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DAY 7:  AUSTRALIA vs CHINESE TAIPEI - JULY 10th 2015 

First Quarter

Australia was again slow to get off the mark, with Chinese Taipei getting the first 4 points on the board, although they also took a minute and a half before they found the ring. Both teams were playing tight defence. Our first points came from Mark Bilyj with an assist from Jordan Woolmer. Mark then followed up with another two points courtesy of two shots from the foul line when he sunk them both. Scores were then level, but Chinese Taipei quickly stretched it out to a five point lead before we were able to recover and bring the scores back to a level twelve-all.

For the remainder of the quarter the scores remained at within a one point difference, either Australia’s or Chinese Taipei's way. With 0.7 seconds to go on the clock, Chinese Taipei took a time out. In the passage of play that followed they managed to sink a three point basket to take them into the quarter time break 4 points up.

Quarter time scores: Chinese Taipei 20 to Australia 16.

Second Quarter

We opened the second quarter with Morgan Williams sinking a three point shot in the opening minute to bring us back to within one point. Chinese Taipei almost immediately responded with a three point shot to bring the margin back to 4 points and then continued to score twice more to increase the margin to 8 points (27-19).

When it looked like Chinese Taipei was going to run away with it, Australia rallied and hammered home the next 8 points to again level the scores.

Mark sunk two foul shots and Sam scored a two point field goal. Morgan successfully converted both of his foul shots and then followed up with a two point field goal. Another goal from Morgan soon after gave us the lead, although Chinese Taipei went to the foul line to bring the scores back to level again. Halil Durnaoglu subbed in and soon added to the score with Morgan following up again. At half-time we had gained a 4-point advantage and had outscored Chinese Taipei by 8 points for the quarter.

Half time scores: Australia 34 - Chinese Taipei 30.

Third Quarter

The third quarter was a tough tussle with both teams adding 11 points to their scores but neither team willing to give anything in defence. Chinese Taipei were able to bridge the gap to within one point but they were unable to take the lead, and we managed to finish the quarter with the same four-point margin with which we entered it. Lachlan Jackson added 8 points for the quarter (4 x 2) and Mark and Sam both scored from the foul line.

Three quarter time scores: Australia 45 - Chinese Taipei 41

Fourth Quarter

The last quarter started with Chinese Taipei reducing the margin to zero, before Sam finally found his long range shot and scored from the three point arc. Lachlan scored after an assist from Morgan and this was then followed by a great rebound from Patrick Lane.   Sam scored twice in the next minute or so and when Chinese Taipei called a time-out with 5 min 38 sec to go, Australia had a handy 9 point lead (54 - 45). After returning to play, Australia never looked back and continued to pile on the points, adding another 14 in the last 5 ½ minutes to Chinese Taipei's 4 points. With just under a minute to go, coach Brent Reid subbed the bench on, so Halil, Jake Harwood, Ben Morrison and Harry Maggs were able to finish the game on the court.

Final score: Australia 68 - Chinese Taipei 49.

Honourable mentions for the game:

Lachlan Jackson: 19 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals; Morgan Williams: 18 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists; Sam Cartledge: 14 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals; Mark Bilyj: 13 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals.

In summary, the team has had an amazing tournament, with only the one large loss to the USA who are expected to take out the tournament.  Except for a minor hiccup that saw the Goannas lose to Greece by the smallest of margins, they could have easily been playing off for a much higher position.

The future that lays ahead of this team is very positive and they are all to be congratulated on their performance - from the boys that battled on the court each day, to the bench who gave amazing support with limited opportunity to showcase their skills, but who always remained positive and supportive.

The coaching staff and support staff are also to be congratulated on the way they were able to bring this group of young men together and turn them into an amazing team with a very promising future.

Well done to all.

 

DAY 6: AUSTRALIA vs JAPAN - JULY 9th 2015

First classification match for 9th-12th

First Quarter

We entered the game full of confidence this time, partly due to the height difference we took into the game. The Goannas were first to score and although our second time down the court saw us run the 24 second clock down to nothing without putting up a shot, we quickly recovered and Lachlan Jackson went to the foul line to successfully convert both free throws. He then followed up with another two points soon after.

