WABL Wrap Week 9 – 19/6/22
Round 9 – Some tough match ups this week. Awesome to see more and more of our WABL teams NBL1 mentors
All of our “Player of the Game” superstars will receive a FREE PIZZA from our friends at Domino’s Kalamunda – Thanks Guys!
Players of the round:
Josh Rechichi (U14 Boys) – Coming back from injury and hit the ground running. Exhibited good hustle and showed great commitment to teamwork and followed coaching instructions well.
Hannah Willemse (U16 Girls) – This young lady is in her first WABL season and each week she is showing great improvement both ends of the floor. Hannah is really starting to play her roll in owning the paint and crashing the boards. I’m excited to see what level Hannah can get to as she puts 110% every time she hits the floor.
U12 GIRLS (LAWRENCE WEST)
Won against Joondalup Wolves (49 – 21)
COACHES NOTES
This week our mission was “calm”, blocking out all distractions and focusing on what we can control. Once again the girls did not disappoint, keeping our cool throughout a very physical game. We were aggressive on offense, improved our shot percentage (giving up good shots for great shots), hit our free throws and took care of the ball with a significant drop in turnovers from the last few weeks. We are becoming a confident, well-rounded team who refuse to be pushed around!
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Every week is tough but this time I just couldn’t split it. I challenged both of these young ladies to step up in their roles and give a bit more, and boy did they deliver.
Taneika was an absolute menace on defense, applying constant pressure and making the extra effort every time. On offense she was aggressive and took advantage of the opportunities the defense presented.
Lily took a massive step forward this week with strong rebounds, great positioning and a confidence that we haven’t seen before. I’m sure this is just the beginning for these superstars – nice work!
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Every week I agonise over the above picks, which is an absolutely fantastic problem to have. The whole team showed up strong again this week, but in particular it was great to see Jenny show real commitment to executing the plan and Neve for hitting our first 3 of the season!
U12 BOYS (LIZZIE FALCONBRIDGE)
Won against Mandurah Magic (81 – 27)
COACHES NOTES
The starters set the tone from the tip with their unselfish passing on the offensive end and tenacious defence. The bench players came on with the same mind set and it showed on the court, great to see all the players have plenty of court time. Mandurah unfortunately only had 6 players due to COVID but their boys played till the very last second. Wishing the boys out a speedy recovery and good luck to the whole team for the rest of the season.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
We would like to acknowledge all the boys for their hard work at training and understanding their roles on the team. The chemistry is getting better every week and this should only improve as the season gets longer, from a coaches perspective its pleasing to see the hard work pay off for the boys. Only half way through and we have plenty of work to do so we can finish off the season strong.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
A big THANK YOU to all the parents who taxi the boys to training and games – we understand that getting up at 6am on a Sunday morning isn’t the easiest. You guys are the real MVP’s (Most Valuable Parents). We appreciate everyone cheering for the whole team during games and letting us, as coaches, do our job.
U12 BOYS (JOEL WARNER)
Loss against Joondalup Wolves (29 – 34)
COACHES NOTES
The scoring spread is again a positive for our Team. We don’t have any high-volume scorers so it’s exciting that most players score in every game. We improved significantly on the first time we played this team, and we were without an important player in Ethan. Winning the third quarter, drawing even in the fourth shows we compete with good teams. We protected the ball better than we have all season and most of the tempo was on our terms from start to finish. Unfortunately, we didn’t win, but we forced our opposition to play us on our terms.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Selecting player of the week is a great job to have, but as I’ve noted in previous weeks, not an easy one. The overall goal is to compare players to their own previous performances and their contribution to what we’re trying to achieve as a group. Only once has a player from our Team won based largely on scoring, rebounding or another category that is typically aligned with getting noticed. For that reason, this week two players made an impact that has been built on hard work and improvement. Reed Custodio and Jeremy Zhu this week receive the award as I can’t separate them. Reed looked after the ball in the back-court and hustled (as always). Reed has improved his ball handling and that’s an area we needed to take care of this week. Reed reliably got us into our sets and he can now play multiple positions, demonstrating how much he is listening at practice. Jeremy, on the other hand has been close to player of the week several times and this week he put several consistent trips down the court together, running our offence well and making impactful in-game reads. Jeremy has a lot of potential and as a younger player is now showing what he is capable of. It is a pleasure to have these two hard workers on the team. Well done Reed and Jeremy.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Staring Asten in the line-up gave us a different look, as we have been learning to ‘show big’ in our various traps. Adam again provided good rebounding. Zac and Sam led the scoring in a low scoring outing. All of the guards handled the ball very well and managed game tempo. Our bigger players were presented with challenges and it is pleasing that they remained positive, even when circumstances force them to stay on the bench. The first time we played Joondalup this season we lost by 22, this week it was a much slimmer margin. I’m positive that we are trending the right way and developing as individuals and as a team.
