Ahale Erupts for 45 points to headline thrilling NBL1 home double vs Rangers
The Cobra Women battled valiantly against the playoff-bound Rangers, pushing Dandenong until the final minute of play before falling short in a 73-83 thriller.
The Cobra Women fought until the finish in the first quarter, adjusting to the Rangers' physical style of play. Trailing by five in the first four minutes, the two made free throws by centre Anamaria Virjoghe ignited a shift in the Cobras. Following the free throws, Shannon Dufficy, Nikita Young, and Georgia Dale each recorded threes to bridge the scoring deficit by one to end the quarter.
Though starting slow in the first quarter, player of the game Abby O’Connor lit up during the second, grabbing 10 of her 33 points of the night to total 14 points before the half.
The Cobras and Rangers collided in a fierce matchup, trading whistles and back-to-back layups in an exciting nail-biter finish of the half. A Ranger push led by the former Cobra, Georgia Booth, with two late threes, sent the Cobras to the locker room down by four.
Entering the second half, the Cobras battled back with an early three-pointer by Shannon Dufficy to reduce the Ranger lead to one. Following the impactful three, Nikita Young recorded her first steal of the game with an electrifying defensive possession to knock the Rangers off their game. O’Connor did not back down this quarter, hitting two impressive threes and delivering critical layups; her impact was felt all over the court. O’Connor was the star of the third, already totaling 27 points before the last ten minutes.
Down nine with 10 minutes to go, the Cobras needed an explosive start to regain confidence; however, the Ranger duo of Georgia Booth and Amber Smith put an end to the Cobras' chances of winning. Though the Cobras finished trailing by ten, the game did not disappoint with an explosive performance by Abby O’Connor, the clear player of the game, with her 33 points marking a season-high.
While the Women fell short to the Rangers, the Cobra Men lit up the court early with an impressively strong start by Kilsyth junior, Jaime Ahale. Ahale’s unbelievable 45-point performance began as he opened the scoring with a quick three, followed by an impressive two just forty seconds later. No matter the defence, Ahale was unstoppable, scoring half of the Cobras' 26 points in the first quarter to give the Cobras a four-point lead after the first 10 minutes.
Entering the second quarter, Desmond Owili scored early at the free throw line; however, the Cobra men entered a scoring drought for the next two minutes. Ahale ended the drought with an explosive step-back three, just the spark the Cobras needed to get back into the game. The Cobras went on a run from Ahale, Khadim Sy, and Ben Ursich to put their lead up by 11 over the Rangers with five minutes left in the half. Sy ended the half for the Cobras with a much-needed two to keep the Cobras up heading into the second half.
Ahale was the man of the quarter, recording fifteen points— nine coming beyond the arc. The defence had nothing on Ahale as he baited and battled the Rangers, leaving them stumped and down by fourteen going into the last ten minutes.
Ben Ursich got the Cobras off to a hot start, draining a quick three that brought the crowd to their feet. From there, the Cobras turned into a three-point scoring machine. Khadim Sy and Mitch Dielemans kept the scoring going, each knocking down shots, putting pressure on the Rangers. Just a minute later, the crowd went electric, cheering as Ahale hit his eighth and final three of the night. Simply a dominant performance by the Cobras - led by Ahale's scintilating shooting display -cemented the Cobra win over the Rangers with a final score of 98-77.
The Women's close loss drops them to 5-13 on the season, but with opportunity ahead, they will look to close in on the top half of the standings beginning with a road battle vs the Ballarat Rush on Saturday night. The Cobra Men moved to 10-8 with their win to remain in the top-eight, in what is an incredibly tight playoff picture. Just two wins seperate 2nd-11th in the league standings, and the Cobras will look to continue their push with a huge battle vs Ballarat, who currently sit a half game ahead of the Cobras.