Japan was definitely having difficulty matching our height under the basket and in the rebound department.

Lachlan was subbed off due to the blood rule (a result from a floor burn from a previous game) and Halil came into the game to take Lachlan's bonus shot which he successfully converted. Mark Bilyj finished the quarter on a high shooting a three pointer and then following up with 2 shots, both of which he was fouled whilst scoring and went to the bonus line. He successfully converted both, scoring 9 points in a few minutes. Sam Cartledge finished the quarter with two successful bonus shots from the foul line.

Quarter time score: Australia: 26 to Japan 15.

Second Quarter

We were on fire during the second quarter adding a total of 28 points to Japan's 5 points.           Lachy scored 9 and Mark 7 during this quarter and both Patrick and Halil were able to add to their first quarter court time, with Halil also sinking 2 free throws. Jake Harwood entered the game for the first time this quarter, but unfortunately was not able to put a score on the board. Morgan Williams finished the quarter with 4 points.

Half time score: Australia 48 to Japan 20. 

Third Quarter

We were very slow to start the third quarter with Japan scoring 9 points, all from three pointers, before we were able to score. Our first score came when Jordan drove to the basket, managing to penetrate the defence. He scored 8 points for the quarter including a great tap in, and another after an assist from Mark. Japan added 28 points to our 16 points for the third quarter.

Three quarter time score: Australia - 64 to Japan - 48.

Fourth Quarter

Whatever coach Brent (Stretch) Reid said to the players at 3/4 time had an immediate affect as the boys came out and hit the boards hard, scoring quickly and showing some great team work. Australia successfully clawed back some of their half time margin, scoring 9 points before Japan found the basket.

Halil scored 6 points including a great tap in and three steals for the quarter. Morgan Williams and Lachlan both added 8 points to their game totals. This quarter also saw Ben Morrison, Harry Maggs, as well as the injured Shane Crick come into the game - Shane with strict instructions from the coach to just stand there!!

Final Score: Australia 93 to Japan 67.

Game Highs:

Lachlan Jackson - 31 points, 18 rebounds; Mark Bilyj - 25 points, 10 rebounds; Morgan Williams - 12 points, 7 rebounds; Halil Durnaoglu - 11 points, 6 rebounds; Jordan Woolmer - 10 points, 6 rebounds and a brilliant 9 assists. Special mention to Halil who achieved 4 from 4 Field Goals, and 3 from 3 Free Throws – 100%!!!!

Tomorrow we play Chinese Taipei in the play off for 9th and 10th with the winner finishing in 9th position overall for the tournament. Tip off 5pm local time (+2 hrs Eastern states). 

 

DAY 5: REST DAY

DAY 4: AUSTRALIA vs USA, JULY 7th 2015 

Today was unfortunately not indicative of the way the team has been playing throughout this tournament. Whether it was nerves that got the better of them playing the USA on the centre stage in front of all the cameras, or fatigue due to the heat and three close games in a short period of time, but it was a different team who walked out on the court today. The boys are feeling down on themselves due to their performance and especially after the way they played so well yesterday.

For those of you wondering why the boys were in pink socks today - it was to acknowledge the fight against breast cancer of the mother of one of our players.

First Quarter

Both teams struggled to get any score on the board today despite putting up a large number of shots. It was a minute and a half before USA could put points on the board. Halil Durnaoglu subbed into the game as we continued to miss both shots from the field and the free throw line. Our first score came from a field goal by Sam Cartledge almost 6 & 1/2 minutes into the game and was quickly followed by another one from Sam following a rebound from Patrick Lane. Jake Harwood subbed in for Halil and Ben Morrison entered into the game for the first time tournament. We entered the quarter time break with the score at 23 - 4.  

