No Leeway up the Freeway from Sabre Men
Steven Williams 2nd foul came after just 4 minutes and saw a tenative return to the court from ex-36er Brad Hill. The Sabres backcourt also suffered from early fouls, with Darren Ng receiving his 2nd in the 1st quarter but that just allowed brother Marcus Ng an opportunity to step up.
Mark Bauer was given the job of containing Hill but found some chances offensively as well, including a fastbreak lay up off a Marcus Ng assist, which itself came from Ng's impressive block shot. The first quarter ended in a fitting way with Marcus fumbling a ball off his leg which ended up in Sabre rookie Mitch Simmons' hands and his jump shot just before the buzzer gave the Sabres a comfortable 29 - 18 lead.
The second quarter was more of the same with the Sabres slowly building their lead with big shots, disciplined offence and aggresive defence, frustrating the Mavs. An impressive tap around Williams and lay up followed by steal for a Marcus Hakendorf bucket, along with two first half tip ins showcased Darren Ng's influence all over the court in the first half. Sturt had Eastern beaten everywhere, out rebounding them 33 - 22 and forcing 10 turnovers, while shooting at an impressive 48% from the field on their way to a 19 point first half lead.
Darren Ng outscoring his brother by 1 point leading the game to the half with 16 while the Mavs relied on the under rated Breheny at the offensive end; posting 14 points at 6/8.
The second half started without Bungey and his absence hurt, with Dodman working hard inside to get the Sabres rolling again. The Mavs frustration grew through the third, their foul troubles not helping their efforts and despite some brief highlights which included a sweet Brad Hill feed to Dearman and some tough hoops from Breheny, the third quarter was more of the same from the Sabres' 6er connection. Two big Mark Bauer threes kept the offence flowing while the Ng boys rested and the Sabres pushed their lead out to 21 going into the last quarter.
Dearman and Brehney worked hard to keep the Mavs' hopes of a comeback alive and they were instrumental in getting the lead down to 16, with Dearman diving on any loose ball contest he could and Breheny battling the bigger body of Dodman for every touch he could get his hands on. Sabres Coach Liam Flynn simply turned to his bench and returned the Ngs to the fray. Once his time out ended the Sabres started building their lead once more. Both teams got physical before running their benches for the final minutes, the Sabres holding on for a comfortable 101 - 82 victory.
Individual performances of note for Sturt include Darren Ng's line of 25 points (10/17 FG) 7 rebounds and 5 assists (but also 10 turnovers), Marcus Ng's 25 (9/15 FG, 4/6 3PT) 6 rebounds and 6 assists, Jordan Dodman's 15 points (7/11 FG), 13 rebounds and 3 steals and a cameo from Mark Bauer whos 12 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists at one end was almost as impressive as his work on Hill at the other. The Mavs relied on Shane "Horvath" Breheny, whose 24 points (11/17) and 13 rebounds were both team highs. Jye Watson managed 13 points but at 3/14 from the field and Ben Dearman had 12. Brad Bungey's all round performance of 8 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists were hampered by 6 fouls restricting him to just 27 mins while Hill managed 9 points at 4/12 from the field in his first real competitive hit out since that ugly incident during the NBL season late last year.
A personal highlight would have to be the always impressive Flat Dog and cheap soft drinks available courtside every time the Mavs host an ABL game at the Mount, not to mention the dancing and bagpipes on display on the back courts.
Last Modified on 01/03/2008 22:44
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