BASKETBALL

CBL

By LIAM DURKIN

 

MOE heads the Country Basketball League Gippsland Women’s ladder after the first month of competition.

The Meteors are two points clear of Pakenham, having won five games from as many starts.

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MOE started the season by defeating Southern Peninsula 79 to 48.

Travelling to Rosebud, the visitors jumped out of the blocks with a 19-5 first term.

Morwell also celebrated a first-up win over Peninsula.

The Magic had first crack, playing the Sharks on the Saturday, and won a thriller by two goals, 67-65 at Latrobe Leisure Morwell.

Marley Alimpic was a standout with 23 points, along with Jayla Walsh (16).

Traralgon completed a dominant weekend for the Latrobe Valley, defeating Bairnsdale 83-40.

Lauren Tulpin shot 21 points at Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium.

In other games, Wonthaggi was too strong for Korumburra in the South Gippsland derby, winning 76-50 at Bass Coast Community Stadium.

Warragul won a tight game against Pakenham, 64-57 at Warragul.

Maffra had the bye.

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ROUND 2 ended up being something of a farce.

Korumburra forfeited the Saturday game against Maffra, and then backed up to win the Sunday fixture over Traralgon.

Confusing the situation, both games were at Korumburra.

The Wildcats put in a sublime fourth term against the T-Birds, shooting 32 points to 15 to win 78-54.

Allyssa Tangi did most of the scoring for Traralgon, getting 22.

Wonthaggi won 91-14 against Bairnsdale at Bass in the only other game played.

All other teams had a bye.

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TRARALGON got back on the winners list in Round 3.

The T-Birds defeated Peninsula 64-58 at GRISS, with Jayme Davis scoring 22 points.

Morwell had a big win over Bairnsdale, 100-24 in East Gippsland.

Olivia Ouchirenko (33) and Shantelle Thorburn (18) led the scoring for the Magic.

This result was a welcome response, after the team lost 71-45 to Wonthaggi the previous day.

Moe got past Warragul in a competitive game, 76-64 at Latrobe Leisure Moe/Newborough.

Maffra edged Peninsula in a thriller, 67-64, while Pakenham was too strong for Traralgon on the Sunday, winning 88-44.

Korumburra had the bye.

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MOE had to overcome a fast-finishing Morwell in Round 4.

The Meteors shot 25 points in the second quarter, which more or less saw them win 65-57 away from home.

Libby Hunter was among the leading scorers for the visitors with 14. Kayla Walsh shot 17 for the Magic.

Moe made it a clean sweep across the weekend, winning on the road again, this time beating Korumburra 59-53.

The Meteors had to claw back from a halftime deficit, but were helped by four players all shooting double digits: Tahni Hodgens (18), Lexie Jackson (13), Caitlan Prestidge (13) and Hunter (11).

Warragul destroyed Bairnsdale 130-26. Pakenham was far too strong for Maffra, 81-30, as was Wonthaggi, who beat the Eagles 73-48 on the Sunday. Peninsula inflicted more pain on Bairnsdale, winning 76-24.

Bairnsdale had to travel to Rosebud for the Sunday game. You would want to have a good playlist sorted.

Traralgon had the bye.

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ROUND 5 saw Moe headline the action with a win over Traralgon.

Hodgens led the scoring for the winners, putting up 26 points in a 97-69 result at Moe/Newborough.

Hannah Smith did her level-best for the T-Birds with 21.

Morwell meanwhile put in a competitive performance against Maffra on the road.

The Magic lost 92-75, but played well in the second term, shooting the same number of points (19) as their opponent.

Morwell has a very inexperienced team, and will be looking for small mercies along the journey.

In other results, Warragul defeated Wonthaggi 53-47 at Bass Coast Community Stadium on the Friday night. Warragul also lost 74-53 to Southern Peninsula the next day.

Pakenham annihilated Bairnsdale 127-17, which perhaps said more about the absurdity of distance teams need to travel just to play a game of basketball for premiership points in Gippsland.

Pakenham also won 90-52 against Peninsula the next day.

Korumburra had the bye.

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The ladder at November 4 is: Moe (15 points), Pakenham (13), Wonthaggi (13), Warragul (13), Maffra (11), Morwell (9), Southern Peninsula (9), Traralgon (9), Bairnsdale (6), Korumburra (5).

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CBL

By LIAM DURKIN

 

LEISURE centres across Gippsland live up to their name every Country Basketball League season.

The first month of the Gippsland Men’s 2026 season has seen a leisurely five rounds played, with just four more to go.

Leisurely taking in teams from outside Gippsland also encapsulates the sort of play the summer basketball competition is, as does the fixture structure. While five rounds have officially been completed, some teams have actually played seven and six games.

The CBL competition brings together a host of players from various demographics.

Some players use the Saturday night/Sunday afternoon games merely as Big V preseason; others use it for fitness, while some are basically just footy players playing basketball.

A nine-round season naturally creates its own level of credibility and interest, and results across the first month have more or less reflected this.

With CBL fitting somewhere between more serious than social but not as serious as playing for sheep stations, teams have appeared to (over the years) play more or less for positive health.

