WABL Wrap – Week 7 – 2/06/24

WABL Wrap Week 7 – 2/06/24

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:

Yasmin Rammal (U14 Girls) – Player of the game this week is Yasmin Rammal. “Don’t let number 11 get the ball” was the instruction overheard from the opposition coach and it became clear that they were denying her anything inside. Yas adjusted her game and knocked down 2 in a row from deep at the end of the first quarter. She chipped in 8 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 7 steals and 1 block. While Yas contributes similar numbers to the stat sheet each week, today she was our leader on and off the court. She controlled the pace of our offense, calmed things down when we needed to find the right shot and dished out “emergency hugs” when her teammates were struggling. Today you showed the kind of leader you can be and I’m super proud of you.

Stellan Edowai (U12 Boys) – Stellan stepped up today in the absence of a starter. He moved well to get open on offence, rebounded well and utilised some nice drives to the basket to be player of the game!

U12 Girls Black – Lawrence West (Sponsored by: KTrans)

Won against Joondalup Wolves (37 – 25)

Coaches notes

Even though we came away with the win, this wasn’t a great game for our group. I’m not sure if it was the afternoon timeslot or the drive out to Joondalup but something was off. We didn’t play to our standards, and we didn’t trust our teammates.

We will re-group and move on, knowing that if we want to be successful in our division we need to be connected as a team and put in 100% effort each and every game.

When we play together we are amazing and I have full faith we will be back to form next week.

U12 Girls Orange – Lizzie Falconbridge

(Sponsored by: Clever Fox Marketing)

Won against South West Slammers (29 – 13)

U12 Girls White – Jemma Gartrell

Loss against Mandurah Magic (17 – 57)

Coaches notes

We scored more points than we have all season!

Player of the game

Chloe – she was consistently playing on ball defense with pressure, and making sure her teammates got the ball as well.

U12 Boys Black – Brad Dowd (Sponsored by: Fern Landscapes)

Won against Perry Lakes Hawks (61 – 58)

U12 Boys Orange – Lizzie Falconbridge

(Sponsored by: Alliance Engineering Consultants Pty Ltd)

Won against East Perth Eagles (65 – 53)

Coaches notes

An important win for us against the team 3rd on the ladder (1 spot below us). Our defense was a bit shaky early on but we tightened up and managed to build our lead to 20 after 3 quarters. There were some fantastic passages of play during the game with some great team passing. We just need to learn to control the ball better when we have the lead.

Player of the game

Stellan Edowai stepped up today in the absence of a starter. He moved well to get open on offence, rebounded well and utilised some nice drives to the basket to be player of the game. Spencer Massam and Levi Grey were also great today.

U12 Boys White – Ben Marks (Sponsored by: Joel Dixon)

Loss against East Perth Eagles (52 – 71)

Coaches notes

As the saying goes, it was definitely a game of two halves this week. The boys battled hard in the first half but found the size of the opposition hard to handle around the basket, with East Perth taking a handy lead into halftime. A breakdown of the scoreboard saw a long half time break, giving us the opportunity to regroup and come up with a strategy for the second half. The boys came out firing and really stepped up their defensive intensity and began to move the ball well, hitting cutters and getting to the rim with ease as the opposition big men got into foul trouble. We won the second half by 2 points which is a great sign moving forward.

A balanced scoring effort from the team this week paced by Declan with 16, Lucas M with 10 and Lucas B with 8. Ollie, Chase and Brock really put their body on the line this week diving for loose balls and winning back multiple possessions by tying the ball up for jump balls. Working on our slow starts and inbounding the ball under pressure will be the focus this week at training.

Player of the game

Declan Quayle for playing with poise and pace this week, finishing strong at the basket and also showing an improved effort on defense.

U12 Boys Blue – Declan Kinsella

Loss against East Perth Eagles (36 – 85)

U14 Girls Black – Bruno Kongawoin

(Sponsored by: SupaFit Seat Covers Pty Ltd)

Loss against Perth Redbacks (44 – 52)h

Coaches notes

We faced a mammoth challenge against the Perth Redbacks, heading into the game without the luxury of available players for substitutions. Despite the odds, our team displayed incredible determination and spirit.

In our first loss of the season, we fought valiantly, taking the lead in the second quarter and holding it until midway through the third quarter. Unfortunately, we lost Abigail to foul troubles, which put a strain on our resources. Despite this setback, we maintained a narrow 3-point lead in a seesaw battle until the middle of the fourth quarter, when Neve was sidelined due to injury. Nevertheless, we continued to fight with only four players on the court.

