Posted on 13 July, 2011

 QLD NORTH WOMEN V TAS WOMEN.

Queensland North Women got their game back on track Tuesday morning with a comfortable win over Tasmania Women 81 to 54.

Having only won one game and lost two before this match, it was imperative for the Queensland North Women to assert themselves in this game to remain a viable threat in the competition.

They did that and more with an explosive first quarter outscoring Tasmania 28/6 with Alicia Foling and Keely Foling doing most of the damage inside and at the foul line. Unlike that first quarter, the next three quarters were fairly even with Tasmania recovering from the initial onslaught to compose themselves and pretty much match the Queenslanders although, coming close, they never quite won a quarter.

The match-ups in the paint were a highlight at both ends with Tasmania’s Nyandeng Guot, Samantha Clements and Madelon Pringle rebounding strongly, Pringle with a double-double effort and for Queensland North, both Alicia and Keely Foling had double-doubles, Keely rebounding 18 times – the same number of points she scored. Gemma Mugridge with 13 points, Mykenzie Gray 12 rebounds and Tiarna Wood with 5 assists were among the best for Queensland North.

Madelon Pringle was lightning quick for Tasmania with 7 steals. Tasmania would be lamenting their first quarter fade-out as they certainly showed they can play.

SCORE: Queensland North Women 81 d Tasmania Women 54

NSW METRO WOMEN V NT WOMEN.

NSW Metro Women kept their perfect win record on track on Hugh McMenamin show court Tuesday morning with an impressive display of power basketball running out 69 to 31 winners over NT Women.

The game didn’t start that way with NT Women working strongly in the first quarter with accurate shooting from Josephine Gutheridge and Kelli Sealy from 3 point range. At quarter time NT Women were right in the match trailing 13/17.

Whatever coach Samuels said to her NSW girls at the first break had the desired effect with NT Women restrained to two pts. and four pts. for the next two quarters respectively while the NSW Metro players piled on 38 points for the same period – the damage coming from Emily Potts, Gabrielle Turnbull and Zoe Burke all scoring into double figures for the match.

On the boards there was another duel on with Alliyah Fareo & Taylor Johnston rebounding strongly for NSW and Tara Maxwell & Josephine Gutheridge working hard for NT.

The last quarter was again tight, like the first with NT Women almost matching NSW Metro Women point for point to take something out of the game for next round.

SCORE: NSW Metro Women 69 d NT Women 31

SA COUNTRY WOMEN V WA METRO WOMEN.

This enthralling match was a real crowd-pleaser with both teams going head to head for the entire contest.

Initially, WA Metro took the initiative with a positive first quarter display through some athletic moves to the key by Mikayla Pirini taking them to a 4 point lead at the first break. In the second quarter, the lead blew out to over 10 points WA’s way until SA Country hit back with some hot 3 point shooting from SA’s Brianna Walters who top scored with 20 points and aggressive defence causing WA to turn the ball over, resulting in the quarter being even.

SA continued to apply the pressure in the second half but WA were up to the challenge. It was the battle inside on the boards that could sway the game, with SA’s Georgia Green a constant headache for WA, on her way to a match-high 16 rebounds. Tayla Hepburn and Madeleine Dennis were among WA’s best rebounders.

SA Country Women kept grinding away winning the 3rd quarter and taking a one point lead into the last. In a thrilling 10 minutes of basketball the result could have gone either way, with scores level with under two minutes to go. WA’s Tiffany Keays and Hannah King made some clutch baskets to give WA momentum but SA’s Georgia Green and Samantha Lubke struck back with match-winning plays to secure a well fought 3 point victory.

SCORE: SA Country Women 56 d WA Metro Women 53

 SA METRO MEN V NZ MEN.

New Zealand came out on top with a 3-point victory over South Australia Metro. Both teams fought it out in a highly competitive game on court 6 at the Kilsyth Sports Centre.

The first half saw an arm wrestle between the two teams with the game beginning very tightly contested. However, it was SA Metro who was able to convert the chances given to them early to create a buffer in the first half. NZ spent the back end playing catch up after failing to drain their shots early. Becoming damaging from 3-point range, NZ pinned the SA Metro lead back down to five (5) at the major break, 39 – 34.

The second half was an old fashioned tug-of-war with both teams trading baskets and the lead throughout the half. NZ grabbed a late lead, only to lose it to the SA Metro boys through a few clumsy inbounds turnovers. But, New Zealand fought it out to the end, and came up with the important W, 75 – 78.

