ACT MEN V WA COUNTRY MEN.

ACT has outclassed WA Country this morning with an 18 point victory on Court one.  ACT made a fantastic start to the game and was barely troubled by their opponents, running out winners 51-33. To increase WA Country’s woes, Forward Joseph Myatt limped off after the third quarter with a suspected left ankle injury and didn’t return to court.

For ACT, Evan Fowler was the high point man with 12 and seven rebounds, and he was assisted by Tad Dufelmeier with seven points, for WA Country Chad Simpson had another fantastic game with 15 points and seven rebounds.

The boys from the nation’s capital shot out of the blocks, scoring the first 13 points and looked like an unstoppable force. WA Country was forced to turn the ball over due to a disciplined press defense run by ACT. Led from the front by Fowler with six points, the ACT kept piling on the pressure and took an 18-2 lead going into the second quarter.

In the second quarter, WA Country finally found their rhythm at the offensive end. They began to find scores down low and Myatt began to make a real impact in the post as Country combined for some inside and outside scoring. However, ACT held their nerve and Dufelmeier found his range to give them a commanding 28-10 lead at the main break.

At the start of the third, WA for the first time in the game scored back-to-back baskets and began to look like a threat. Country’s crowd came alive, and this was translating on court as they began to challenge and take the game up to their opponents. Country’s ability to move the ball around the top of the key posed the question as to who would score next. They finished the quarter on a 10-2 scoring run and were right back in the contest.

However, ACT held strong. Their defensive efforts in the final term meant Country coughed up seven turnovers and they were able to come away with the important victory and remain undefeated in Pool A.

SA METRO MEN V NSW COUNTRY MEN.

South Australia’s Metro Men have managed their second win over the New South Wales Country Men, in a fast-paced and thrilling game.

The game kicked off Day 6 of competition on Court 6 with a fast-paced and low-scoring first quarter.  South Australia showed excellent skill in offence but Matthew Bateup’s 3-pointer kept NSW Country’s hopes alive.

The second quarter saw both teams fight it out, goal for goal, but New South Wales Country’s shooting inaccuracy and wasted free throws saw them trailing the South Australia Metro boys at the half time break.

 At the beginning of the second half, it was anyone’s game.  New South Wales Country still trailed for the remainder of the third, but managed to close the gap to 8 points at the final break.

South Australia Metro came back in the fourth with a 3-point shot from Brett Turner (who scored 32 points in total), and the pressure began to get to New South Wales Country. Oliver Robilliard was a standout for the NSW team, in a close game ending 87-74.

NZ MEN V QLD NORTH MEN.

QLD North defeated New Zealand in a game that they controlled from start to finish. The 59 – 77 game was fast paced and included standout performances all game long. The first quarter was where QLD North took charge with Myles scoring non-stop and New Zealand struggling to find the ring.

The second quarter was a lot like the first with QLD North outscoring New Zealand to extend their lead going into the half. Green was dominant for the Kiwi’s but couldn’t stop the onslaught of goals from QLD North’s entire bench.

After the half things started to turn around for New Zealand, Gerrand was astounding under the ring and from outside the paint for the Kiwi’s but persistence from Hulleman allowed QLD North to maintain a strong lead.

The last quarter was close at times until QLD North pulled it together and started making their shots count. Myles was dominant all over the court scoring highly and pressuring the Kiwi’s out of the game. New Zealand had scorers from all across their bench but not stand out shooting occurred to win them the game.

VIC COUNTRY WOMEN V QLD SOUTH WOMEN.

Vic Country has just got over the line against the Queensland South women by 13 points on Court one.

Despite many challenges throughout the game and especially in the third quarter by Queensland, Vic Country held strong and played the game on their terms running out winners 65-52.

Danni Pearce was the top scorer with 15, with Kasey Burton and Rachel Antoniadou assisting her with 13 and 12 respectively. Kristy Wallace was outstanding for Queensland South with 17 points and six rebounds, as was Hanna Tusa with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Vic Country were challenged in the first quarter, but continued to impress. Vic Country had seven different point scorers in the first quarter as they kept Queensland guessing as to where the next points would come from. Queensland South was also impressive, but lacked composure on the offensive end – racking up 12 turnovers for the quarter and facing a 13-10 deficit at the break.

The second quarter saw Queensland get into foul trouble early. Both sides contested the rebounds and prevented any second chance opportunities. However, turnovers began to be an issue for Queensland, as Vic Country came up with three great defensive plays to finish the quarter, and lead 34-24.

Led by point guard Wallace, Queensland obtained a large momentum swing in the third quarter.  Some ‘in your face’, disciplined defensive work was shown by the maroons and Tusa was instrumental in grabbing rebound after rebound. As the quarter came to a close, it was just one point the difference in favour of Vic Country.

To Country’s credit, they kicked into another gear in the last quarter. There were many 50/50 balls to be won and they kept up their high intensity game by diving on every single one. Queensland came at Vic Country on numerous occasions but the host state had all the answers. Timely three point shots to Burton and Antoniadou in the last quarter put the icing on the cake of a great performance from Vic Country.

