Tag: south-australian

Photo Credit – Anthony Furina / Adelaide University

4-Minute Read

Women

The Women first up locked in a second consecutive finals series and a possible first home final with a second half comeback 66-81 win over the Curtin Carnaby’s at the Curtin Stadium

Missing NBL1 Central power forward Tiahna Sears – the homeside started the better with the sniping shooting of Jaymie Symons from deep before Terran Wright stopped the run of 8-0 from the Carnabys. Star guard Aleka Kabugua however extended the orange and black’s lead to a 15 points margin with Ella Turnbull helping turn the momentum back the Waatu’s way with Zahlia Niemann’s triple closing the lead back to 25-14 after the first change.

The Waatu began their comeback in the second thanks to Wright tearing her way through the opposition and Caitlin Shillabeer dropping a timely triple. Kabugua and Ananya Tushir however kept the scoreboard ticking over for the homeside keeping them out by double figures however Sasha Hardin’s buzzer beater off a steal and score after a string of consecutive points on halftime gave the Waatu the momentum heading into the long break 42-34.

Third quarter was a complete domination by the Waatu snapping into gear at the half time break. Wright and Shillabeer combined for eight points to slash it back to 44-42 before Mischa Buckley strung some tough basket moves together to take the lead. The Waatu’s bigs and utilities got busy with attack on the basket, triples and tough makes to swing to a 10-28 term and a strong lead of 52-62 with one stanza to play out.

Another run of five points without an answer set the tone for the fourth despite Symons again making another handy triple for the homeside. Kabugua (25 points, eight steals, seven rebounds & three steals) became the offensive threat for the Carnaby’s but too many Waatu players were having their own way as they closed out their sixth victory of the season locking in a finals appearance with one to play.

Terran Wright led the way with a double double of 18 points, 11 rebounds, six assists & four steals while Turnbull’s 13 points including a bunch in the second term helped to change the momentum.

Men

It was a case of déjà vu for the Men only a few hours later as they won their fourth game of the season by less than a basket with a thrilling 85-88 victory at the Curtin Stadium.

The opening was tight with basket for basket traded before some late quarter triple blows were answered by both sides from Harry Evans (13 points) and Isaac Hampel to leave it 21-18 after one.

Curtin took control on their floor in the second with sharp shooting Dean Supljeglav (21 points) and Mitch Fenton with some huge triples to push it out to double figures. Kai Kabugua and Supljeglav continued to extend their lead with the Waatu in trouble at the half time break 52-33.

As has been the season it has for the Men – they flipped the script at the half producing an elite quarter of basketball for AU. It kicked off with an Angus Crosby (14 points) tre then Ayual Garang moved into game taking over mode as the outrageously talented Central Districts Lions player took the game by the scruff of the neck and wrenched it back his team’s way. Above the rim and beyond Garang was everywhere in the third with a combo of Thomas Mestrov and Matt Thomson taking the lead back in eight minutes 57-59. Garang finished the quarter with 14 points for the stanza to sneak the Waatu in front 59-63 with one to go.

With no Curtis Scott to guide them home – a cameo from Kaman Majok (Nine points) helped at the start of the fourth with Kabugua again coming at the Waatu. Majok’s triple midway through the term looked to be the back breaker with just over five minutes left but the Waatu with so much thrown back into the comeback were running out of steam as Kabugua (20 points) and the Carnabys charged home. A steadying one on one hook shot from Garang took it plus clutch free throws in the final minutes in the Waatu’s favour eventually outlasting the Carnabys in the finish.

Garang starred in third term to finish with a double double of 22 points, 14 rebounds & four assists backed up by Matt Thomson with 16 points and 11 rebounds – rounding a treble of double doubles was Thomas Mestrov in his best game of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

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The Waatu Women and Men next take on UON over in New South Wales in their second cross-over match-up to decide a home quarter final – Wednesday 23 September

Women – Curtin University Carnabys 66 (Kabugua 25, Tushir, Symons 9) defeated by AU Waatu 81 (Wright 18, Turnbull 13, Niemann 10, Buckley 9, Shillabeer 8)

Men – Curtin University Carnabys 85 (Supljegav 21, Kabugua 20, Evans 13, Jacob 11) defeated by AU Waatu 88 (Garang 22, Thomson 16, Crosby 14, Hampel 11, Mestrov 10, Majok 9)

Catch all the action against UON from this Wednesday 23 September on the UBL website and stay tuned to the crossoverdribble for match reports and features throughout the season.

