From the Co-Captains of Basketball, Angus Mattick & Matteo De Vecchi
The game against Trinity was the last home game of the season, and both the 1st and 2nd V were eager to win against a tough rival. It was also an extra special day for the Year 12’s as it was their last home game of their Waverley College lives.
The 2nd V’s team was again changed, with Miguel Joson and James Markham returning to the team. Both Waverley and Trinity started out strong in the first five minutes with score locked up at 5 apiece. The pressure applied from both teams was very impressive and led to a very tense and entertaining game. Unfortunately, Waverley could not withstand that pressure and also apply the necessary amount with Trinity jumping out to a 23-10 lead 15 minutes into the first half. Waverley was starting to gain momentum in the last minute of the first half, but that was abruptly stopped as Trinity hit a half court shot to beat the buzzer.
In the second half, it was the same theme. Trinity applying pressure on the scoreboard and in defense, with Waverley not matching their intensity. Waverley’s offence ran through Josh Weinstein and Jake Thomas. Although it was a disappointing loss for the team, it showed what the 2nds need to improve on for the upcoming games. The final score was 61-40 with Trinity winning the game.
The 1st V went into the game against Trinity as major underdogs, losing their last matchup by over 20 points. The 1sts were eager to get one back on Trinity and started off the game on fire leading Trinity 14 – 4 five minutes into the game. The defensive pressure and talk on the court were major contributors to Waverley entering the second quarter with a 20-14 lead. The second quarter had the same feel as the first, with Waverley outrunning Trinity and outscoring them. Alex Higgins-Titsha was seemingly making every shot he took and Nicholas Blakey and Ryan Abbott grabbing a huge amount of boards. Waverley went into the half with a 41-27 lead.
In the third quarter, the game was much more even, with Trinity applying a lot more ball pressure to try and get Waverley to throw poor passes and allow for easy scores. This worked as Waverley became flustered and allowed for Trinity to slowly chip away at the score that Waverley had built. This pressure lasted all the way into the fourth quarter and led to Trinity gaining the lead for the first time in the game. It was back and forth until the last two minutes of the game when Trinity pulled away and eventually won the game 71-63.
Good luck to all against Barker this week!
From the Convenor of Basketball, Anthony Gibbs
Last weekend, 1st’s and 2nd’s Basketball hosted Trinity for the last home game of the season. The Trinity games would also be the last time our Year 12 players played CAS Basketball for the College on the hallowed court of the Brother J.P. Lacey Gymnasium. The 2nd V were on a high after an excellent 1-point win against local rivals Cranbrook the week before. This win got their season back on track and with one more win the 2nd V can post the best win-loss record by a Waverley 2nd V team in many seasons. In their last game against Trinity, the 2nd V came agonisingly close to winning, losing by 2 points in the dying seconds. On this occasion the 2nd V faced a much-improved Trinity side. Poor defensive transition play and difficulty executing offensive sets by Waverley allowed Trinity to dominate most of the game and ultimately Trinity were comfortable winners 61-40. The 2nd V will need to ensure they stick to the game plan this week in order to beat an undefeated, table-topping Barker side.
With a disappointing 25-point loss to Trinity at the last outing, the 1st V were up against a formidable opponent. However, Trinity’s reputation and past performances meant nothing, as the 1st V started the game extremely well, executing Coach Mr Jovine’s instructions to the letter. The team was able to keep Trinity’s main player under pressure and force their opponent to utilise their bench players. The 1st V closed out the first half with an impressive display of basketball prowess to comfortably lead Trinity by 16 points. However, third and fourth quarters were difficult for the 1st V, as the players were put under enormous pressure from Trinity’s press, leading to numerous turnovers and forcing Waverley to depart from their game plan and see their double-digit lead evaporate. For all the 1st V’s excellence in the first half, in the end Trinity were able to close out the game 71-63. Coach Mr Jovine was extremely pleased with the younger members of the team, who showed composure beyond their years and great promise for the future.
Looking ahead for both teams are two very difficult games on the road at Barker and Knox. The 1st V will need to be on top of their game against both Barker and Knox with their last round encounters seeing Waverley post a mere 1-point win against Barker and a 4-point loss to Knox. The 2nd V will have a lot of work to do against Barker, to whom they lost by 15 points in the first round, however they will fancy themselves against Knox, who they were able to defeat by 10 points.
In other games, Waverley was victorious in the 10A’s (53-36), 10C’s (33-19), 10D’s (44-23), 9D’s (28-15) and 8B’s (33-22). Unfortunately, due to poor weather, all outdoor games at Waverley and Trinity were cancelled.
Basketball Development Tour
In December 2017, 34 Waverley students and 6 staff members will be participating in the USA Basketball Development Tour to the USA and Canada. Long sleeve ‘Waverley Basketball’ shirts are being sold to help raise money for the Tour. Proceeds from the sale of these shirts will go towards purchasing tour gear and uniforms for the players. The shirts are made from 50% cotton and 50% polyester and are smart, comfortable and perfect for wearing to basketball training, games or casually. The cost of the shirts is $50 each with some of the proceeds from the sale of the shirts going towards the Social Justice component of the Tour.
Many families have already purchased the shirts and you will have no doubt seen them being worn. Show your support for the players on tour by purchasing a shirt before they are all sold out! You can purchase shirts at the Saturday Basketball BBQ or at school on the ground floor of the TAS Building on Wednesdays at lunchtime.
Presentation Night
The annual Basketball Presentation Night is nearly upon us. The event will be held from 5pm-7:30pm on Saturday 11 March at the College. Tickets and further details are available through Trybooking. Click here to book.
Please contact Mrs Sharon Frazer (Supporter Group President) if you have any questions at sharonjf@bigpond.com.
Good luck to all teams this weekend against Barker.