SA METRO WOMEN V ACT WOMEN.

South Australia Metro Women have pulled off their second win in this year’s competition, defeating ACT Women’s late yesterday morning.

The game began in a close quarter, which the ACT side dominated but failed to reflect on the scoreboard, with shooting inaccuracy letting them down and trailing the South Australian Metro girls by just 7 points at the first break.

The ACT girls looked to be making a comeback at the beginning of the second quarter, but South Australia Metro piled on 19 points to ACT’s 10 and held onto their lead at the long break.

South Australia’s Aimee Herriman dominated the second half with three 3-point shots, bumping the margin up to 20 points at the final break.

The win seemingly out of reach, ACT’s Ashleigh Evans and Katrina Roache failed to back down, their speedy and defensive work not going unnoticed.

Final scores 83-53.

NSW COUNTRY WOMEN V WA COUNTRY WOMEN.

In a game that NSW Country never looked like losing WA Metro was defeated 57 – 38.

The first quarter held hope for WA Metro who led in the early minutes with powerful shooting from Dugan and Ducas. NSW Country took control shortly afterwards with Farrah-Seaton and Milisic providing goals when needed.

The second quarter was filled with loud noise and an even louder pair of shoes from the NSW Country bench.  NSW Country won in a close quarter only just outscoring WA Metro to extend their lead at the half. WA Metro struggled to find a consistent scorer and relied on the talents of the entire team to score.

After the half things started to turn for WA Metro who managed to slow the NSW Country team’s scoring. Evans was consistent for NSW Country and provided goals that helped maintain the lead. Ducas again tried to inspire WA Metro but it seemed to be too little too late.

The fourth quarter was a low scoring fast paced affair which NSW Country again won by the slightest of margins. Dugan and Williams provided much needed 3 pointers for WA Metro but it was not enough to stop Dick from NSW Country who scored highly to secure the win for NSW Country.

NSW METRO MEN V NT MEN.

NSW Metro has smashed a disappointing NT team this afternoon on court one.

NSW Metro shot out of the blocks early and never looked like taking a backwards step as they cruised to a 63 point victory and their fourth win from five starts.

NSW boasted five players who reached double figures in the scoring column with Thon Maker leading with 14 on the back of 7/9 shooting. Arran Bannatyne also had a fantastic game collecting a double-double (10 points and 12 rebounds). Tommy Maher and Lance Schmidt top scored for NT with six points each.

Metro took the advantage in the first quarter by fantastic defensive work up the court. They forced many turnovers to occur for NT who could simply not find a way to the basket – this showed on the scoreboard, as they could not register a field goal till 1:33 left in the quarter.

This advantage continued in the second quarter. Bannatyne was playing a pivotal role in the post and finishing off some great assists from his team mates. Maker also started to find his range, which led to a big 40-10 half time score line.

After the break, it was more pressure that was put on by Metro. Schmidt was giving it is all for NT but was finding it tough to bring the ball up the court against a press. NT was kept below ten points for the third successive quarter as NSW led 63-18 at the final change.

A 28-12 final quarter performance by Metro showed not only their dominance of the game, but their mentality of finishing a team off and gaining as much percentage for the upcoming games as they could. They never stopped running and pressuring NT who also battled hard in the last quarter. But in the end it was NSW Metro who ran out comfortable victors 91-30.

VIC COUNTRY MEN V WA METRO MEN.

The gritty Victorian Men’s Country side has snagged their third win of the competition, defeating Western Australia’s Metro Men’s team yesterday afternoon, to the tune of 26-points.

In a first quarter full of pushing, shoving and roughhousing, the Victorian Country team dominated, leading their West Australian opponents by 13 points at the first break.

West Australian Metro player Sean Broderick’s aggressive defence was no match for the Victorian boys, who piled on 21-points to retain the lead at the half time break.

The third quarter saw many wasted opportunities from Victoria Country that allowed West Australia to gain some ground and confidence going into the final term.

The fourth quarter saw Victoria Country dominate, with outstanding performances by both Ashish Motiani and Jayden Van Dyk, leading their team to a 26-point-victory.

QLD SOUTH MEN V SA COUNTRY MEN.

In a low scoring, foul heavy, fast paced game QLD South defeated SA Country 59 -50. The first quarter was low scoring with QLD South proving too strong for SA Country. Morris and McVeigh were dominant under the ring for QLD South while at the other end of the court B.Wright was influential and De Wit was fouling heavily.

Going into the half SA Country had cut the margin to just 2 points with De Wit scoring well and the rest of the bench making valuable contributions. It was not all bad news for QLD South with McVeigh again scoring well and N.Wright for SA Country getting into foul trouble early.

SA Country came out firing after the half with QLD South only winning the quarter by a single point. Ringholt scored well for QLD South but got into foul trouble sending SA Country to the line on more than one occasion. De Wit provided much needed goals for SA Country and allowed them to remain a threat to QLD South’s slight advantage.