The game highlighted the importance of maintaining possession and minimising unforced turnovers, areas where both mental and physical fatigue took its toll on us.

Benwech Kuach continued to be our beacon on both ends of the court, proving unstoppable in the open court. She was supported by the whole team defensively and offensively.

Amber Brickwood was our unsung heroine, responding to my calls for no-second shots by challenging many of the balls in the air. Despite her outstanding effort, we were out-rebounded. However, the girls remained in good spirits. I’m very proud of their hard-fought battle.

Next week, we face the Hills Raiders in what promises to be another intense derby. We will continue to focus on our game plan, consolidating individual tactics, and playing our flowing game.

Player of the game

The Player of the Game this week is Neve Spry. Her effort and resilience were admirable, earning her the votes. Neve’s tenacity in going after loose balls and closing passing lanes for interceptions demonstrated the high level of activity I seek in a player. Well done, Neve…

U14 Girls Orange – Lawrence West (Sponsored by: Genesis Craft)

Won against South West Slammers (50 – 48)

Coaches notes

This game has been circled on our calendar since Slammers beat us at grading by 1 point with a buzzer beater 3! Slammers are undefeated and sitting firmly on the top of the ladder, so we knew we were in for a tough game.

A couple of nervous possessions initially allowed Slammers to get off to a small lead, however it wasn’t long until we were able to find our composure and held a 3 point lead heading into the half time break. Early foul trouble came back to haunt us in the 2nd half, however the girls adjusted well and worked together to keep up our defensive pressure.

It’s really pleasing to see that nearly every week we have a different top scorer, with points shared throughout our entire team. This shows we are developing a well-rounded squad capable of adjusting to whatever the game throws at us. This was evident this week: every time the Slammers took away one of our scoring options, someone else stepped up to keep our offense working.

Player of the game

Honourable mention this week goes to Dani Simmons. Each week Dani shows us more of her potential. She led us in scoring with 14 points, recorded 4 assists and 4 steals. Most impressive to me was her desire to rebound (8), working hard to earn those crucial extra possessions and shot attempts. Well done mate!

Player of the game this week is Yasmin Rammal. “Don’t let number 11 get the ball” was the instruction overheard from the opposition coach and it became clear that they were denying her anything inside. Yas adjusted her game and knocked down 2 in a row from deep at the end of the first quarter. She chipped in 8 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 7 steals and 1 block.

While Yas contributes similar numbers to the stat sheet each week, today she was our leader on and off the court. She controlled the pace of our offense, calmed things down when we needed to find the right shot and dished out “emergency hugs” when her teammates were struggling.

Today you showed the kind of leader you can be and I’m super proud of you.

U14 Girls White (Rick Anderson)

Won against Rockingham Flames (51 – 43)

Coaches notes

Early on, the girls’ synergy and off-ball movement was impressive and had the defense unsure where to look. Our full court pressure translated to leak-out fastbreak baskets. When we settled into our halfcourt offense, the Flames had some tall players to block up the middle. Despite their size, our Suns fought hard on the boards securing valuable possessions. In the first half we caught fire from range, sinking 4 of 4 three-point shots, including an end of half buzzer beater.

In the second half the Flames clawed their way back, from being behind 15 to just 6 points. We knew what was required. Our players stepped up and finished the game, controlling the pace and getting the job done by locking down their offense and by securing the ball.

We also had an opportunity to play our development players, Sienna Hall and Sophie Calvert. They played their game, executing assigned roles as asked. Abby Duggan also stepped up, providing valued firepower off the bench.

Player of the game

Bonnie Clark: Bonnie came back from an ankle injury sustained last round and delivered a killer game. She was a menace on defence, creating turnovers with her intense ball pressure. Bonnie managed to score in an array of ways. She scored off 2 feet with step throughs, banged in shots from range and got herself to the line, scoring a game high 15 points. Amazing way to lead us to a great win, Bonnie!

U14 Girls Blue – Adam Chambers

(Sponsored by: Newtrend IT Specialists Pty Ltd)

Loss against Lakeside Lightning (25 – 51)

Coaches notes

Today was always going to be tough, coming up against a very good undefeated Lakeside team that have beat every team by over 30 points each week. We only had 8 players because of sickness, but we didn’t let that stop us from taking it to Lakeside.

If it wasn’t for our missed shots and 10 turnovers which gave Lakeside 20 points the game could have ended differently. We kept Lakeside to their lost score and lowest winning margin for the season. Next time we will give it to them and hopefully get the win.

Unfortunately like most weeks we have little periods of game time where we leak easy fast points which puts games out of our reach. Once we can control that, results will go our way and confidence will grow.