U12 BOYS (TIM HART)
Loss against East Perth Eagles (40 – 45)
COACHES NOTES
The boys had a tough game against a strong and physical East Perth. Our last outing against them resulted in an 18 point loss, with this match up reducing the margin to 5 points. The team was able to produce a strong first half, and then put the brakes on Q3 comeback. It was fantastic to see the boys compose and take back some control. Q4 showed a great finish with the team putting up 13 points and an effort end to end knowing the game wasn’t out of reach
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Sebastian Brisk for a very hard earned 11 points to top score. He ran the court on every fast break to help and showed great defensive pressure.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
The boys are really starting to show the hard work put in at training. The transition offence and ball movement up the court, making selfless decisions is starting to come more naturally without much prompting. It’s great to see their progress.
U14 GIRLS (ANDREW HERBERT)
Loss against Willeton Tigers (46 – 61)
COACHES NOTES
I was really happy with how the girls completed this round. Collectively it was one of their better games this season. We controlled the first half at both ends of the floor, then game slipped away in the second. Willetton Blue’s shots dropped and they didn’t miss their layups. Adjustments will be made and I look to see the girls bounce back against Willetton White next Sunday.
Jessica Prior showed her dominance again on court with a solid 16pts, Holly Marsh added 10pts, Macee Rothnie dropped 6pts plus Isla-Rose Gray, Kaia Rukuata and Charlotte Herbert all contributed with 4pts each.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Georgina Appleby – This week award go’s to our “Hungriest Rebounder” as our Domino’s Kalamunda POTR. Georgina worked really hard on the boards this week – Well Done!
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
I would like to give a shout out to our NBL1 mentors Hannah and Marrisa who have popped down to training over the past couple of weeks. Also to Hannah when she spotted the girls pre game floor wiping at the NBL1 game, running over and giving them all a high five. 🖐
U14 GIRLS (JEMMA & JAYMEE)
Won against East Perth Eagles (32 – 22)
COACHES NOTES
Defensive pressure to get us back in the game and get the win.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Mia Spry as she didn’t give up, was strong on the rebounds and strong under the basket. She was a team player and read the game very well. She had poise and patience with the ball and handled the ball well under pressure.
U14 BOYS (ROB REES)
Loss against Mandurah Magic (43 – 55)
COACHES NOTES
All players contributed well both offensively and defensively
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Joshua Mahama was very good against a very tall opposition, scored 12 took rebounds and limited the opposition scoring.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Tobie Freeth had his best game of the season scoring 5, a 3, and a 2, and also had an effective defensive input, we are looking forward to continued improvement from Tobie as well as his teammates
U14 BOYS (THOR AMUNDSEN)
Loss against Mandurah Magic (38 – 60)
COACHES NOTES
This was a tough loss to a relentless opposition who took advantage of our lapses in defensive effort and unforced errors. A good first half, however our efforts could not be sustained.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Kimzy Matondo – 11 points and some handy assists. He is building a much more consistent game, directing the offence and always searching for new angles.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Odin Amundsen again in the mix, posting 12 points, dropping dimes and some key defensive disruptors. Taj Jeffery worked tirelessly to keep his team in the mix, continuously running the floor and competing on the boards.
U14 BOYS (LUKE POYNER)
Loss against Hills Raiders (32 – 38)
COACHES NOTES
A slow start to the game saw us on the back foot and chasing down the lead. The boys found their groove late in the game and dominated the second half with a huge effort which saw us get to within 4 points late in the 4th quarter. It was great to see the team coming together and playing with the hustle and hunger to win that we need.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Josh Rechichi – Coming back from injury and hit the ground running. Exhibited good hustle and showed great commitment to teamwork and followed coaching instructions well.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Ryan Eva and Alfie Peacock showed a flair of brilliance with some rocket passing through the keyway in a great show of teamwork. Some awesome blocks dished out by Jensen Poyner were a definite highlight of the game.