The fourth had it all with missed opportunities early possible costing SA Country the game. De Wit was electric for SA Country scoring well and causing problems for QLD South when they were shooting. QLD South found themselves in foul trouble early in the period but excellent shooting from Hooper helped QLD South maintain their lead.

VIC METRO WOMEN V WA COUNTRY WOMEN.

VIC Metro Women got away to a fast start and WA Metro could not catch them going down 67-30.

By half time VIC Metro has established a 16 point lead and were looking stronger and faster all around the court, they dominated the key scoring 22-8 points in the paint. WA Metro did their best in the second half but could not make any inroads into the margin. A 19-11 final term to VIC Metro resulted in the final margin being 37 points.

Chanah Crugnale top scored for WA Metro with 10 points and eight rebounds, while for the victorious VIC Metro side Amanda Meinking again showed her class with 18 points and eight rebounds.

SA COUNTRY WOMEN V NSW METRO WOMEN.

The game between SA Country and NSW Metro was a hotly contested one, with NSW Metro taking the game 68-55 after a strong second half.

The game began with both sides trading baskets, NSW Metro took a two point lead into the first break, neither side could capitalise on opportunities in the second quarter with the quarter time margin the same at half time.

The final five minutes of the third quarter saw NSW Metro take an eight point lead into the final change before a 19-14 last quarter resulted in the 13 point win. Tahlia Tupaea was unstoppable for NSW Metro finishing with 29 points; she was well supported by Emily Potts (18pts, 7rbds). For SA Country Samantha Lubke (17pts, 10rbds) and Brianna Walters (15pts) reached double figures.

QLD NORTH MEN V WA COUNTRY MEN.

In the 5pm game on Court one, QLD North Men 69 comfortably defeated WA Country Men 34.

North QLD Men got off to a quick start, opening up a 9 point lead at the first break. The second quarter saw much of the same, with North QLD Men eventually establishing a 20 point lead at the main break.

After the main change, North QLD Men maintained their position until WA Country Men gained the momentum late in the third quarter, with both teams ultimately scoring 11 points each for the term, the score being 47 to 27 in North QLD Men’s favour. In the final quarter, North QLD Men overwhelmed WA Country Men, winning comfortably by 22 points.  

Best players for QLD North were Trent Myles (18 points, 8 rebounds) and Sam Mayer (10 points, 16 rebounds). For WA Country, Mitchell Keller tried hard with 6 points and 12 rebounds).

TAS WOMEN V NT WOMEN.

Tasmania has come back from one point down at three quarter time to snatch victory from NT 52-44 in their Wednesday night clash.

Unpredictable is not something you would use to describe NT’s game, as they amazingly put together four 11-point quarters across the game to finish with 44.

Neither side shot particularly well, but TAS shot just a little better and had 16 more looks across the course of the game gave them the edge, which they ultimately turned into a much-needed win.

For Tasmania, Elizabeth Howe finished with 14 points, while Mariah Payne added 13 points. Tara Maxwell and Josephine Gutheridge both finished with 10 points each.

TAS 52 (Howe 14, Payne 13) def NT 44 (Maxwell 10, Gutheridge 10)

VIC METRO MEN V SA METRO MEN

VIC Metro have come out in a dominant display in the first half of their game against SA Metro, putting the result out of all reasonable doubt half time as they held the South Australians to just 14 points in the half, streaking away to a 47-14 half time lead.

SA improved after half time, but could not get themselves back into the match as the VICs now must be looking towards finals with only one round to go after round 6.

For the VIC Metro side, Marek Tomin top scored with 26 points while Ben Simmons added 17. For SA Metro, Austin Clark and Benjamin Rennie both finished with seven points each.

VIC Metro 47 (Tomin 26, Simmons 17) def SA Metro ( Clark 7, Rennie 7)

ACT MEN V NZ MEN

The 7pm match on Court six saw an epic match effort between ACT Men and NZ Men. ACT Men eventually won by 3 points. The final scores were ACT Men: 54, NZ Men: 51.

The first quarter saw ACT Men gain the early ascendancy, establishing a 1 point lead at the first break. In the second quarter, ACT Men built on their 1 point first quarter lead, creating a 7 point buffer at the main break.

The second half was an epic shootout, with neither able to assert themselves over the opposition. At three quarter time, the NZ Men had a 2 point lead. The final quarter was a seesaw affair, with both teams attacking the game with great intensity. Ultimately, after a dramatic final few minutes, ACT Men won the game by 3 points.

For ACT, Tad Dufelmeier was a clear standout, finishing with 14 points and 5 rebounds. Mitchell Brown was also lively, contributing 16 points. For NZ Men, Jaylen Gerrand had a huge game, finishing with a whopping 25 points and 4 rebounds. He was well supported by Jack Salt, who finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds. Well done to both teams on a highly entertaining and epic contest. 

Images supplied by Kangaroo Photos

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