BASKETBALL
COUNTRY BASKETBALL LEAGUE
By BLAKE METCALF-HOLT
FINALS are officially set in the Country Basketball League’s Gippsland conference.
Continuing on their run, Traralgon jumped atop the leader board at the end of the regular season, as they etch closer to a third title in four years.
Likewise, both Moe and Morwell women’s sides have earnt spots in the top four and will see their campaigns move on at least one extra week.
The aforementioned men’s counterparts weren’t as lucky, as the Meteors and Magic finished out of the finals race – and by a fair margin in the end.
JUMPING ahead of Pakenham in the final round of home-and-away action, Traralgon pounced on Lakes Entrance 93 to 55 despite travelling to the bay.
Not wanting to show any blip heading into finals, the T-Birds got off to a rocker start with a 21-5 break in the first seven minutes that almost sewed up the result right then and there.
The Pelicans did respond however, and got it back to a five-point game minutes into the second quarter off the back of a 15-4 run.
Returning T-Birds star Ben Barlow had other ideas and added 11 points in the term through to halftime that cushioned their lead to eight by the time the main break arrived.
It was then a 12-nothing start to the second half that jumped Traralgon out to a 20-point lead which gave them the space to hold onto the win after the margin was pushed to near 40 before it wrapped up.
Barlow, Zac Bezzina and Jarrod King-Church combined for 65 points in their final regular season match, while Kody Tibballs added 15.
Having been near perfect in the season so far and seeming to have fixed themselves into shape just at the right time, the T-Birds will be a menace to play, especially in a finals setting with their damaging attack and hardnosed defensive output.
Traralgon will play Warragul at GRISS (Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium) on Saturday night for a spot in the Grand Final.
IN an inter-Latrobe Valley showdown to end their seasons, Morwell were the ones to get the better of Moe, 101-70.
Both sides looked to end on a high-note despite deviating below their expectations, the Magic got out to a fine start on the Meteor’s home floor.
Morwell kept Moe scoreless through the first five minutes of action while adding 18 points themselves, led by forward Jordan Canovan with an early seven.
It took some hustling and exerted more effort early on then they would have liked, but the Meteors got the ballgame under 10 points ahead of the second quarter.
Moe crept closer with scores from Jack Edebohls and Rohan Demczuk that brought the margin to five points before Morwell flicked the switch and jumped their lead back out to double digits which flattened the curve through to halftime.
The Magic’s eyes glistened as they returned, pushing out to a 20-point lead minutes into the second half as they were set to capture their fourth win of the year.
The Meteors tried their best to slowly chip at their deficit with the clock ticking away, but Morwell was acting on a high and weren’t to be overcame as the lead went above 30 points and stayed like that the rest of the way.
Nick Sedley led the way for the Magic with 22 points and three long range bombs, followed by Canovan (19) and William Tankard (18).
Demczuk top-scored for Moe with 16 points in their final game of the year.
The Magic followed that win with a matchup against a flying Pakenham side at home on Sunday and were ultimately downed 103-71 in their final match of 2024.
Morwell was outscored by 20 points in the opening half and didn’t manage much better in the second, facing a team that had their sights set past them and ahead to a potential championship by season’s end with the Warriors having lost just one match to date.
Sedley (23 points) and Canovan (16) were best for the Magic in their final game.
MORWELL will still be represented ahead of finals however, after the women’s team won their final two matches at the weekend to secure a postseason berth.
The Magic upset a gunning Moe squad by three points on their home deck, 69-66 to open their successful two-day span.
The away side got off to an impressive start that had them ahead 22-13 ahead after the first quarter, only for the Meteors to answer and cut the deficit down to five points midway through the preceding term.
Morwell recouped upon calling timeout and scored 10 of the next 14 points from a combination of Emily Scholtes and Ella White-Seath to keep them ahead by double digits upon halftime.
Moe would not be an easy beat though, swinging the momentum their way in the third quarter to bring it to a one-point game with 10 minutes to go after outscoring the Magic 21-12 during the term.
Morwell opened the final quarter on a 9-2 run thanks to Abbey Noblett and Shantelle Thorburn creating sizeable space as the game neared its end with the Magic up by 12 points with less than five minutes to go.
The Meteors weren’t going to go down without a fight, and chipped away with team defence and getting to the free throw line, but time ran out with the Magic in possession of the ball when the clock hit zero.
Morwell had four players score double digit points, headlined by Scholtes (18) and Noblett (16), while Moe was led by Danielle Davies with 18 points.
Sitting comfortable near the top for most of the season, the Meteors have lost their last two games ahead of finals, but will still host their semi-final after finishing second on the ladder with six wins.
Moe will play Korumburra on Saturday with the chance to playoff in the Grand Final for the first time since 2022.
The Magic concluded the regular season with a convincing result against Pakenham, 69-51 at Latrobe Leisure Morwell.
Morwell kept the Warriors to just 23 points through the first two quarters while adding 40 themselves, and a 17-8 third quarter only stamped their win further.
Noblett finished with a game-high 19 points with Scholtes (13) and Thorburn (12) supporting.
The Magic will travel to Warragul for the semi-final on Saturday night with the opportunity to make it an all-Latrobe Valley Grand Final with Moe in a week’s time.
