BASKETBALL

CBL

BY BLAKE METCALF-HOLT

 

JUST two rounds remain before finals action takes over the local Country Basketball League scene.

All three Latrobe Valley clubs, whether in the men’s or women’s division, are hungry to be crowned champions by season’s end.

Moe continued its impressive run of performances with two blistering wins at the weekend to remain second on the men’s ladder with just one blemish to date.

The Meteors won their two matchups in Round 7 by an average of 60 points.

While a 13-point lead didn’t make it seem as though Lakes Entrance would be on the opposing end of a severe thrashing, it ended up happening, with Moe defeating the Pelicans by 67 points at Lakes Entrance Youth and Recreation Centre on Saturday.

The significant margin allowed the Meteors to stretch into their bench, with all players logging at least eight points on the game.

Austin Shelley poured in 30 points for Moe, followed by Ben van Dyk with 20 and Rohan Demczuk with 18.

While the Meteors’ next opponent managed to pile on a better score, the local side went even greater, taking down Southern Peninsula 138 to 84 at Latrobe Leisure Moe Newborough on Sunday.

A 40-point first quarter opened the game up earlier, which led to Moe being ahead by 59 points by the time the final term came around.

The Meteors featured six players in double figures, with Josh Parkinson leading the way with 24 points, followed by Shelley (23) and Preston Laidlaw (18 and four three-pointers).

Traralgon went from looking as the dark horse of the competition, rising purposefully up the ladder, to sitting with a cluster of teams in the middle.

They began with an assertive victory over top-seeded Warragul on Saturday at Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium (GRISS) by 20 points.

The T-Birds duelled with the league’s best throughout the first half, before getting a leg up in the third quarter to lead by 16 points heading into the final turn.

Traralgon kept the Warriors at bay through to the end, with Brooklyn Fue producing a career-best 28 points, followed by Zac Bezzina with 20.

Just as the T-Birds looked as though they were going to inch closer towards the top three, they were taken down by fellow finals contender Maffra by 13 points at Cameron Sporting Complex on Sunday.

Nothing could separate the two teams after the first half of action, but a 20-point differential the way of the Eagles in the third term blew the game out of the water.

Traralgon desperately scrounged to get back into it, but couldn’t overcome its third quarter woes.

Maffra’s Sam Whelan was too much for the T-Birds, going off for 47 points (nine three-pointers) to bring down their fifth win of the season and keep the Eagles within the finals picture.

Morwell also celebrated at the weekend, keeping themselves just outside the finals race with a 27-point win over Sale at Latrobe Leisure Morwell on Sunday.

Nick Sedley led the way with 23 points, followed by William Tankard with 20.

 

MOE women’s kept themselves comfortably in the top four with a 14-point victory over Southern Peninsula on Sunday at Latrobe Leisure Moe Newborough.

A 30-10 second quarter gave the Meteors the necessary cushion to hold on to an important win late into the regular season.

Joanna Watson top-scored with 21 points for Moe, followed by Tahni Hodgens and Brooke Hunter with 16 each.

Traralgon split at the weekend, beginning with a loss to Warragul by 23 points at GRISS on Saturday, before adding its second win of the season on Sunday by defeating Maffra by 11 points at Cameron Sporting Complex.

The T-Birds overcame a 12-point deficit sustained in the first quarter against the Eagles to eventually come out on top.

Hannah Smith (19 points), Lauren Tuplin (16), and Cassie Davis (12) led the way for Traralgon.

Morwell still sit at the top of the ladder with an unbeaten eight wins, but had the bye at the weekend.