2023 WABL Recap - Round 11
This Sunday, 2nd July, the Wolves ended the day with a record of 18 wins and 18 losses. While the overall day was solid, the biggest bright spot was that the Champs teams ended up with an 8-1 record. On the girls side, the Champs teams had a perfect record on the day.
The Under 12 boys ended the day with a 3-1 record. The Champs team played a fairly even game against Willetton, but had a good run in the second quarter, and at the end of the 3rd quarter to win by 12. Team 2 boys had an outstanding 15-point win over a Slammers team that was in second place. Kobi Bunt, Kamron Makawa, and Josh Epple all scored in double figures in a great team effort. Team 2 remains atop the ladder. Team 3 lost a 1 possession game 47-49. Team 4 beat Cockburn 45-31 and remain atop the ladder as well. James Fairhead had a big 13-point performance, and Mason Taylor also had 9.
The Under 12 Girls had a 1-3 day. The Champs team remains down multiple players due to injury and illness, but came away with a 13-point win against Redbacks after a fast start in the 3rd quarter. Their ball pressure and fast break offence had them scoring in bunches. Hannah Benich had 16 points. Team 2 had a very close, 3-point loss against a top of the ladder Willetton team. They had a huge 20-11 second quarter to go up at halftime, but couldn’t quite hold off the Tigers in the end. Team 3 lost to Rockingham 1. Team 4 had a double overtime game against Hawks 3, but fell just short. Camille Hoskins had a big 18-point game despite the loss.
The Under 14 Boys went 3-1. Team 4 extended their win streak to 5 games with a 70-60 win over the Senators. Dylan Thomson and Marcus Bower both had 20-plus-point performances in the win. Team 3 lost by 16 to East Perth. Team 2 had an outstanding performance, coming away with a 53-46 victory over a Suns team that was second on the ladder. The scoring was pretty well rounded, with Ashton Thorpe leading the way with 15-points before he fouled out. But in the end, it was the team’s defensive effort that got them over the line. The Champs Boys also had a great game, beating Willetton 65-51. For the first 3 quarters, it was a tough fought game that stayed within a couple baskets. Both teams were playing very well. But when the 4th quarter came around, something clicked for the Wolfpack boys and they went on a huge run, going from up 1, to up 14. Harrison Connolly had a big scoring game with 15, but Olumiji Onikola’s 9 points and 18 rebounds was also a very impressive performance!
The Under 14 Girls went 1-3. The lone win was the Champs girls beating Warwick by 9. T’yanna Keating had a huge 17-point performance. She showed outstanding instincts to cut at just the right time to the right spot, and her teammates showed the unselfishness to willingly pass to her on time and on target. For Team 2, Zoe French had 19, but the Wolves lost by 5. Team 3 lost to the Mandurah Magic girls 42-30. In the loss, a bright spot was Ella Augustin’s 12 points. Team 4 had one of those games where you just have a tough time scoring, and they fell to the Senators.
The Under 16 Boys went 2-2 with the Champs team and Team 3 winning, and Teams 2 and 4 falling short. The Champs boys had a huge day. They were playing the Redbacks and got down 17-8 early in the first quarter. But from that point, Redbacks didn’t score for 13 minutes, and the Wolves went on a 28-0 run. From the start of this run they were dominant as a team on both sides of the ball and ended up winning 117-53. Taj Gleeson had his biggest game of the year with 35, and did it by splitting seams in the defence and getting to the basket. Team 2 fell short against the Suns 92-80. Team 3 won a 2 point game against the Suns with big performances by multiple players. Owen Baker had 13, while Kade Cavanagh and Hudson Dimond both had 14. Team 4 lost to Senators by 15. They were close the whole way and tied at 3 quarter time, until a bad run in the 4th quarter was enough to decide the game.
The Under 16 Girls went 3-1. Team 2 won a 59-57 nailbiter. After being up 11 at halftime, the Wolves girls had a tough 3rd quarter and gave up the lead. The fourth quarter then came down to the very end in a tough fought game. Emily Vukman top scored with an impressive 14 points, and Rose Wheeler and Luca Kuhn both had 11. Team 3 beat the Suns 83-53 and had 7 players score at least 8 points. They were led by Lucy Corden’s 21. Team 4 made a huge push in the 4th quarter to fight for a win, but despite winning the quarter by 8, they fell just short of victory – 58-61.
The Under 18 Boys had a 2-2 record. Team 3 had an outstanding performance beating Lightning 2, who had previously been on top of the ladder. The defence was exceptional as a team in route to a 78-67 victory. Kayne Ferguson had 17 and James Dalton had 16. Team 4 had a terrific game but fell just short. They lost 94-90 to a team that was tied for top of the ladder in the Eagles. Team 2 lost to Senators 91-72. The Champs boys played a Lakeside team that was one game ahead of them in the standings but came away with a 78-68 victory. They had 5 players in double figures scoring.
The Under 18 Girls group went 2-2 on the day. The Champs Girls went on a roll with pressure defence on their way to a 114-34 victory. They also made 11 three pointers on the game, including a stretch of 4 straight 3s made in the third quarter. Team 2 went down by 3 to the Redbacks 1 team. Chloe Goldsmith fouled out with 16 points and Jay Gates had 12. The Wolves were up 6 at 3-quarters time but dropped the 4th quarter by 9. Team 4 had a close game against Redbacks 2 but fell 72-62 in the end. Sisters Ocearna and Summer Wilson went for 17 and 18 points respectively with 5 made 3s, and Jade Howsam added 16 points.
The Under 20 Men went 0-2. The Champs team just couldn’t find scores and lost 54-77. They had been averaging 84.5 points per game up to this point in the year, so this 54-point output was way below their average. We are sure they’ll be back to scoring 85+ points next game. Team 2 lost to Warwick and did not have one of their better games either. In the final regular season game of the year for D-League the women won big over Mandurah, 105-35. They go into Finals as the 3-seed and will play the 6-seed Redbacks in the first round of Finals next week. The D-League men lost to Perth 72-93 on Sunday. But they also go into Finals as the 3-seed, playing the 6-seed Eagles team next week.
Go Wolves!
Comments
Comment Guidelines: The SportsTG Network is made up of players, families and passionate sports followers like you who have a strong opinion about sport. That's great - we want you to have your say and share your thoughts with the world. However, we have a few rules that you must follow to keep it fun for all. Please don't be rude, abusive, swear or vilify others. Apart from some pretty serious sport sanctions, we also can ban you and report you if things get out of hand. So play fair and have fun, and thanks for your contribution.