Second Quarter

We again started the quarter slowly, although the USA managed to score fairly quickly. Mark Bilyj scored two points from the field at the 2 minute mark and then followed up again with another  2 points soon after, followed by another 2 from Sam.  Harry Maggs subbed into the game for the first time this tournament. We managed to score only another 7 points, with a total of 13 for the quarter despite the USA adding 31 points. Half time score: 17 - 51

Third Quarter

The starting 5 were back on at the beginning of the third quarter and this time settled into the game a little quicker and were able to score 17 points for the quarter, equivalent to the total for the entire first half of the game. This quarter saw Mark score 7 points from 9 free throws and Lachlan Jackson hit a number of points from under the ring to give 8 from the field and one from the free throw line, totalling 9 for the quarter. Three quarter time scores: USA 84 - Aust 34.

Fourth Quarter

The last quarter amounted to just hanging in there, as tiredness and frustration started to take over. Morgan Williams managed to score 5 points for the quarter, with Lachlan scoring two from the foul line and Halil scoring 2 points as well. Mark Bilyj unfortunately fouled out, but this quarter also saw the return to the court by Patrick, Ben, Halil and Harry, all who finished out the quarter on the court.

Final score: USA - 113,  Aust 43

Top scorers: Mark Bilyj 15 points, Lachlan Jackson 11 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocked shots, Sam Cartledge 10 points, 6 rebounds.

We are still a chance to make the final 8 but must wait on the results of tomorrow's game between Poland and Greece as the outcome of that game will determine where we finish in our pool and which positions we play off for. Whichever way it goes we still have 2 games to play.

 

DAY 3: AUSTRALIA vs GREECE, 6th JULY 2015

First Quarter

Australia started the quarter well with Morgan Williams scoring a 3 pointer in the opening minutes and quickly followed by Jordan Woolmer doing the same. Lachlan Jackson was strong on the boards rebounding against some strong Greek opposition and was certainly outnumbered in the big man department. A foul whilst shooting saw Lachy go to the line for  a successful bonus shot with Sam Cartledge and Mark Bilyj also sinking one and two of their free throws. Another 3 pointer by Jordan Woolmer allowed us to maintain our lead along with some successful foul shots by Mark and Jordan. A great steal from Sam stopped Greece scoring in the last 20 seconds or so and allowed us to go into the quarter time break with a 3 point lead 19 - 16. Jordan finished the quarter with 8 points and Lachy with 4 rebounds.

Second Quarter

The second quarter saw Greece score quickly and our lead was suddenly lost and we were 2 points down. Morgan scored again and then substitute Patrick Lane came on and soon had 4 points on the board - the second one with a great assist from Sam Cartledge. A tech foul by the Greek coach saw Jordan go to the line and successfully converted the free  throw into a point for us.  With one and a half minutes to go the scores were level but a great 3 point shot from Morgan allowed us to go into the long break with a 3 point lead.

Third Quarter

 The third quarter began well and we were able to add to our half time score but at the 6.5 min (to go) the scores were level. Successful shots by Morgan (assist by Sam), Mark, Lachy (great assist by Morgan) and then Jordan saw us post a 6 point lead but Greece recovered to only trail by 2 points heading into the last minute of the quarter. A final 2 point shot by Jordan allowed us to end the quarter 3 points up again.

Great support came from the bench from the players who were unfortunate not to be able to see some time on the court. Halil Durnaoglu, Ben Morrison, Jake Harwood, Harry Maggs and the injured Shane Crick were all supportive of their team mates out on the court, cheering and organising wet towels during time outs.

Fourth Quarter

Australia was slow to score in the final quarter and Greece had us 4 points down before we could successfully score.  A two point score from Lachy just under 5 min to go saw Australia even the score and from then on it was a tough tussle with the lead swapping and changing many times. Two successful foul shots by Mark and a successful bonus conversion by Lachy saw us up by 5 points with 3.50 min to go, and then 7 points with just over 3 min to go.

In the last 2 min we were up by 2 points but Greece was coming home strong and at the 32 sec mark scores were level when Paddy successfully sunk one of his free throws to give us a one point lead.  Stretch (coach) called a time out in an attempt to steady the boys. On the return to play Greece somehow manage to drive along the baseline and unbelievably threw the ball up to see it teeter into the basket. Our throw in was unfortunately unsuccessful in hurling it down the court for a long outside shot in the dying seconds of the game.