Catch up on all the action of the UBL through the new weekly show for the league in UBL Extra…

WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO TELL THE STORIES OF SA BASKETBALL

Every game deserves to be reported on including the history and background of our leagues – in 20 years time we may find it very difficult to look back at history and find data (as we are finding already in searching for past results and impact) so writing these articles is essential for capturing the essence of our leagues.

We have so many players who love reading their hoops weekly history and – $5 a week from every player and the NBL1 community will help you make sure you get written about by a local who knows our leagues in and out and has been active in the space the last five years and beyond. We need your support with more so please consider our options or consider sponsoring the website which also has an accompanying podcast and broadcasting of the NBL and WNBL through the Collective group.

All Episodes of the SA Shotclock now available on Spotify

Photo Credit – Anthony Furina / Adelaide University

4-Minute Read

Women

The Women began their road trip in Victoria with a huge upset knocking off the top of the table University of Melbourne 67-86 with a second half takeover.

The first half was incredibly tight for the team led by last week’s MVP in Terran Wright and Sasha Hardin.

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There was not much in the game all the way up to the half time buzzer trailing 40-37. That’s when the game swung in the away team’s favour with Ella Turnbull particularly stepping up in the absence of Norwood Flame teammate Caitlin Shillabeer.

A 0-9 start in third led by Turnbull and the Waatu seized the lead back 40-47 with a triple from Melbourne’s Gemma Watson breaking the run but it was only temporary. The run continued with another 0-7 run with the Waatu running all over their opponents in the open court 43-54. It continued to flow the Waatu’s way with Wright drawing the foul on three point shot to keep the lead with Melbourne fighting back late in the quarter to bring it back to 55-63 with one to play.

Jemima Whitton found her range once again for a triple with Turnbull’s attack too much for the home side to contain with the Waatu’s range beyond the arc damaging with six of nine in the second half for a 67-86 victory. Wright finished with 18 points & eight rebounds, Turnbull collected 16 points in an aggressive offensive performance.

The week continued for the Women sealing a successful time away with a 60-87 comprehensive win over FED University. FED started the better with the 26-21 opening term but that’s where the Waatu flicked the switch and took control. Stung by a slow start – Lachlan Coppick’s women produced the 2-11 run with Shillabeer returning to play with some timely triples. Another followed in a second quarter spree as her and the Waatu wrestled back the lead with a 10-31 term to take the halftime advantage 36-52.

They continued their run in the third in a tighter term while not pretty Terran Wright produced some nice plays again and Claire Hunter played some vital minutes to help extend the lead to 44-67 at three quarter time. Hunter continued on with her best game of the season punishing the FED defence to seal the road win for the away side and put themselves in the box seat for a home final in early October.

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Turnbull across four quarters had her season best with 24 points & seven rebounds with Hunter producing 14 points & six rebounds with four triples with Shillabeer dropping four of her own for 13 points in another handy contribution.

Men

It was a slightly different story for the men with a tough set of match-ups as it turned out starting with the University of Melbourne with a third quarter road bump delivering a 86-67 loss to the home side.

An intriguing match-up ensured between Curtis Scott and Dihan Wiggett with Scott getting on top of the home side early with eight first quarter points taking the Waatu to a 0-8 start. Josh McNally of Melbourne however saw them quickly back in charge with some deep daggers for a 20-18 slight lead after one.

Wiggett and McNally late in the second term helped push the homeside to a slightly extended margin 45-37 at the main break before snapping the Waatu’s momentum in the third term. The 20-11 quarter was exclamation pointed with a Wiggett dunk despite the sharp shooting Angus Crosby keeping the away side in touching distance 65-48 with the last quarter ahead.

Matt Thomson (13 points & 10 rebounds) joined Crosby in trying to cut the margin back getting it back to 13 points in four minutes left but Melbourne through Wiggett and McNally the nemesis of previous finals and matches against AU took the homeside to the top of the table win.

Crosby had his best game in multiple seasons for the Waatu with 18 points with Scott still strong with 17 points, six rebounds despite the attention from Wiggett while Ayual Garang grabbed a double double of 12 points & 12 rebounds.

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In the second leg of their double header against FED – the Waatu held off the late charge from the home-side after establishing a dominant start 79-81. With Scott sitting out Mitch Cretan got his first start of the season and elevated his game with seven points to the level needed to give the Waatu a 9-26 start.