VIC METRO MEN V NSW COUNTRY MEN.

Vic Metro has come away with yet another victory in the nationals, defeating a gallant NSW country outfit this afternoon.

Vic Metro found themselves in a close contest early in the game, but were able to pull away in the second half and produce a stellar 75-41 victory.

Ben Simmons and Jayden Hawkes led the charge for VIC Metro with 14 points each with Tim Harmer assisting them with ten. Mitchell Naumovski was a lone hand in country’s efforts netting ten.

Both sides started the match with a lot of flare and emphasis on defence. Jacob Cincurak was influential early for NSW Country knocking down two three pointers in quick succession to give the visitors a handy six point lead. However, the host side found their rhythm late in the quarter to finish the quarter on a 10-0 run.

At the start of the second Vic Metro threatened to break away from their opponents, but NSW Country had other ideas: causing turnovers and blocking shots and forcing the hosts to take rushed shots. Towards the end of the quarter, Vic Metro withstood this pressure by finding space in the paint and when Reece McKenzie found his presence inside, the team fired; scoring the final seven points of the half to lead 30-23 at the main break.

After half time it was all Vic Metro, the side put in a grand third quarter performance scoring 28 points to ten and running their opponents into the ground. Christian Petracca and Marc Pittonet were looking like an unstoppable combination as VIC Metro took a 58-33 lead into the final change.

Credit to the Vic Metro side in the last quarter, as they still contested on every defensive possession and made it tough for NSW Country to get any open looks at the basket and when the final siren VIC Metro had increased their lead to 34…

ACT MEN V QLD NORTH MEN.

ACT defeated north QLD North in a 13 point win with the siren going when the scores read 67 – 54. The first quarter was all ACT with Habraken scoring highly for ACT and helping them to a 12 point lead. QLD North was in the game for a while with Myles helping keep hope alive.

The second quarter saw QLD North come back into the game and slow ACT’s scoring right down. The margin was just 2 points at half time with Mayer providing goals for QLD North and Fowler aiding ACT when possible.

After the half north kept things close with ACT only extending their lead to 5 points. Dufelmeier was a powerhouse for ACT scoring from all over the court. At the other end of the floor Ware was keeping QLD North hopes alive with much needed goals at the right time in the game.

The fourth quarter was close and then blew wide open in the dying minutes. QLD North was desperate and this drove them with Ware having a field day under the ring and Mayer providing the rejection of the match when it looked like ACT was about to seal the game. ACT won the game with goals coming from everywhere and everyone.   

ACT  WOMEN V WA COUNTRY WOMEN.

WA Country has pulled out a stellar second half performance to prevail against the ACT by 20 points this afternoon.

In a close game early on, WA Country withstood the defensive pressure of the ACT, coming away with the 72-52 win.

Megan McKay was the star for country with 20 points and Ashlee Sidebottom assisted her with 15.  For ACT, Soraya McGinley and Emma Bourne hit ten points each.

In a close start, neither team good gain the ascendency over the other. ACT ran a press defence, catching WA Country off guard on a couple of occasions and making sure they had an 18-15 lead after the first.

The intensity of the game lifted in the second quarter. A goal-for-goal style match got the crowds of both sides off their seats. It appeared that ACT was getting on top of the match, grabbing every offensive rebound, but WA Country kicked into gear, scoring the last nine points of the quarter and gaining a 40-32 half time lead.

After the break the game went up another notch, ACT were stepping up their defensive efforts and jumping on the loose ball at every occasion. However, they couldn’t capitalize on the offensive end, letting WA Country score the last seven points through an exciting buzzer beater by Ashlee Norman and led 58-40 at the final change.

McKay was a crucial part of WA Country’s charge in the second half. Her dominance in the paint ensured that WA Country went to the free throw line on more than half of their possessions and gave WA Country a convincing victory.

 VIC COUNTRY WOMEN V SA METRO WOMEN.

The women’s teams of Victoria Country and South Australia Metro clashed on court 6 of the Kilsyth Sports Centre yesterday afternoon. SA Metro weren’t strong enough to compete with Vic Country who won convincingly by 29-points.

The game began very evenly, both teams trading blows like prize fighters. However, as the minutes of the opening half continued, Vic Country seized control, punishing South Australia Metro for poor field goal percentage, which was 11% at the half. The Victorian team was able to hold SA Metro Scoreless for most of the second period, only allowing two (2) points, and heading into the change rooms with a 24-point buffer.