U14 BOYS (SHANNON TREW)
Loss against Willeton Tigers (47 – 60)
COACHES NOTES
Top of the table match against a very strong Willeton team and the boys stuck together and played some good basketball. We matched it with them for 3/4 quarters which was very promising. The players and coach learnt alot from the game so we will be ready for them in the finals.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Oliver James- Ollie finished with 17 points and 7 rebounds while having 2-3 Willeton players hanging off him all game. Ollie was able to bring others into the game through unselfish plays.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Jack Murphy had 11 points while setting up another 4-5 scores through hard work in defence and offence. Aiden Avila made his starting 5 debut and had 7 rebounds and 4 assists and worked hard all day while battling bigger bodied talls.
U16 GIRLS (MATT HARDING)
Won against Perth Redbacks (80 – 42)
COACHES NOTES
Sunday’s game against Redbacks was a real team effort with all our girls hitting the score sheet.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Hannah Willemse , this young lady is in her first WABL season and each week she is showing great improvement both ends of the floor. Hannah is really starting to play her roll in owning the paint and crashing the boards. I’m excited to see what level Hannah can get to as she puts 110% every time she hits the floor.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Skye and Lilly both showed Great discipline and leadership. Perth were playing highly physical in the first quarter and our girls showed respect and just played the game we love and hitting 33 points in the first quarter really set a great platform to work on a new offensive play throughout the game.
U16 GIRLS (CHARLIE SMART)
Loss against Joondalup Wolves (56 – 91)
COACHES NOTES
We knew we were in for an extremely hard game as we faced an undefeated Joondalup Wolves on their home ground on Sunday. Almost a replay of the first time these teams met each other Wolves took a commanding lead at the end of half time 53-12. Our girl’s confidence shaken as we had a couple in foul trouble early in the first quarter.
Some team motivational talks at half time and immediate change of head space saw the girls come out in the third on fire. Dominating the court both ends. Alex was undefendable popping 5 3 pointers and making some extremely difficult layups. She was solidly backed up with confident drives, superb steals and brilliant keyway defence. The girls became a phenomenal team looking for each other and playing as one on the court seeing them win the second half 44-38. Tremendous achievement seeing them walk away with their heads held high.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Macee Rothnie – A late fill in as we only had 6 players with one carrying injury, Macee fitted into the team seamlessly. Her foot work and focus in defence saw her force multiple turn overs and gain important steals, resulting in some amazing assists. Macee was an integral part of the team for the entire game, securing rebounds out of nowhere, chasing down her opponents and also getting on the scoreboard.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Undeniably the one of the most brilliant come backs I’ve seen. Tremendous full team effort especially to find that something special to not only keep going but dominate in the second half.
U16 BOYS (BAILEY FERGUSON)
Won against Perth Redbacks (73 – 57)
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Blake Thomas – Blake finished with 41 points and 14 boards hustling on both ends of the court
U16 BOYS (RAE D’SYLVA)
Won against Southwest Slammers (90 – 70)
COACHES NOTES
Our defence was the stand out this week with all players communicating and rotating through with their help defence. Offence is also improving each week with ball movement making it easier to find the open shooters.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Jake Dickson. Jake stepped up this week and got in better position and took the right shots and attacked the basket when opportunity was there
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Team chemistry is getting better with the boys playing their role
U16 BOYS (TYRON NEILL)
Loss against Hills Raiders (64 – 74)
COACHES NOTES
Worked great as a team and carried out our game plans well the only thing that cost us was our basic fundamentals especially with boxing out, rebounding and turnovers back to the opposition after steal’s which deprived us of at least 20 points to our score board. From here we reset and go back to the drawing board to concentrate on the basic fundamentals of basketball and get back to being an 80 point a game team.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Isaiah Gray was again at his best scoring 21 points, executing steal’s, rebounds and setting up some great team plays. Impressive work out there Isaiah, well done.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Marko Dimitrijevic once again played like a man possessed rebounding and causing turnovers through some great pressure.
U18 GIRLS (DYSON LOWE)
Won against Perth Redbacks (117 – 57)
COACHES NOTES
Another great team win from the girls. We started off slow but picked it up in the second quarter and dominated the rest of the game. The girls keep getting better each week and the chemistry keeps improving as well.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Tessa Marsh. Not only was Tessa dominate defensively intercepting and getting blocks but had a game high 45 points! She shot extremely well and had poise around the hoop. Good job Tess!
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Was a great game but coaching under 18s I’ve never seen a player so confidently run towards the other end of the hoop thinking they had an open layup just to get a cross court call. Was a great win but ruby made us all laugh and was an absolute highlight.
