and played her role to help setup the margin so we could give our bench a bit more of a run. Her extra practice at home is now showing on the court, never stop working and the results will come.
U12 Girls White (Bruno Kongawoin)
Won against Lakeside Lightning (38 – 22)
Coaches notes
The team is coming together and everyone hitting the floor contributed. We had an interesting game and a convincing win even though we played crappy basketball in the third quarter by rushing squabbling our lead and putting ourselves under pressure. It was good to see that we could play under pressure.
Game like this is where we really need to slow down and do our teamwork specially on defense. This will will help us get better and perform more effectively against stronger teams.
Player of the game
Sophie Calvert – Sophie showed resilience and her ability to go after the ball defensively today was second to none. She listened and executed her role offensively as instructed.
U12 Boys Black (Lizzie Falconbridge)
Loss against Southwest Slammers (41 – 81)
Coaches notes
Back down in Bunbury this week. We unfortunately had three players out with sickness, which was tough. However, our remaining 7 players ran a brilliant game, defence was excellent. Transition down the court let us down a little, we were over dribbling, not looking for the pass and brought the ball down the sideline rather than the centre. The other team was playing a running game. Shot selection, particularly in 2nd and 3rd quarter also let us down a little. The score really didn’t reflect the effort that the boys put into the game.
We’re really proud of the boys perseverance and ability to hold their heads up high and still put 100% in. They didn’t give up the whole way through, which really shows the maturity of our players.
A huge thanks again to our wonderfully positive and supportive parents.
Runner up coaches award this week went to Isaac Falconbridge. Isaac has been training really hard and stepped it up as soon as he set foot on the court this week. He played strong and aggressive defence, pouncing on the ball.
Player of the game
Boo Garlett was our player of the round this week. Boo went onto the court with such great focus and energy. He sunk 2 standout three pointers, which really lifted the energy of the whole team.
U12 Boys Orange (Tim Hart)
Loss against Warwick Senators (23 – 56)
Coaches notes
The team encountered a zone defence (which varied between a 1-2-2 and box and 1) for the first time this season. Having most of the Senators team already in the keyway to block dribble-drives, deny cutter passes, and rebound made it difficult to score. Senators also transitioned well off the offensive rebound, we had some difficulty slowing the ball and getting to basket. The next time we meet with this Senators team we will hopefully show improved performance against a zone defence, more competition for rebounds, and we will defend in transition better. We saw the difference that height and positioning make for rebounds – Senators grabbed 63 rebounds to Suns 18. Our turnover count was a season low (7), as well as the relative gap (8) vs the oppositions 15. We also had a season high defensive jump ball count of 6, showing a desire to take the ball when it is in reach.
Player of the game
Darragh, for contributing 25% of our team total rebounds and making good shot and pass decisions this week. Darragh worked hard to get positioning in front of his player, and demonstrated patience and poise with the ball. Darragh shot 2/4 from the field, 2/2 (100%) from the foul line, he had an assist, steal, and a defensive jump ball.
U12 Boys White (Patrick Massam)
Loss against Southwest Slammers (29 – 43)
Coaches notes
This week we made the trip to Bunbury to take on the Southwest Slammers. A number of players and their families enjoying some downtime in Bunbury the night before. And the kids surviving the pool on a cold day and electric scooters at night!
The Suns played a good game, many a proud coaching moment watching the boys orchestrate what they have been learning at training more consistently and sustaining it through all four quarters of a game. Had there been a soundtrack it would have been a masterpiece.
The boys were pulling the trigger in the right spots, but we did find it hard to hit the target in the dark. Bunbury had dimmed the lights so as not to startle the parents recovering from the early morning drive.
It was another battle of the giants against a Slammers team with a couple of key players who played smart, although struggled to run the gauntlet of feisty Suns players in the second half who were determined to get in amongst the valley of the giants.
Was great to see all the players take their game to a new level, and we remain excited to see how they continue to build from here as a team.