The second term was much closer with the Waatu having difficulty containing and negotiating Josh Uhr-Henry who produced a monster game on the glass however a pair of triples late in the second to Rylie Stephenson saw the Waatu hold their comfortable lead 32-46.

The second half belonged to the home-side with the Waatu looking like they were tiring – Cretan again along with Isaac Hampel keeping them out 34-54. FED sensed the change in momentum putting on 10-3 through Henry and Luke Logan – Nate Raymond’s triple getting it to single digits for the first time since the opening term 52-61 however the Waatu responded. Garang stepped up with two huge triples but was met by Logan again as the homeside snuck within striking distance at three quarter time 60-67.

Garang provided the instance offence to keep the Waatu in front despite the storm of Uhr-Henry, Logan and Raymond at the other end – taking the lead 70-69 with five minutes left. Garang responded with five points in consecutive minutes as it came down to the final plays of the game.

Raymond’s drive at the basket saw FED back within touch 79-80 with the home-side forcing the turnover to gain an out of bounds play. With 44 seconds left the Waatu intercepted the baseline pass then creating the late SHOTLOCK opportunity for Garang who missed the target with FED with the ball in hand with 15 seconds remaining. The shot went short and landed in the hands of Stephenson who was fouled. Immediately fouled after the timeout was several Waatu players before the winning ticket was drawn by Garang making the first then missing the second purposely to seal the much needed win.

In the absence of Scott – Garang stepped up with 20 points, eight assists and six rebounds – Cretan grabbed a career high in Waatu colours over four years with 14 points, eight rebounds and an outstanding job containing Logan. Thomson also gathered 15 points, 19 rebounds and eight assists in a near triple double for him.

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The Waatu Women and Men next take on Curtin University over in Western Australia – Friday 18 September

Women – University of Melbourne 67 (Davis 18, Price 13, Bannan 10, Phillips 7) defeated by AU Waatu 86 (Wright 18, Turnbull 16, Hardin, Whitton 12)

Women – FED University 60 (Catheray-Harvey 21, Rakogiannis 12, Davis 11, Arnason 8) defeated by AU Waatu 87 (Turnbull 24, Hunter 14, Shillabeer 13, Wright 11, Whitton 8, Niemann 7)

Men – University of Melbourne 86 (McNally 20, Wiggett 18, Avgerinos 17, Bandilovski 10, Stanski 9) defeated AU Waatu 67 (Crosby 18, Scott 17, Thomson 13, Garang 12, Hampel 7)

Men – FED University 79 (Uhr-Henry 25, Logan 21, Raymond 20) defeated by AU Waatu 81 (Garang 20, Thomson 15, Cretan 14, Crosby , Hampel 9, Stephenson 8)

Catch all the action against Curtin University from this Friday 18 September on the UBL website and stay tuned to the crossoverdribble for match reports and features throughout the season.

Catch up on all the action of the UBL through the new weekly show for the league in UBL Extra…

WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO TELL THE STORIES OF SA BASKETBALL

Every game deserves to be reported on including the history and background of our leagues – in 20 years time we may find it very difficult to look back at history and find data (as we are finding already in searching for past results and impact) so writing these articles is essential for capturing the essence of our leagues.

We have so many players who love reading their hoops weekly history and – $5 a week from every player and the NBL1 community will help you make sure you get written about by a local who knows our leagues in and out and has been active in the space the last five years and beyond. We need your support with more so please consider our options or consider sponsoring the website which also has an accompanying podcast and broadcasting of the NBL and WNBL through the Collective group.

All Episodes of the SA Shotclock now available on Spotify

Photo Credit – Anthony Furina / Adelaide University / Picture IT Sports Photography

3-Minute Read

Women

A final quarter spark from star Waatu guard Caitlin Shillabeer and composure form the free throw line from Terran Wright saw the Waatu grab their third win of the season and sweep their home games with a compelling 81-74 win at Pridham Hall.

The Waatu grabbed the first couple before captain and basketball star Aleisha Cadee showed her family genes flow through her with a deep bomb from area code as the master of that business.

Wright attacked the cup early after missing the encounter with USYD in Sydney but Eloise Leonard was proving to be a tough opponent to overcome with Monash taking a 14-19 quarter time league.