The boys are to be congratulated on their performance - it was strong and Greece threw everything at them, but we managed to hold them off for almost the entire game.

Scorers: Lachlan Jackson 16 pts and 12 rebounds, Jordan Woolmer 15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Morgan Williams 10 points and 5 rebounds, Patrick Lane 5 points and 5 rebounds,  Mark Bilyj 6 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Sam Cartledge 5 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

The cheer squad of 4 (parents and girlfriend) managed to recruit some of the local school children for their Aussie, Aussie, Aussie chant.  They took much delight in providing the "oi, oi, oi” and thought it a great fun to help us out.

Don't forget tomorrow's game against the USA will be live streamed 12 noon local time (add 2 hrs Eastern Seaboard).

 

DAY 2: AUSTRALIA vs POLAND - 5th JULY 2015

First quarter

Both teams were slow to start, mainly due to nervousness and both teams had trouble grabbing the ball. Poland scored first, but Australia quickly recovered to take the lead and hold it into the first break. Six points from Mark Bilyj and 8 rebounds from Lachlan Jackson helped to give us an 11 point lead at the end of the first quarter.

Second quarter

The start of the second quarter saw both teams fumble passes and create turnovers, however Australia was able to steady sooner and get out to a comfortable lead, with Morgan Williams and Halil Durnaoglu scoring 4 points each. This quarter saw Halil Durnaoglu, Paddy Lane and Jake Harwood take the court for the first time. We entered the half time break with a 14 point margin.

Third quarter

Both teams started slowly after the break, with Australia missing vital rebounds. However, Australia was first to recover and managed to stretch the lead out to 20 points when the boys combined to produce some great passages of team work. Strong rebounding by Lachlan Jackson, despite being pushed and shoved under the basket helped create the margin. A poor end to the quarter, however saw Poland claw back some of the lead and both teams finished the quarter on 13 points with Aust maintaining the 14 point margin they began the quarter with.

Fourth quarter

The fourth quarter turned out to be a nail biter for all concerned, including the anxious Aussie spectators!! Both teams again had loose passes in the starting minutes of the quarter but neither team was able to capitalise on the opposition's mistakes until just over the half way mark of the last quarter when Poland had reduced Australia's lead to 9 points. With 3 minutes to go the margin was back to 7 points and with 2 minutes to go it was only one point. Coach Reid called a time out to try and steady the boys with one minute to go and Aust with a lead of 3 points. Some strong drives by Mark Bilyj saw Poland foul and send Mark to the free throw line on three occasions within the last minute. Mark was able to convert 3 of the 6 shots to give us a final winning margin of 6 points.

Final score: Australia - 57    Poland - 51.

Top scorers/rebounders: Jordan Woolmer 11 points 6 rebounds; Morgan Williams 11 points, 12 rebounds; Lachlan Jackson 16 points, 21 rebounds; Mark Bilyj 11 points, 10 rebounds

Overall a great team effort and our first win against quality opposition and a European team

DAY 1: OPENING CEREMONY - 4th JULY, 2015

The Opening Ceremony began with a brief speech by the organisers before the official march past where the countries filed into the centre stage of The Taoyuan Arena. Our Australian team was lead by Mark Bilyj, our captain and flag bearer, followed by Rod Crick, Team Manager and then the rest of the team, with the coaches, Brent (Stretch) Reid and Ramas Rentelis bringing up the rear. Due to an injury sustained at training yesterday Shane Crick was pushed around in a wheel chair, and at this stage is unlikely to take the court during the tournament, but will be supporting the boys from the bench. The boys looked great in their Australian shirts and khaki shorts.  

We then listened to or watched a series of speeches from various dignitaries before we were treated to some performances from some of the Taipei cultural groups, including a dance routine from the dragons which captivated the audience and an amazing display of drumming which also had the audience engrossed.

At the end of the official ceremony the boys enjoyed mingling with the players from the other countries before a team photo in front of the official Arena Banner.

Our first game will take place tomorrow (5th July) against Poland at 3pm local time (add 2hrs for the Eastern States).