Congrats to Thomas Morrice who was awarded our player of the game for a consistent all-round game.
Some of the most competitive action of the weekend though was found at Timezone with a couple of young Mum’s battling it out on the pac-man air hockey!! I can see where the boys get their competitive nature from….
Next week we are on the road again to take on the Mandurah Magic
Player of the game
Thomas Morrice who was awarded our player of the game for a consistent all round game.
U14 Boys Blue (Dave Yan)
Won against Rockingham Flames (49 – 36)
Coaches notes
We started the game on the back foot, and were down by 6 before even 2 minutes had come off the clock. The 2nd qrt was no different, and we had our biggest deficit of 10 when Kobe went down with a game ending injury. Heading into half time down 6 was a positive, losing Kobe to an injury with Rylan on 4 fouls.. de ja vu all over again.
The difference was.. the boys responded to the spray of their life. They stop feeling sorry for themselves, they were demanded to get out there and play with renewed energy and that we must have the lead by the end of the 3rd.
And O M G… did the boys came out firing. the switch was truly flicked … and soon a 6 point deficit became a tied ball game. And as we kept pounding the floor diving every where ripping the ball out.. Rockingham were rattled.. you could see it. Our boys just kept hammering away aggresively on defense.. giving up 27 in the first up and 9 in the second half.
This shows we are absolutely capable of playing high standard basketball.. there is no excuse going forward for the boys to not sustain this effort. A Stand out performance from Josh on the glass and on the floor.. finally getting fouled out.. showing that he is willing to get physical.
A great win.. there was more to take away.. but in short.. the boys turned into men that second half.. and now we need to keep them that way.
Special mention to Preston, the tide swung our way when he stole an inbound to score consecutive baskets, and he kept the score ticking over and over in that 3rd qrt to build us the lead.
Player of the game
Josh Butler – had arguably his best game of the season to date. It’s taken a while, but you could see that he really came out in that second half a different person. If we had highlights of that second half he would be in about 80% of it.. not just scoring but rebounding, stealing, hustling. It’s been a long time coming and he thoroughly deserved the player of the game.
Other highlights
We learnt (both opposition coach and myself) that under 2 minutes we can no longer dribbling the game out. Glad we learnt this now rather then later down the season 🙂
U14 Girls Black (Andrew Herbert)
Loss against East Perth Eagles (38 – 54)
Coaches notes
This week the girls played the the ladder leading East Perth team and we focused on getting a fast start to avoid chasing the score board as has been the case in recent weeks. Unfortunately, this didn’t eventuate and we were down 12 at the first break after a sluggish start. In a complete change of momentum, the team showed what they are capable of, holding the Eagles to 2 points in the second quarter, and erasing the deficit to go into the half with score level. The come back was based on pressure, effort and execution. After an arm wrestle in the third, Eagles pulled away to eventually win by 16.
Player of the game
This week the player of the round goes to Charlotte Herbert. Charlotte dominated both ends of the floor, protecting the house against a physical Eagles team and contributing an impressive 24 points in a game where we lacked offensive impact. Charlotte is a great example of getting rewards on Sundays for the hard work she is putting in off the court during the week. Terrific effort Charlotte!.
U14 Girls Orange (Adam Brickwood)
Loss against Perry Lakes Hawks (30 – 36)
Coaches notes
A much better game from our team this week, our focus this week was to get to the basket more and put pressure on the defence. We started the game with much great composure and were able to stick to the game plan which saw us leading in the first half.
In the second half Perry Lakes were able to gather momentum and shoot a better percentage than us which ultimately was the difference in the game.
Player of the game
Matilda Little – her ability to protect the basket and rebounding was crucial for us and then offensively put a lot of pressure on the defence with her attack on the basket.
