BASKETBALL
BIG V
By BLAKE METCALF-HOLT
LEVEL unlocked.
Gippsland United men eclipsed the efforts of their previous two seasons, taking out the Division 1 Big V Grand Final.
United defeated Warrandyte, 99 to 90 at the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium, Traralgon in Saturday night’s decider.
After falling in last year’s Grand Final and thus failing in promotion to the premier Championship Division, United rebounded emphatically in front of a close to sell out home crowd.
The Gippsland side now returns to the top-tier of Victorian state basketball (outside of NBL1) for the first time since 2009 when the basketball club was known as Latrobe City Energy.
It was fast paced and all-out to begin proceedings, with the visiting Venom appearing to be more comfortable in the do-or-die environment.
The trio of Jalin Wimberly, Joel Winderlich and team captain Ben Barlow started well for Gippsland with their first three scores, which would soon be reflective of how instrumental those players would be as they rallied to win.
One impressive moment came from Barlow, who rose to pull down a terrific two-handed block on the defensive end and then tipped in his own miss on the other.
Rebounding was a significant problem for United in the opening quarter, with Warrandyte working hard for multiple second chance efforts if they were to miss their first shot during their possession.
As such, the combination of Jackson Dean and Angok Angok for the Venom were able to break free, contributing heavily in their early run.
United coach Scott McKenzie was forced to call a quick timeout as the margin went to eight points in favour of the away side midway through the first quarter, much to the delight of the Warrandyte faithful.
Despite the travel and the large majority of Gippsland supporters in the crowd, the Venom did have a healthy cheer squad, motivating their team anyway they could.
United quickly responded out of the timeout to bring the game back to three points, with Barlow shaking off a defender for a tough midrange shot before Michael Johns drilled a corner three-pointer.
That fast turnaround didn’t deter Warrandyte, with Angok asserting himself again, both inside and out, to extend their lead back out to eight points.
United missed a few opportunities late in the opener, while the Venom ceased theirs to hold a 31-20 edge by the first break.
The Gippsland side still remained confident, given the fact that a bulk of Warrandyte’s scoring was coming from two players in Angok and Dean, while United promoted a whole team effort – which would prove correct.
That confidence was on display early as play returned, with youngsters Kody Tibballs and Rohan Demczuk connecting on threes in the first two possessions to bring the game immediately back to five points.
Thanks to a 12-0 run to begin the second quarter, United was now in front through attack both at the rim and from the perimeter.
Warrandyte finally broke their drought and the rest of the first half played out in a back-and-forth affair.
Winderlich continued to be a force at the block for United, converting on an and-1 attempt, but the Venom stayed above water the rest of the way through to the main break.
Gippsland failed to score on a few close range shots (bar a last second high floating layup that dropped in for Winderlich), which contributed to them not being able to get ahead by halftime.
While all players would have clearly understood what was at stake if they failed at the last stop again, something must have been said, as United returned with a new focus and energy.
After trailing to begin the second half, United quickly hit the front through a nice hook shot inside by Winderlich, and then the big man kicking out to Gooiker in the corner for a triple to send Gippsland ahead by two points.
Warrandyte finally responded, but both Barlow and Johns replied instantly to negate such for United.
Momentum had clearly gone the way of the home side, with Johns knocking down another deep shot from three-point land, and then Wimberly got in on the fun by picking off a pass and leading a sole fast break and converting on a sweet eurostep.
The Venom were finding their offensive flow again, getting into the paint for easy shots or arriving at the free throw line, but nothing appeared to be getting in the way of the Gippsland side from here.
Almost in a flash, United forced the margin out to the largest of the game.
Wimberly scored on a nice hop-step finish, before Tibballs found Demczuk on another fast break, and then Tibballs went himself with a tough second chance score inside.
United held a nine-point edge however, rebounding again became prevalent, with the Venom’s Jordon Timmons garnering multiple opportunities on the offensive glass, including two second chance scores off missed free throws, resulting in a five-point possession.
O’Brien got one back for United late with a dish from Tibballs to see Gippsland lead by six points entering the final turn.
One quarter, 10 minutes, separated who would rise to be called champions and who would be digging their head into the ground.
Demczuk opened the final stand for United by first getting to the free throw line for two points, and then again did it on his own with a short jumper inside the paint.
While many suspected the last period would equal the showcase contest, United rolled through and held firm to their lead the entire way home.
Through a combination of the crowd asserting themselves into the game with a thunderous defensive chant that shook the seat stanchion and the relentless attack of a United side who didn’t want to fall this late into the season again, it became more evident who would come out on top.
Gippsland kept at around a 10-point buffer for the majority of the fourth quarter, answering every punch Warrandyte threw.
As the final minute ticked down, the realisation began to trickle in for the winners.
By the time the final buzzer sounded, family, friends, and other young supporters rushed the court to embrace their team who capped off a phenomenal year.
Coach McKenzie arrived out the front for presentations after Warrnadyte were handed their runners-up medals, and cited the journey the team has been on and how they set this goal exactly to begin the season.
Eight players remained from United’s Division 2 Grand Final win in 2022, including Simon Vannapraseuth as a player then and now assistant coach, meaning this truly was an odyssey for this group specifically.
To no surprise, Wimberly was acknowledged as MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the game, with an all-around performance of 18 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals.
This was Wimberly’s second year at United, who arrived from college basketball in the States, including at NCAA Division 1 school, Purdue University Fort Wayne.
Gippsland had six players tally double figure scoring, with Winderlich top of the list with 21 points and Tibballs adding 15 and eight rebounds off the bench.
United will return to the Championship Division of Big V for the first time in 17 years next season.
UNFORTUNATELY, Gippsland couldn’t make it two-from-two on the night, with the women’s side falling to Keysborough, 93-75, in the Division 2 Grand Final.
Playing at a neutral venue at Dandenong Basketball Stadium, United appeared destined to repeat their efforts from two years ago after they opened the game hot out of the gate.
Leading for much of the first quarter, and despite being outscored in the second term, Gippsland controlled much of the first half and only trailed by a point as the main break arrived.
Despite this, United wouldn’t see themselves in front ever again, as the Cougars began running rampant, keeping the Gippsland side to just 10 points for the third term while adding 27 themselves.
That period was ultimately the difference in United having a fighting chance, and while they scored more frequently in the final quarter, Keysborough was able to do so equally as much.
Mish Clarke top-scored for United with 18 points and four rebounds, while Alahna Arnason and Macey McGlead added 14 points each.