SA Metro managed to make an improvement on their field goal percentage, increasing it to 21%, but it still was not enough, with the Vic Country women capitalising on every opportunity given to them, and working like a team having 16 assists, compared to their opponents 4 assist tally. These combined stats lead to the Victorians victory 72 – 43.

NSW COUNTRY WOMEN V NZ WOMEN.

In a game that was won in the last quarter New Zealand defeated country NSW 49 – 60.

The first quarter was a close affair with the Kiwi’s ending one point ahead of NSW.  New Zealand struggled to score close to the ring but Fotu and Wilson proved goals from under the ring. NSW Country found it easier to penetrate and Unicomb took advantage of this more than anyone else.

In the second NSW Country came back and took control of the game. At the half NSW Country led by 4 points thanks to accuracy from Hewett and Dick. Despite New Zealand finding themselves behind at the half it was not all bad news. Ah Kiong and Gilmartin-Kara were difficult for NSW Country to stop and provided goals that kept the Kiwi’s in the game.

After the half NSW Country seemed to dominate and doubled their lead at three quarter time. Doorn was impressive on the floor and under the ring for NSW Country but she also fouled heavily and sent New Zealand to the free throw line on more than one occasion, Doorn was fouled out at the end of the fourth quarter. Elley provided goals when New Zealand was finding them elusive and this allowed them to remain a threat to NSW.

The last quarter was a 3 point extravaganza, with both teams shooting them on a regular basis. New Zealand struggled at the start of the quarter and it looked like NSW Country had sealed the game. New Zealand managed to swing the momentum their way with bishop-Paenga scoring 15 points mostly from the 3 point line. Fotu was also impressive for the Kiwi’s scoring under the basket when long range shots went astray. NSW Country was torn apart in the last quarter thanks to impressive full court pressure from the internationals.

QLD SOUTH MEN V VIC COUNTRY MEN.

Vic Country has put in a 20 point to 13 final quarter to claim victory over Queensland in a thrilling game on court one. 

In a match that had many lead changes throughout the duration, it was Vic Country that handled the last quarter pressure the best, winning 64-61.

Vic Country had many contributors, but it was Tyler Constable and Lukas Webb who did the damage on the offensive end, scoring 14 and 13 points respectively.  Additionally, Jack McVeigh provided an all-star effort for Queensland South netting 21 points and grabbing 15 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the tournament.

Queensland South shot out of the blocks, with Marcus Holmquist-Pollock and McVeigh looking like a force at the offensive end. The majority of Queensland’s points came from in the paint early on, as they started to stamp their authority on inside scoring and rebounding. However, Vic Country kept pegging the lead back, but still trailed 22-15 after the first quarter.

The second quarter was much a repeat of the first, but with far more intensity shown by both sides. Both Queensland and Country chased after every loose ball and played defence in the face of the opposition to limit the amount of scoring. Vic Country got to within two points with three minutes to go but it was McVeigh and Matthew Hosking who added points in the last two minutes to make sure Queensland held at 35-29 lead at the half.

After the break it was Vic Country that controlled the paint, as they continuously found their big men in the post. Christian Buykx-Smith was also dominant on the defensive end for Vic Country, collecting a game high six blocks.  However, it was Queensland’s stars that withstood this pressure and controlled the game with their composure, as they took 48-44 lead into the final quarter.

Vic Country controlled the fourth quarter. Constable’s six points led the Vic’s charge as they started to drive the ball and draw fouls on every offensive possession. Costly turnovers and two players getting fouled out of the game hurt Queensland South’s chances, and this, combined with some composed free throw shooting from Country ensured they came away with the three point win.

A special mention to McVeigh, who nailed a ridiculous three point shot on the final buzzer for Queensland South, to give them some momentum going into their next game against SA Country.

 TAS MEN V NT MEN.

The Tasmanian Cinderella Story continued yesterday when the men’s team hit court 6 at the Kilsyth Sports Centre on Tuesday afternoon. A dominating performance over Northern Territory saw Tassie win by 43.

NT didn’t take full advantage of their opportunities in the first half missing consecutive shots down low. The Tassie men were able to pounce on these opportunities creating easy transition baskets. As the first half continued Tasmania found more and more form, making the NT shots difficult on defence and their own shots easy on offence. The Tasmania went into the major break 26-points up.