U14 Girls White(Daniel Heyman)
Loss against Perry Lakes Hawks (31 – 36)
Coaches notes
We played a fantastic game from beginning to end but struggled against a towering team who utilised their size advantage to get the edge. We had moments when our full court defense limited their ability to advance the ball and get into their offense. Our pressure held us in the game until the end where we failed to get the ball to drop and get the go ahead basket. Our second half effort showed the growth in our team since the beginning of the season.
Special mentions go to Lillian Tarai for her defensive leadership and to our bigs who fought hard throughout, battling in the paint. Despite the loss, it was not a disappointing game from the team. We held strong, but just couldn’t get it done against a tough team of tall timber.
Player of the game
Jaeda Aliphon. Jaeda was outstanding in her ability to continually attack the key and score against a very tough defensive team. Jaeda’s aggressive approach for her to the free throw line, where she converted 6 of her attempts. Her energy and effort on both ends kept us in what was a tough battle to the end.
U14 Girls Blue (Tamara Reeves)
Won against Mandurah Magic (44 – 26)
U14 Boys Black (Shannon Trew)
Won against Perry Lakes Hawks (61 – 50)
Coaches notes
A good win by the boys against a previously-undefeated Perry Lakes squad, in a cold, early game at Bendat. With the Hawks showing signs of having figured out our press late in the first quarter, the team reverted to half-court D for the rest of game, displaying discipline and real effort throughout. Offensively, the boys were effective in transition when the opportunities arose, ran their half-court offence selflessly, and looked after the ball with very few turnovers. The team moves to 5-1 on the season.
In a game with many contributors, Bailey Ryan, Raymond Tafira, Aiden Avila and Cash Surin all did strong work on the defensive end. Ray, in particular, did great work holding the Hawks’ normal leading scorer to only 6 points for the game, while Bailey dominated on the boards. As always, Tanzeke Edgar powered the team at both ends at the court from the PG spot.
Player of the game
Bailey Ryan – led by example with 25 points, a metric ton of defensive rebounds, and disciplined, vertical defence
U14 Boys Orange (Adrian Mok)
Won against Lakeside Lightning (48 – 43)
Coaches notes
Our first game with a healthy roster and awesome to see the chemistry getting better every week. The defensive effort was back at the level we are used to playing, with full court pressure the whole game and everyone crashing the boards.
Leyton showed great leadership on both ends, attacking when needed but also making the right pass to find open shooters. The most pleasing aspect was to see him channeling his emotions during the game in a positive way.
Having AJ back healthy for the first time this season was not only great for the team defensively but also on the other end of the court. Always settles the team down and get the boys to run our sets to get the best shot off, he now needs to look after his body not only physically but mentally as well to be at his best every week.
Player of the game
Taye Gopolang – Week by week he is getting more comfortable with the team and we can now see the all his hard work pay off. Teaming up with AJ on the defensive end they caused plenty of steals, deflections and loose balls to lead to easy layups. Can’t wait to see how much he grows with more training, very exciting future to come.
U14 Boys White (Joel Warner)
Bye Round
U14 Boys Blue (Hayden Bird)
Won against Joondalup Wolves (56 – 30)
Coaches notes
We are really coming together as a squad. Playing more team ball and passing the ball.
As a group we are starting to realise if we continue to play our game and keep our tempo we take the game away form the opposition, being a stronger and tougher team!
Player of the game
Seth Londsdale, Seth was the only big on the floor and played just about every minute! His big time blocks and strong paint defense kept the other teams score down helping us to a bigger Margain win! Seth’s put his body on the line every game diving for balls while maintaing incredible sportsmanship! Definitely well earned, great job Seth!
U16 Girls Black (Charlie Smart)
Loss against Southwest Slammers (50 – 67)
Coaches notes
After a difficult few weeks it was great to see the girls come together and play the way we know they can especially for the first half. Their ball movement and teamwork saw them lead the game until early into the third where slammers went on unanswered scoring run and saw them at the line way too often. Unfortunately we lost a couple of players due to injuries and foul trouble which completely changed the dynamic of the game undoing the hard work and commitment from the first half and we struggled to maintain composure after slammers turned on the pressure and played with more physicality. All in all the girls supported each other throughout and we look forward to another home game this weekend.