Abbie had another great game at both ends of the court putting up 14 points and stopping many more.

Indi was again full of energy and made life tough for Lakeside.

Chelsea came into the game and played solid against lakesides bigs and wouldn’t give them an inch.

Player of the game

Chloe gave her teammates and her coaches everything she had today and left nothing on the court. Her high pressure defense and fast pace offence caused Lakeside trouble all game. She combined with her team mates to setup many plays and she was the reason we scored what we scored.

U14 Boys Black – Adrian Mok (Sponsored by: SWISH Plan Management)

Loss against Warwick Senators (56 – 67)

U14 Boys Orange – Patrick Massam (Sponsored by: Pacific Automation Pty Ltd)

Won against Perth Redbacks (60- 49)

Coaches notes

Defense won the game this weekend! The 1, 2 and 3 man kept intense pressure on the ball right from each inbound, really slowing and jamming the opposition up. Then the 4 – 5 man forcing some bad shots in the key, all great work!

The rebounding at both ends was well and truly in our favour with all the big men really dominating this part of the game.

Mix in some better transition passing (compared to a few previous games) and getting the jump on the opposition defense, the team really had control.

This win hopefully shows the team what intensity and effort is needed to give this division a real crack, and reaching roughly the halfway mark, I’m looking forward to the boys facing these teams again.

Player of the game

Alijah Acabado – He really fired up this week, awesome defense, great passing and playing through some bad calls not letting it influence his game – great work!

A special mention to Zayde McGough, very hard to split your effort with Alijah the two of you being the smallest on the court are absolute weapons!

U14 Boys White – Joel Warner

Loss against Perth Redbacks (43 – 49)

Coaches notes

It was nice to be home for the second week in a row, although the game result didn’t go as planned. We met a very polished Redbacks Black outfit who humbled the Suns White Team in a few areas. We had a game plan to keep one prolific scorer to a low return, and that was very successful (his total return was only 4 points), so credit to Asten and Billy who performed well with their assignment. We won two quarters, Redbacks Black won two quarters. Overall though, we lost the arm wrestle, largely due to a poor fourth quarter, where we only managed to score 3 points to their 11. To lose a close game and to play below our ability means we should turn and look for the positives, rather than get hung up on the negatives… We should acknowledge our errors and address them, but move onto the positives quickly. So, on the plus-side, we were able to play both of our Development Players, and neither disappointed. Coach James and I were very impressed with Will, who showed his big motor and desire to play within our offensive and defensive systems. I would like to credit Will for playing Team first basketball and asking great questions throughout the game to ensure he know his role. Artin got another run this week and again, gave us a spark off the bench. The loss this week was not due to having players absent at all. We had a Team that could have won the game, there is no question about that. We will focus on what we can improve at practice on Tuesday, but in short – we were not at our best mentally and we disengaged with the game-plan at important junctures. We had a poor week managing the basketball, finishing the game with an unacceptable 23 turnovers. That demonstrates we were inattentive and unfocused. Further, we were very poor in the rebounding category this week, with no where near enough contributors. I am very much looking forward to playing Redbacks Black again, as our total Team score was uncharacteristically low and I believe, as I expect the players do, that we can play much better than we did on Sunday. Back to practice on Tuesday to improve.

Player of the game

This week we had big contributions from Reuben, who played disciplined defence and won his match-up. Reuben also hit the scoreboard for 12 points, which in context is a lot, given our Team only scored 43. Asten too, scored well, top scoring with 14 and finding the basket at important times. Billy communicated well, as he does each week, and Ethan wore his heart on his sleeve, even though it wasn’t his day. Sam was one of only a few who scrapped and played over screens, which was an instruction given to the whole Team. This week though, Chad is a deserved winner of our Player of the Round. Chad has been building over the last few weeks and he had a great game on Sunday, dishing out six assists and pinching two steals. Court spacing is a big part of our offence and Chad again, found the players in the right spots, and as always – asked intelligent questions throughout the game. I also loved Chad’s fighting spirit this week, playing motivator when we were challenged. Not too much went to plan on Sunday, but Chad certainly met expectations and should be very proud of his contribution to the Team. Great game Chad, but an even better example as a leader, remaining positive when the Team is down. *Special note to Phoenix who fought with everything he had this week, despite his rough treatment.