Tasmania continued to fire when they came onto the court in the second half, not allowing NT to even think about coming back into this game. The Tassie men were able to take advantage under the rim on offense, gaining 24 second chance points, with 64 team rebounds for the game. Tasmania continued the good Australian Junior Championship Form, running away victors 77 – 34.

SA COUNTRY WOMEN V TAS WOMEN.

The 5pm game between SA Country Women and Tasmania on Court One saw Tasmania win a close one, 63 to 59.

The first quarter saw SA Country Women quickly establish a 20 to 6 lead. However, a determined effort by Tasmania in the second quarter saw the scores being tied at 33 apiece at half time. 

The third quarter was close, with Tasmania edging ahead at three quarter time with a 4 point buffer. The last quarter was also tense, with Tasmania Women pulling away to an eventual 4 point lead, having been challenged late by SA Country Women.

WA METRO MEN V SA COUNTRY MEN.

WA Metro won in a fast paced, foul heavy game against SA Country. The final score was 73 – 51.

The first quarter fast paced and full of scoring with WA Metro edging out in front when the buzzer sounded. WA Metro had a variety of scorers with no one standing but everyone playing their role. SA Country at the other end of the court had 2 major goal scorers in Wit and Munzberg.

The second quarter was just as close with SA Country staying in the game without really dominating any contests however they did win the quarter by 1 point to close the half time margin to 4. Both teams had a routine game with no player standing out more than any other.

After the half things started to go bad for SA Country with WA Metro’s lead extending to 9 points. Cockman and Broderick were standouts for WA Metro but Jonczyk could not be stopped for SA Country. SA Country faced another problem with Munzberg coming into foul trouble.

The game was sealed halfway through the fourth and didn’t get any better with time for SA Country. De Wit provided a glimmer of hope for SA Country but this was quickly extinguished when Munzberg was sidelined from the game. WA Metro kept scoring and Walsh seemed unstoppable right until the final siren.

WA METRO WOMEN V QLD NORTH WOMEN

In a game that was fast paced and end to end QLD North defeated WA Metro 59 – 70.

The first quarter was a close affair with the scores tied at the first break. WA Metro shared the scoring opportunities around which is different to QLD North who had scoring contributions from both Frolings and Wood.

The second quarter was the complete opposite to the first with QLD North taking control of the game and enjoying a 9 point lead at the major break. A.Froling was dominant under the ring for QLD North with Mugridge also shooting well from outside the key. WA Metro struggled to find a clear path to the ring with Pirini making the majority of scoring contributions with 7 points for the quarter.

After the half the pace slowed down for QLD North despite them extending their lead. Gray was dominant under the ring for QLD North and the rest of the bench scored fairly evenly. King helped WA Metro remain in the game scoring the majority of points without detracting from the efforts of her teammates.

The last quarter was evenly matched again however WA Metro was hindered by foul trouble in the end with Pitcher and King sidelined. Keays was influential on the board and floor for WA Metro but QLD North was too strong. While sharing the scoring around QLD North had major contributions from Mugridge and K.Froling.

VIC METRO WOMEN V NSW METRO WOMEN

The 7pm game on Court One saw Vic Metro Women demolish NSW Metro Women, winning convincingly, 86 to 42.

The first quarter saw Vic Metro Women race out to an 18 to 11 lead. The second quarter saw Vic Metro Women maintain their intensity and pressure, leading 38 to 20 at the main break. Scherf and Hill were starring for Vic Metro Women while Fox and Tupaea were solid for NSW Metro Women.

After the main break, Vic Metro Women again came out firing, establishing a 26 point lead heading into the final quarter. The final quarter saw a major blitz from Vic Metro Women, doubling NSW Metro Women’s overall score.

Brodie Theodore was excellent for Vic Metro Women, finishing with 15 points and 5 rebounds. She was well supported by Lauren Scherf (14 points, 7 rebounds), Amanda Meinking (12 points, 9 rebounds) and Rachel Lucas, who was lively from start to finish. For NSW Metro Women, Dru Toleafoa stood out with 9 points and 8 rebounds. 

Images supplied by Kangaroo Photos.

Photo 1: NZ Boys cheering on their side after their thrilling three point defeat of SA Metro yesterday

Photo 2: Victoria Metro’s Ben Simmons in action yesterday