Player of the game
Really difficult this week as multiple girls deserve to be acknowledged. However, from a work hard, committed perspective and the fact she kept going even though she was subjected to some pretty physical contact, im going to give it Elissa. You couldn’t fault her effort both ends of the court and she kept her head high throughout the entire game. Elissa never gave up chasing the ball, had some great drives, positioned herself and was diligent in executing everything that was being asked of her. Elissa was always there for her teammates and her consistent encouragement and positivity drove the team to step up and work together. Great work Ellissa.
U16 Girls Orange (Shannon Trew)
Won against Cockburn Cougars (73 – 53)
Coaches notes
What a great win by the girls today down at a very chilly Wally Hagan. The girls needed to start well against a very tough Cockburn team and that they did. They had thawed out quickly and were full of energy early and jumped on every loose pass and made Cockburn pay.
Every player was fighting hard for their team mates and our lead slowly kept growing. There wasn’t anything the girls wouldn’t do- Rebounds, loose balls, interceptions and steals.
3rd qtr time we were up by 16 and the girls could have chilled/relaxed but they all said let’s get it to 20 points and they did, Cockburn had some chances to score late and the girls were ruthless and took pride in their targets.
Another game where Energy, Effort and a positive Attitude got us the win. Lots to work on to keep improving and I know the girls will continue to surprise themselves and their opponents!
Player of the game
Annaliese Fido had her best game in offence and defence this season. Every game she is building and working hard on her game to be the best team mates she can be. She fights hard every week to improve and wears her heart on her sleeve. 13 points and zero fouls, countless rebounds and hustle for loose balls helped her team mates counter attack down the court for easy baskets.. Keep up the hard work and there is no limit to your abilities.
U16 Boys Black (Brad Dowd)
Loss against Willeton Tigers (74 – 85)
Coaches notes
Another great game from the boys, super proud of their effort. We were up against the top, undefeated team and we were in front for about 35mins, but just couldn’t get over the line. The game came down to experience and Willetton just had more of it and knuckled down in the final few minutes. Our defense wreaked havoc though, with 20 steals and our new offence worked rather well for the first real try of it. A lot of great points to take away from the game and lessons learned. The team is definitely heading in the right direction, hang in there everyone.
Player of the game
Jarron Atterton wins player of the round after another solid performance. Jarron has been on the cusp of receiving this the past few games, so well deserved this round. Jarron is a powerhouse down both ends of the court and I am really enjoying watching him grow as an athlete.
U16 Boys Orange (Rob Rees)
Won against Warwick Senators (71 – 57)
Coaches notes
Great defense after being down by 17 after the first quarter we came back to win by 14
Player of the game
Joshua Mahama
U16 Boys White (Jordon Macpherson)
Won against Hills Raiders (96 – 86)
Coaches notes
Well, what can I say…that was all heart, we never gave up!
I was actually speechless after the game and have had to reflect for a while on what happened yesterday.
I am so impressed with these young men and yesterdays effort. I am a big believer that sport is an way to introduce life’s challenges to kids in a controlled environment and this performance when facing the adversity of a 17pt margin at half time shows me that these guys will all go far in life!
Every single team member contributed to the win.
“Defence wins games” and “trust yourself and your team mates” are the take aways from this one.
From the coaches stand point, as a team we are still very raw and building on our strong base is my focus moving forward.
My shoutout goes to every player today, even those who couldn’t play due to injury or illness as they have played a big part in getting our team to this point.
A couple of standouts are –
Lionel – controlling the ball and being aggressive to the bucket as asked.
Milan – doing Milan things, getting us back into the game controlling the boards.
Riley – playing out of his skin, AGAIN! While having a rolled ankle and a big glute cork all occurring during the game.