After pulling off a player of the game against USYD – Sasha Hardin found a run of buckets for herself with Cadee and Maddy Papsworth helping push the lead back to Monash’s favour. Ella Turnbull made some late plays in the second to bring the margin back to a single basket 36-37 at the half.

The third tightened up again with basket for basket traded between Wright and Lilly Ballarin – but after a quiet first half of just a basket the MVP of last season Shillabeer rose a cog to finally break through the length of the Monash defenders first with a customary triple then some tough jump shots as inexplicably a few of the opposition defenders went to sleep on her. Turnbull made another tough finish drawing contact for the and1 but Monash found the answer again but still sat a couple of baskets in front 51-55 with one to go.

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Stepping up in the final term with away teams struggling on the road this season – Annika Uzcategui Montenegro who battled hard against Romy Price all day produced a spell of offence that could be telling by seasons end. AUM grabbed seven final quarter points including a massive triple to break the game open for the Waatu. Terran Wright was clutch at the free throw line on every trip with the Waatu pushing away to their third win of the season sweeping their home series.

Wright was the player of the game with 21 points including a perfect 11 of 11 from the charity stripe with five steals flanked on her side by Hardin with 14 points and three rebounds.

Men

After helping the Waatu pull off the upset against USYD the previous week – Curtis Scott once again produced the clutch moment for the homeside as they grabbed an important 72-70 win over Monash at the Pridham Hall.

Monash grabbed the early ascendancy with Billy Barton and Tom Carroll getting the white and blue rolling early. It took some pick and roll action and understanding between Scott and Matt Thomson to help the Waatu regain control to take a quarter time lead 20-16.

Carroll (15 points, nine rebounds and three assists) continued to peel off the key baskets and showed his NBL1 nous while Mitchell Blackburn (17 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks) was proving a paint providing nuisance for the Waatu. Scott and Thomson again combined in a grind of a second term left dead level 34-34.

The game continued to remain tight with Denzell Prenzens of Monash acting like a glove trying to curtail Curtis Scott but that freed up Ayual Garang and Issac Hampel to construct and engineer plenty of points.

At 44-45 down by one through the term – Scott released himself from the grip of Prenzens taking the Waatu back to a multi-basket lead with a quick fire eight points to end the third stanza 52-48.

Scott then peeled off another five points to open the final term with Prezens (13 points, four assists and two blocks) answering back the other way. Carroll then found his mark on the sheet of this score as the game once again came down to the dying minutes. Cody De Bortoli tied the scores again with Scott giving the Waatu a go ahead basket before De Bortoli (10 points) made an important tip in on the offensive rebound.

It came down to the last play with 24 seconds remaining…

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Scott’s free throw gave Monash a chance to win or send it to overtime with Carroll’s three point shot hitting the rim and ricocheting away and the Waatu had pinched yet another single basket thriller.

Scott again was the clear match winner with 29 points, six assists and five rebounds with Hampel contributing another 13 points while Thomson’s six points and nine rebounds was vital in a block battle with Blackburn.

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The Waatu Women and Men next take on Uni of Melbourne & FED in a road double header in Victoria  – Wednesday 9 & Thursday 10 September

Women – AU Waatu 81 (Wright 21, Hardin 14, Shillabeer 13, Turnbull, Uzcategui-Montenegro 11) defeated Monash University 74 (Cadee 21, Keane 13, Ballarin 11, Papworth 8)

Men – AU Waatu 72 (Scott 29, Hampel 13, Garang 12) defeated Monash University (Blackburn 17, Carroll 15, Prenzens 13, De Bortoli 10)

Catch all the action against Uni of Melbourne and FED from this Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 September on the UBL website and stay tuned to the crossoverdribble for match reports and features throughout the season.

Catch up on all the action of the UBL through the new weekly show for the league in UBL Extra…

WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO TELL THE STORIES OF SA BASKETBALL

Every game deserves to be reported on including the history and background of our leagues – in 20 years time we may find it very difficult to look back at history and find data (as we are finding already in searching for past results and impact) so writing these articles is essential for capturing the essence of our leagues.

We have so many players who love reading their hoops weekly history and – $5 a week from every player and the NBL1 community will help you make sure you get written about by a local who knows our leagues in and out and has been active in the space the last five years and beyond. We need your support with more so please consider our options or consider sponsoring the website which also has an accompanying podcast and broadcasting of the NBL and WNBL through the Collective group.

All Episodes of the SA Shotclock now available on Spotify