The Pakenham Warriors ventured down the highway to battle with D1 power Latrobe City Energy on Saturday afternoon and with star point guard Jason Ferriere unavailable, the team bandied together to hold  a double digit lead in the third before withstanding a fourth quarter run by the home side to register a team building five point win (66-61).

Leading Scorers:
B.Winder 19pts
J.Topp 14pts
J.Richardson 7pts
J.Bentley 7pts

Final Scores:
Warriors: (66)
Latrobe City: (61)

Coach’s Comment:
It was a special day when you consider where the team has come from. Our half court execution was rock solid and we valued possession even when the stakes were high in the fourth, only committing 12 turnovers for the game. More importantly were our adjustments at the defensive end after Jordan Canovan came out hot early and down the stretch we strung together multiple stops. Great signs from future star Jimmy Magrath ran the team like a seasoned veteran and Bill Winder was automatic with his mid range jumper once again.

On Sunday the Warriors backed up against Chelsea who have overhauled their roster and are considered a legitimate D1 championship contender. The Warriors opened up with some missed opportunities at the offensive end which the Gulls pounced on opening a quick 10 point buffer but the new look Warriors showed fight to cut the margin to five points before the visitors took an 11 point lead into the main break.

The third saw the Gulls extend their lead to 20 but once again the Warriors continued to fight and outscored them in the last eventually going down by 19 points.

Leading Scorers
J.Topp 11pts, 4rebs
J.Richardson 9pts, 8rebs
D.Stow 7pts
B.Winder 7pts

Quarter by Quarter:
Warriors: 9, 23, 9 21 (62)
Chelsea: 20, 23, 18, 20 (81)

Coach’s Comment:
It’s always tough when you find yourself with an early deficit and I felt as though we came out flat with some missed lay-ups and poor free throw shooting compounding this. We showed grit to come back in the second and played to the final buzzer but sustained effort at the defensive end and consistent application to our offensive structures were the difference. Jay Richardson showed great signs across the weekend and really provided some much needed grunt on the defensive end whilst his confidence on the offensive end continues to rise.

All in all it was a great experience for the group to be tested physically and mentally against some more seasoned competition as it showed us that we need to continue to evolve. In saying that our second and fourth quarters are proof that we can mix it with anyone. We will freshen the guys up before the pre-season tournament but have Maccabi this Thursday night to conclude our practise games schedule which we’re hungry to finish on a winning note.