Jax, Keelan and Caedan for executing their defensive assignments. Well done lads!
Player of the game
Our player of the week is Roman Dowd. Roman has been working hard behind the scenes and it payed off in this game. He was aggressive to the paint, playing his role well and worked tirelessly in his match up defence. Roman exceeded my expectations when coming back from a significant injury. Well done Roman you did your team proud yesterday.
U16 Boys Blue (Luke Poyner)
Loss against Rockingham Flames (58 – 65)
Coaches notes
We had a fantastic start to the game – the boys showed how effective they can be when playing as a team. We had two solid quarters of basketball with great defensive pressure and working the ball well offensively to be up by 12 points at half time. Unfortunately we were unable to maintain the level of intensity and great teamwork to bring the win home.
Player of the game
Aiden Scott stepped up and showed some great hustle and determination on the court. Great rebounding inside, blocks, steals and with some selfless assists saw Aiden get numbers in every stat category including 11 points for the day.
U18 Girls Black (Travis Linaker)
Loss against Southwest Slammers (36 – 87)
Coaches notes
Another week that the scoreboard really doesn’t show what the feeling is on the court.
It is hard for the girls at the moment but I am really proud of their determination to stick with it as we again showed we can compete holding the Slammers to a 7 point second quarter but we just can’t find the way to make our own scoreboard tick over at the level it needs to.
These girls can really play and every week we have 1,2 or 3 quarters where we really dominate the opposition but we just have not yet found the gel to keep everyone on track for the amount of time it takes to win at this level.
I have always believed in this team and their ability and I know that it will come together and once it does watch out!
Player of the game
Fearne Van Beek gets my award this week as she really stepped up and played tough in the paint, looking forward to see what she brings moving forward
U18 Girls Orange (Ric Batista)
Bye Round
U18 Boys Black (Lachie Riley / Angus Hywood)
Won against Southwest Slammers (79 – 76)
Coaches notes
After struggling on numbers we finally had a healthy amount of players this week (9 players). Seven of which scored 8 points and over. Given our varying numbers each week, our team chemistry does face highs and lows but we were able to work together well enough to walk away with a win.
Player of the game
Dominic Puno. Dom is an elite defender who can guard all positions well. This game he added a level of offence that was very exciting to watch and play with. Working with his team, he was able to find and shoot good shots. An addition of a steals in the front court resulted in easy fast break buckets.
U18 Boys Orange (Brad Coutts)
Loss against Cockburn Cougars (78 – 67)
Coaches notes
Positives were playing through a lot of inconsistent calls. Competed against another good side without getting the points.
Player of the game
A lot of even performers this week so will hold the player of the round this week.
U18 Boys White (Rae D’Sylva)
Loss against Mandurah Magic (68 – 86)
Coaches notes
We played 3 quarters of great basketball where the boys played with high intensity and good ball movement.
Player of the game
Lucas Chaplin – Lucas had a good offencive game and had a few really big blocks on defence .
U18 Boys Blue (Tyron Neill)
Loss against Perth Redbacks (61 – 95)
U20 Boys Black (Lochy Brown)
Loss against Perry Lakes Hawks (97 – 105)
Coaches notes
A great team effort against a very talented team. The boys fought all the way to the end and pushed the other team until the final minute. All players affected the game wether they were scoring or not.
Player of the game
Ryan Coutts – We talk in our team about going “back to the well” when something works and this game it was Ryan. Dominated his matchups, worked hard to get others open and was rewarded with the ball. Great game
U20 Boys Orange (Cooper Lowe)
Loss against Perth Redbacks (70 – 73)
Coaches notes
Disappointing to lose after taking care of them with ease round 1. Goes to show we need to rock up every week and not take any team for granted. Thank you to Brock for stepping up in my absence.
Player of the game
Nathan Darr is this weeks player of the round, leading with 20 points and improving on the defensive end too.