Whoever wins the title will be pleased no doubt, but they will quickly get on with life.

Moe footballers who were a part of the 2019 Moe Meteors CBL premiership for instance were back at football preseason the day after winning the flag.

CBL players themselves will be the first to admit it is serious without being too serious.

Mind you, there is player points in CBL, just the same as there is in country footy.

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ROUND 1 saw the Meteors lose to Traralgon 100 to 76 at Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium (GRISS).

Koby Tibballs led the scoring for the winners with 26 points.

Moe also lost the very next day, going down 83-65 to Southern Peninsula Sharks at Rosebud.

Gippsland United’s Rohan Demczuk shot 24 points for Moe in the Sunday fixture.

The win completed a clean sweep across the weekend for Peninsula, who also dusted off Morwell 110-65 at Latrobe Leisure Morwell on the Saturday night.

Kelvin Austin and Corey Whelan put up 15 and 12 points respectively for the Magic.

In other games, Maffra defeated Sale in the local derby 101-56 at the Gippsland Regional Sports Complex, while Warragul rolled Pakenham 78-58 at Warragul Leisure. Wonthaggi had the bye.

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ROUND 2 was something of a farce, as only Wonthaggi and Sale played.

The Coasters won 112-66 at Bass Coast Community Stadium.

All other teams had a bye.

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WONTHAGGI bettered Morwell 87-62 on the road in Round 3.

William Tankard shot 17 points for the Magic.

Traralgon went head-to-heat with Peninsula in an entertaining classic. Both teams went past the hundred, but it was the visiting Sharks that prevailed 106-102 following a 33-24 final quarter.

Tibballs shot a game-high 30 points for the T-Birds, followed by Joel Winderlich (21). He is a cousin to the former Essendon player.

Pakenham was also too strong for Traralgon in the finish, winning 108-86 at home on the Sunday.

The T-Birds trailed 28-19 at quarter time, and were always playing catch-up from there.

Moe had a good win over Warragul, 104-96.

The Meteors looked home and hosed after shooting 33 points in the third quarter, but had to stave off a fast-finishing Warriors, who hit back with 31 in the last.

Demczuk was again prominent, scoring 35 points.

Maffra got one over Peninsula, winning 76-60 at Cameron Sporting Complex.

Sale had the bye.

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MOE did the business against Morwell in Round 4.

A 25-16 opening at Latrobe Leisure Morwell set up a 94-77 win for the visitors.

Seth Fozard scored 14 points for the winners. Brendan Clark got to double digits for the Magic.

Moe won again the following day against Sale.

The Meteors did it easy after quarter time, winning 104-74, thanks mainly to Demczuk’s 37 points.

In other games, Peninsula beat Warragul 100-84, Pakenham rolled past Maffra 88-58 and Wonthaggi did likewise on the Sunday, 82-54. Traralgon had the bye.

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TRARALGON thrashed Moe in Round 5.

The T-Birds won 124-80. An insane 42-point opening had the scorers working overtime at Moe/Newborough.

Zac Bezzina capped off a busy day for the family, scoring 30 points. Traralgon was helped by the availability of VFL footballer Luis D’Angelo for his first game of the season.

Traralgon made it an undefeated weekend, beating Sale in a close game 92-82 on the Sunday.

Maffra beat Morwell 78-60 at Cameron Sporting Complex, although it took the Magic until the last quarter (21 points) to really get some respectability on the scoreboard.

Warragul defeated Wonthaggi 97-69 on the Friday night, before the Coasters made up for it the next day, beating Sale 95-76. Peninsula also beat Warragul 85-81 on the Saturday, and in keeping with the trading nature of the round, Pakenham defeated Peninsula 108-73 on the Sunday.

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The ladder at November 4 is: Peninsula (17 points), Wonthaggi (13), Moe (12), Traralgon (11), Maffra (11), Pakenham (10), Warragul (9), Sale (5), Morwell (4)

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JUNIORS

 

MOE Junior Basketball Tournament is set to return Saturday, November 14 and Sunday, November 15.

More than 200 teams from 17 clubs will compete across venues in Moe/Newborough, Morwell, Traralgon and Churchill.

Hosted by Basketball Moe, the tournament will see around 1800 junior players take the court, with visiting clubs travelling from across Gippsland and as far as Pakenham, including communities such as Lakes Entrance and Foster.

With coaches, families and supporters also travelling to the region, the event is expected to provide a welcome boost to local accommodation, hospitality and other businesses.

Tournament director Michael Cleef said the event was about more than basketball.

“A tournament of this size essentially turns the whole Latrobe Valley into a weekend-long festival of basketball,” he said.

“For the kids, it’s about the thrill of representative competition and testing their skills, but for the region, it’s a brilliant display of community spirit.

“We can’t wait to see the courts packed right across the Valley.”

More than 100 volunteers, referees and officials, supported by local organisations, will help deliver hundreds of games across the two-day event.

Tournament venues are: Latrobe Leisure Moe/Newborough, Latrobe Leisure Morwell, Latrobe Leisure Churchill and Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium, Traralgon.