U14 Boys Blue – Yi Gan (Sponsored by: Excess Power Equipment)

Won against Cockburn Cougars (42 – 35)

Coaches notes

We travelled to Wally Hagan for an 8 am game. Given our past experiences with early games, it wasn’t surprising that the score remained 2-2 for the first four minutes. Despite our slow start offensively, our defense this week prevented us from falling into a large deficit as we did last week. Kobe came off the bench and provided the much-needed offensive spark, helping us secure a 9-4 lead by the end of the first quarter.

Our offense started to click as we built a solid 17-point lead. The trio of Christian, Isaac F, and Isaac T, who had practiced together on Thursday, had an impressive 7-8 minute stretch between the 3rd and 4th quarters. Isaac Falconbridge, in particular, elevated his game with improved ball handling, poise, and effective pick-and-roll passes.

It’s worth noting that Isaac had previously struggled with fatigue late in games, leading to consecutive turnovers. Seeing him now control his game and limit himself to just one turnover (as far as I recall) is a remarkable improvement.

Adam celebrated his 50th WABL appearance with yet another consistent performance. His attitude has been exceptional, demonstrating a strong willingness to learn and showcasing impressive footwork while fearlessly crashing the boards. This season, he is to us what Brodie was to our team last year in terms of rebounding.

Overall, the team played cohesively, displaying evident love and support for each other. Even when I’m pushing them hard, all I hear is their encouragement for their teammates. The balance of tough coaching and mutual support is truly beautiful.

The game felt secure throughout, even though we won by only 7 points. We always seemed in control, allowing more court time for players who usually see less action in tighter games.

I did make one mistake when the game got close. Instead of putting in Falconbridge, who was having his best game in terms of basketball IQ, I reverted to the familiarity of Kobe. I regret not seeing how Falconbridge would have performed in a close game.

Looking ahead, our game against Mandurah in two weeks promises to be a tight contest. I’m eager to give Falconbridge the opportunity to play in that challenging environment, allowing him to grow, make mistakes, and learn from them.

Player of the game

Isaac Falconbridge – It’s certainly been an interesting season for Isaac. Our focus has been on rebuilding his confidence, and while he had been making gradual progress, this Sunday felt like a major breakthrough for him, transforming those small steps into a giant leap forward.

U16 Girls Black – Stewart Winsor & Elijah Gray

Won against Joondalup Wolves (63 – 54)

Coaches notes

Today the girls travelled to Joondalup for a late game which is always going to be tough and they exploded out to a 20-5 lead at quarter time through hard work and playing OUR game.

The 2nd and 3rd quarter was a bit of a tussle because we slacked off in defense and when the lead got low, the girls picked up the pressure again which turned into quick points. It was a little frustrating to watch but the girls were smiling and having fun so the coaches were happy to sit back and watch.

4th quarter saw us again get out to a nice lead early then let the game play out to get a 9 point win to stay undefeated at the half way point of the season.

Addi scored her first WABL points from an open jump shot.

Rachel continued to grow as a basketballer getting 7 valuable points.

Asha, Jazmin, George and Kaia were strong in defense, shut down any Joondalup players that came into the paint.

Another great game with a close result not falling our way! The boys are building week by week and it’s wonderful to see! There were moments in the game where we could’ve given up, but the boys were determined to fight and claw their way back into it, which impressed Brock and myself!!

Notable mentions:

Koen – after some struggles in the first half and foul trouble Koen took onboard some advice from Brock and was instrumental in our comeback in the last quarter. Well done!

Tom – a veteran on the team and came up big hitting a few bombs from deep when the team needed it. He played with emotion on defense and never gave up. Well done!

Keep your heads up lads, close losses are hard but we are doing everything right and building week by week.
Stick with it and the results will come.
#FIREUP

Player of the game

Justin Morgan – as previously mentioned this young man had a rocky start to the season and as he’s built confidence in himself and his teammates, we’ve seen him shine as a promising guard for this club scoring a team high 24 and keeping the offence going when we needed. Well done Justin!

U20 Boys Black – Lochy Brown

Loss against Cockburn Cougars (86 – 101)

Coaches notes

A great first half in control on both ends of the floor. Unfortunately we could not sustain that focus and when given the chance, Cockburn took the game over and we couldn’t get it back.

A lack of cohesion on the offensive side really stood out. A problem that needs to be addressed if we want to achieve the consistency we need for success.

Player of the game

Riley Pabst – Hard to split the two guards this round however after a tough conversation with Riley following last weeks game, he stepped up to the plate.

Attacking the game from the jump ball, Riley took every opportunity he had. Rarely making a bad decision with the ball and aggressively attacking the ring, which led to him being rewarded more often than not.

U21 Girls Black – Lizel Buckley

Loss against Cockburn Cougars (73 – 92)