ASSIST PT LADY COBRAS vs HOBART LADY CHARGERS – 87-68 WIN

Sarah Parsons, Steph Cumming and Cassie Sant all had big games as the Assist PT Lady Cobras came out on top in the SEABL Women’s Game of the Week, defeating Hobart 87-68.

The Lady Cobras dominated the Chargers inside, with Parsons, Cumming and Sant attacking the paint at will against a hapless Hobart defence. Parsons led the way for Kilsyth, with coach Sam Woosman running the majority of the Cobras offence through her at the high post as she exploited mismatches all night long. Parsons finished the game with a 23-point, 10-rebound double double, and played the role of distributor to perfection, setting up Cumming and Sant for numerous baskets inside.



Billed the league’s Game of the Week, it lived up to the hype early on, with the Cobras taking a 24-19 lead into quarter time. The Lady Chargers responded quicky, though, reeling off six unanswered points early in the second period to take a 27-26 lead. But with a offence loaded with weapons, the Lady Cobras quickly responded with a blistering 16-0 run to push the lead out to 15 points, before Chargers import Kathleen Scheer ended the quarter with a flurry – scoring nine quick points – to draw Hobart to within eight points heading into the locker room.



Again the Lady Cobras appeared to blow the game open – taking a 17-point lead late in the third quarter – but Hobart roared back to pull to within 72-66 midway through the final period. It turned out to be a last ditch effort though, as Sant and Cumming slammed the door on the Chargers as they led a game-clinching 15-2 run to record a key South Conference victory.



Sant and Cumming each finished with 20 points, while Chantella Perera added 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Cumming, Parsons and Rosie Moult were big on the defensive end, combining to force several turnovers, leading to 13 points off Hobart’s giveaways.


ASSIST PT LADY COBRAS vs BALLARAT RUSH – 94-51 WIN

On the second day of a back-to-back weekend, the Lady Cobras wasted no time in completing a weekend sweep, erupting for a 36-point opening quarter en route to a convincing 94-51 win at Ballarat. 



For the second day in a row, Steph Cumming and Sarah Parsons had monster games, and SEABL’s best defensive team again flexed their muscle as they held the Rush to a miserable 27.7% shooting from the field.



The Lady Cobras offence was absolutely unstoppable early on as they scored on a staggering 18 of their first 24 possessions, shooting 68.2% from the field over the opening 10 minutes. Although they cooled off significantly in the second period, the Lady Cobras churned out one of their best defensive quarters of the season, holding Ballarat to just nine points for the period to take a 21-point lead into halftime.

Sam Woosnam’s team didn’t let up over the final 20 minutes despite a being comfortably ahead, blowing the lead out to as much as 46 points in what was the Lady Cobras most complete two-way performance of the young season. 

Facing her former team, Cumming was locked in from the get-go, lighting up Ballarat to the tune of 26 points on 11/19 shooting. Parsons was just as spectacular, recording the league’s first triple-double of 2015 to finish with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Chantella Perera was again good off the bench, scoring 16 points and pulling down six rebounds, Cassie Sant also added 16 points, and Rosie Moult finished with 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals in a solid all-around performance. 

The win moves Kilsyth to 4-1 on the season, good for first place in the South Conference. They face a tough test at home this weekend, hosting the 3-1 Geelong Supercats on Saturday night, with tipoff scheduled for 6.00pm.


ASSIST PT COBRAS vs HOBART CHARGERS – 88-66 WIN

A key third quarter run and a vintage performance from Tim Lang was enough for the Assist PT Cobras to overcome a horrid start against Hobart to come out on top, 88-66. 

Trailing by seven points early in the second period, the Cobras clawed their way back to take a six point lead into halftime. The pesky Chargers were quick to respond, though, tying the game midway through the third quarter before Kilsyth went on it’s game defining run.

With Lang leading the way, the Cobras scored the final 12 points of the period and never looked back, avoiding what would have been a major upset on their home court. Struggling to find his stroke early in the season, Lang broke out in a big way, scoring a season-high 24 points to go along with eight rebounds. Scoring at will inside and out, Lang looked just like the 2014 version of himself, where he finished sixth in the league MVP race and was regarded by many as the league’s best centre.  

Kyle Adnam added 16 points for Kilsyth, routinely getting to the foul line in the second half as the Cobras pulled away. Taylor Cameron had another excellent game, posting 15 points on 5/7 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds, while Joel Naburgs returned from a one-game absence to finish with 15 points and five rebounds.

Rod Popp’s team made the most of the Charger’s undersized frontcourt, owning the rebound count (46-28), while their relentless attack on the paint resulted in 31 free throw attempts to Hobart’s nine. The win gives the Cobras a 3-0 record against South Conference opponents.


ASSIST PT COBRAS vs BALLARAT MINERS – 100-78 WIN

For the second day in a row, the Assist PT Cobras struggled to create any distance in the first half. But just like the night prior, they got going when it mattered most, sending a message to the rest of the league with a scintillating second half performance.

Trailing 42-45 at halftime on the road at Ballarat, the Cobras caught fire on both ends of the court and rode another stellar game from Kyle Adnam to defeat the Miners, 100-78. Adnam scored a season-high 33 points to go along with seven rebounds and seven assists, going toe-to-toe with Ballarat’s star import Roy Booker in leading Kilsyth to their best performance of 2015.

Struggling to get on the same page early in the season, the Cobras ‘Big-4’ fired on all cylinders Sunday. Joel Naburgs finished with a season-high 21 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists, Tim Lang backed up his big game against Hobart with a 20 point outing, and Auryn Macmillan added 12 points and eight rebounds.

Despite a long road trip and a halftime deficit on the second day of a back-to-back, Kilsyth played arguably its best 20 minutes of basketball since Rod Popp took over the reigns as head coach last season. The Cobras shot a blistering 60.6% from the field, 54.5% from deep and outrebounded the Miners 21-7 in the second half, outscoring Ballarat 58-33 over the span.

Although the Cobras blew the game open late, the Miners stayed within striking distance early in the final period behind the play of imports Booker and Kodi Augustus. But it was the Cobras own import that sealed Ballarat’s fate with back-to-back dagger plays – after Augustus hit a 3-pointer to pull Ballarat to within 14 points with six minutes remaining, Taylor Cameron responded with two huge buckets from downtown to put the game out of reach.

The win was the Cobras fourth in a row and pushes their record to 4-1, keeping them atop the South Conference. They face a big home test on Saturday as they face perennial finals contender Geelong, with tipoff scheduled for 8.00pm.

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