U18 BOYS (COOPER LOWE)
Loss against Perth Redbacks (82 – 97)
COACHES NOTES
It was positive to see us not give up the whole game. Multiple times we went down 10 plus points and kept on fighting and giving ourselves chances to win the game down the stretch.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Levi’s Hawksworth was the X factor in the way we played defence and turned it into offence. Finished with 21 points and lead on defence by going to their leading scorers, it’s been a pleasure to see him break out over the last month. Well done Levi!
U18 BOYS (ANGUS HYWOOD)
Loss against Hills Raiders (55 – 67)
COACHES NOTES
Tough game to lose this week. A scrappy game with plenty of opportunities for both sides to make the most of and this week Raiders got the job done. Our guards played great offensive games with Joseph & Harry knocking down some great 3-Pt Shots, Josh bounced back from a month on the sidelines proving himself always valuable to his team even in limited minutes restrictions. Jayce & Lachlan are the 2 quickest players in our club, they show this with closing out & chasing down loose balls giving their heart & soul every time they take the court.
Again our 3 talls in Alex, Sam & Progress where amazing in holding their positions to get the rebounds defensively just a stronger presence offensively for our second chance points can always lift. We are yet to lock in with pressing teams effectively how I know we can, as the NBA influence of getting back into position is what young players tend to lean on we must break away from this and be willing to outwork opposition offence with our defence. Overall we have all the right pieces it’s just whether or not on the day we stick to what we know/Do best & not lose our winners mentality.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Progress Light – Progress was given a role this week to make a prominent scorer for the opposition struggle to get points on the board. Progress stepped up to the challenge & really gave his all for the team. Progress is one of the best defensive players in the competition and he showed this on Sunday! Well done mate
U18 BOYS (HAYDEN BIRD)
Loss against East Perth Eagles (63 – 90)
COACHES NOTES
Not being selfish with the ball and being very patient in taking the correct shot. Defense picked up in the second half and was a terrific effort to take back the lead we loss, each week the boys show improvement in different aspects of their individual games which is great to see and am looking forward to see what the rest of the season shows.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Liam Elliot for his up lifting and team spirit no matter the score or what happened on the court Liam persevered and kept giving a 100% whether it was moving the ball grabbing the rebound or making the tough shot Liam did it with a massive smile on his face.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Seeing the boys use different aspects of the game like taking into the paint on the bigger guy and dishing back out for an open shot, and just creating better shots for themselves and their teammates. Defense is always a positive aspect to take away every game, no matter the score the boys always put up a tremendous fight to stop the ball.
U18 BOYS (RICK BATISTA)
Won against Warwick Senators (88 – 85)
COACHES NOTES
This was by far our best win so far of the season, we dug deep against a very tall team, that sits second in our division, we were able to finish the round equal second but now just below them on percentage. Our defensive concentration was fantastic and when it got within one or two buckets at the end we were able to keep our heads and pull out a strong victory. We proved today that we belonged at the top end of our division and are committed to continual improvement. With an unusually quiet game offensively by one of stars it was pleasing to see others step up.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Kalvyn Batista 28 points with 5 threes and hard hat and lunch pail defensive job on players a foot taller makes him deserving this week
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Charlie and Hamish today at 6ft 2 and maybe 6ft 3 battled extremely well against a whole team of 6ft 6 and taller forwards, their defensive effort and hustle is to be commended. Charlie would have been my player of the week if not for Kalvyn’s fantastic offensive game. Michael Luce continued to shine with 21 points with some hugely important 3s when the game was on the line in the last. Lastly I want take my hat off to my bench who may not have got as many minutes as they all deserved today but continue to shine and give maximum effort when they come on.
U20 BOYS (DAN VLAHOV)
Won against Perth Redbacks (97 – 82)
COACHES NOTES
Another win saw us cement our spot, albeit by percentage, in the top 4 and whilst we would have liked to have improved that percentage it is always a good week when you post a win! Once again nearly everyone touched the scoreboard, which is exactly what is required to keep posting victories, and whilst there is always room for improvement it is good to see team cohesion and trust lifting each week whilst we maintain solid defensive effort. Noah Jacques, Jason Moore & Haydn Williams kicked in some solid points whilst being ably supported by Kiarn Linaker protecting the paint and Austin Cole, Alex Jenkins & Ethan Nash stepping up another notch defensively.
The coaching staff believe 100% that this team is GF bound if we can improve our ability to get the game started earlier and hope that the players can get this mind set as well.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Jason Moore who took on the duties this week of leading the floor and continued to push right till the final siren.