BASKETBALL
THE Chelsea Gulls have secured their second spot on the ladder with a 17-point victory over third-placed Keysborough Cougars in round 10 of the Big V.
The Gulls’ “big three” players, Corey Standerfer, Mitchell Riggs (19 points) and Matt Brasser (15 points) pushed hard to bring up the sides fourth straight victory (91-77) as they pass the half-way point of the season. The star import Standerfer made a huge difference in the clash as he dropped 35 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and three blocks throughout the game.
Kieran Mcqueen also hit the board as he bought up his 150th match with a last-second jump shot on the buzzer. It was a mixed emotions match for Mcqueen as his father passed away earlier in the week.
Chelsea Gulls’ head coach Peter Caspersz said it was great to see the side continue their winning streak and an even better feeling to see Mcqueen finish the match on a high.
“It was nice to get the win for him and to help him through this time,” he said.
“Everybody’s energy and input in the match was massive and, without being too confident, hopefully we can keep it going next week.”
Western Port Steelers didn’t have the same luck in their matches on the weekend against Melbourne University and the Keysborough Cougars as they suffered a double blow and moved down to fifth on the ladder.
The Steelers suffered an upset loss to the Black Angels (66-74) at home, even though Dylan Travis put in another solid performance with 29 points. They folded again on the Sunday to the Keysborough Cougars (93-81) as they were handed a 12-point loss.
In the Women’s state championship division, the Southern Peninsula Sharks came back hard after trailing by as much as 17 points at one stage against the Hume City Broncos. But, the Broncos just managed to withstand the heat and claimed a two-point victory (74-72) at home. Jaz Shelley (27 points) and Peyton Little (20 points) did as much as they could for the away team.
In a change of fortune, the women’s Western Port Steelers claimed their first win for the season after 10-straight losses in division one. The Steelers grasped their opportunity against 10th placed Warrandyte Venom and didn’t let go. The first three quarters were a tussle for the lead but in desperate need for their first win, the Steelers fought hard and finished off with a 23 to 15 final quarter. The Steelers walked away with a three-point victory over the Venom (58-61).
Chelsea Gulls, who are still suffering from injuries, faced Hawthorn Magic on the Saturday night and suffered their third straight loss (47-69) in the women’s division one. The Magic took the lead from the very start and although putting up a challenge in the third, the Gulls couldn’t make up any ground. The Gulls still hold onto their fifth placing but will face the league leaders Casey Cavaliers in round 11.
In the men’s division two, the Southern Peninsula Saints thrived with the return of Colin Voss to the line-up as they once again sat at the winners table. The Sharks came back with vengeance after suffering a 53-point blowout to the Craigieburn Eagles the week prior, and set up a 15-point victory over the Wallan Panthers (81-66). The Panthers put the pressure on the home side in the opening quarter and snuck away with a three-point lead out of the first break, but by the time the main break came around the Panthers were behind and never recovered. The Sharks pushed their lead out to 21 points in the third but the Panthers bought it back a touch by the end of the game.
The Sharks then tried to go on with the job on the Sunday against the Camberwell Dragons but they fell just short as the Dragons snuck away with a four-point win (82-78). Voss was intently covered by the Dragons to try and stop him from repeating Saturday night’s effort which left the Sharks’ Corey Bond open to have a field day as he racked up 25 points for the side.
In the women’s division two, the Mornington Breakers had an 18-point loss to the Wallan Panthers, despite outscoring their opponents 20-14 in the final quarter. A second-quarter freeze by the Breakers was enough to give the Panthers the breathing space they needed to collect a win on the road. For the Breakers, Erin Ludwick collected 15 points to lead all on the night, as Fiona Darnell amassed 13 points and 14 boards for a solid double.
