GEELONG’S Big V stocks continue to rise after an excellent weekend extended its winning streak to four games.

After beating Whittlesea Pacers, 105-99, on the road on Saturday night, Geelong returned home to the Arena for a come-from-behind 108-106 win over Coburg on Sunday.

To get both wins was a major statement by the team and coach Lanard Copeland as Geelong (5-1) moved into third place on the Big V Division One men’s ladder.

With six players scoring in double-digits, led by veteran guard Paul Hutchison (31 points), Keith Harrison (16 points) and Seb Loader (13 points, 15 rebounds), Geelong simply had too much of everything to hold off Whittlesea.

But that win was merely the entrée to the main course the next day as Geelong overcome a double-figure deficit in the third period to get the win over Coburg.

Led by the all-round Chris Brown (24 points, seven rebounds, seven assists) and shooting guard Keith Harrison (24 points, seven three-pointers), Geelong clawed back and held on down the stretch for a fine win.

With plenty of fire in the contest, veterans Paul Hutchison (21 points) and Seb Loader (15 points, 12 rebounds) were outstanding leaders for Geelong

Clearly capable of challenging for the championship, Geelong will get a real indication of where it stands in a top-of-the-ladder game at home to Sherbrooke (5-1) on Sunday (The Arena, 3pm).

 

The Lady Cats crashed to their heaviest defeat of the Big V Championship season, losing to Hume City Broncos by 32 points on Saturday night.

The 80-48 loss at The Arena was a deeply disappointing result for the Lady Cats after the previous weekend’s excellent win over Sandringham, leaving them looking for plenty of answers.

An excellent second-quarter defensive effort had Geelong trailing by just three points at halftime, but the Lady Cats simply could not keep pace with Hume City in the second half.

Hume City, featuring several WNBL players including Sharin Milner (15 points) outscored the Lady Cats 48-19 in the second half, including a 30-11 third period.

Guard Prue Kenny (13 points) was the only Lady Cat to score in double digits as the team shot at just 33.9 per cent (20-59) from the field and committed 27 turnovers.

The Lady Cats (2-4) will be looking to get a much-needed win on the road to the Bulleen Boomers (0-7) on Saturday night.

 

The Geelong Big V Youth League (2) team stayed in playoff contention with a road win over Whittlesea on Saturday night followed by an amazing overtime win at home over Coburg on Sunday.

Geelong beat Whittlesea, 101-73, behind a big game from centre Brett Seljak (25 points, 17 rebounds) while James Swallow added 17 points.

But the best was yet to come with the 100-97 OT win over Coburg, rallying from a 17-point halftime deficit as Shane Hunter (26 points, 14 rebounds) and Brett Seljak (18 points, nine rebounds) logged big games.

Geelong (4-3) continues its hunt for a finals spot against Sherbrooke (4-2) next Sunday at The Arena (1pm).