From co-captains of Basketball, James Foster and Luca Zanarini
Captains of Basketball Report
Holiday camp
The mid-season training camp run under the direction of Mr Gibbs and coaches Mr Jovine and Mr Noreika was a key part of the 1st and 2nd teams’ preparation for the second half of the CAS season, with around 20 players attending.
During the camp it became evident just how strong Waverley was, thanks to the team meets, rigorous fitness regimen, and the USA/Canada Basketball Tour. The team gelled and this was evident on the court.
The first day of camp involved several gruelling physical challenges to prepare for the CAS Blitz and improve overall fitness. The second day focused on key areas of improvement; running through current plays and learning new ones. The boys worked as a unit through the drills, pushing each other along the way. In day three a scrimmage, running all the new plays and then a well-earned break to recover and focus on perfecting their offense and defence.
The camp was a great success in for preparing the players for the CAS Blitz tournament and for the season.
CAS Blitz
1st V
After the holiday training camp, the 1st V squad was ready to show the CAS competition the hard work they had put in and assert their drive to become a bigger threat.
The first game against Trinity (a school we had previously beaten in CAS Round 4) started off well, both defensively and offensively, getting us scores and stops. Ultimately the early lead the 1st V built, allowed us to take out first victory of the day.
Next up were competition leaders Barker, who had previously beaten Waverley in the CAS by a large margin. From the tip-off Waverley kept the strong Barker side on edge as the game was tight for the first five minutes, however, a series of consistent turnovers throughout the second half led Barker to build the lead and take control. With one last push, Waverley was able to minimise their defensive errors and capitalise on their improved offence, but we came up short, losing by just two points.
Our third game was against Cranbrook. Waverley dominated the game early on, generating a lead of over 20 points. Despite making a good start, the team began to ease off, allowing the young Cranbrook team to outscore them over the next five minutes. After a talk during a time-out and substitutions, Waverley picked it up again and finished strong with a 30-point win.
Finally, the last game for the 1st V was against St Aloysius’, who had previously defeated the 1st V in their regular CAS fixture earlier in the season. The 1st V players used this as motivation to take it to St Aloysius’. Knowing what we needed to do, Waverley started off firing, controlling the game and doing what we could to avoid letting it slip. Although some crucial moments shortened the lead, the players didn’t give up and eventually came away with a double digit win.
Although the Blitz was a great success, there are still errors and improvements to be worked on for before the season commences with our first game against Knox.
2nd V
The 2nd V also had a tough competition throughout their Blitz tournament. With Trinity as their first opponent, the players knew they had to start off strongly. The boys were unable to keep their structure and fell apart at times, which ultimately resulted in their first loss. The next match for the 2nd V would be another tough game against CAS leaders Barker. The 2nd V knew they had to play a physical game against a big opposition to have a chance and they did just that.
Throughout the game the Barker opposition took advantage of their size, however Waverley matched it with good perimeter shooting and creating shots to keep them in the game. With time ticking down, the score was tied up, and with seven seconds left Barker shot a three pointer to win the game, which devastated the 2nd V, however they should be proud of their hard work and for playing a great game and will hopefully get some payback during the regular season. Up against Cranbrook, the players knew they couldn’t be over confident as they only won by a small margin earlier in the season. With this is mind, they played strategically and worked well as a team to take out a win. Unfortunately, this came with consequences as Sam Frazer sprained his ankle midway through the game.
With the final game being against St Aloysius’, the boys wanted to finish on a high and that is just what they did. Keeping up their momentum, the 2nd V continued to run their plays successfully and created good shots throughout the game, which troubled St Aloysius’. Although the opposition had a good inside game, Waverley was able to keep the score in their favour, finishing with a 2-2 record in the day.
The junior A teams had some success in their Blitz tournaments to achieve some great results. The 8A and 10A pulled through, dominating most games to finish with three wins and one loss, while the 9A managed to finish 2-1-1. Our A teams should feel confident going into the second half of the CAS season.
