1sts
On Friday night, the 1st V faced off against a strong opponent, Trinity at Trinity. The crowd was extremely loud in a compact gym, making the atmosphere electric. Fortunately, the Waverley boys blocked out the noise and played great Basketball to defeat Trinity 102-80. Waverley came out with a bang, led by great unselfish offence from Marko Rangan and Tom Gleeson, which led to a 33-19 lead in the first quarter.
Throughout the game, the boys increased their lead behind Flynn Busteed’s defence which motivated the whole group. They went into the 4th quarter with a lead of 77-54, and were able to contain Trinity’s scoring efforts as the game came to a close.
Good luck to the 1st V next week, as they face a tough home game against Barker on Saturday.
2nds
Before the 1st V played their game, the 2nd V laced up fresh off the bus from Waverley, as they had a top-of-the-table clash with Trinity. Both teams were 3-0 going into the game, so a win meant that they could take the lead in the table. The 2nd V was also able to conquer the crowd and win by a large margin, with the final score, 61-41.
The game was one-sided, as Waverley kept a dominant performance and extended their lead throughout the game, which they maintained in the final quarter. They were led by the size of Ashar Te Rata, the defence of Tashi Harrison and leadership from Dominic Smith.
Good luck to the 2nd V who will face off against Barker at home, to attempt to finish half the season undefeated.
10As
On Saturday, the 10As held their ground against Trinity after watching the Bs fall short. They started slow, but with the scoring efforts of Ben Pignetelli and Giles Strachan, and Tamen Peralta’s defence, they were able to maintain a lead which resulted in the final score, 45-32.
9As
On the weekend, the 9As faced off against Trinity in another top-of-the-table clash, as they tried to maintain their undefeated record. They started the game extremely slow, not putting a score on the board until 10 minutes had passed. However, they were picked up by Petris Kalpouzanis’ defence, Angus Peshos’ shooting and Jonte Garvey’s defence and rebounds. The final score reflected their efforts, 42-34.
8As
The 8As had a tough game at Trinity against Trinity on Saturday, the game coming down to the last second. However, the boys could not secure the win, and the game ended in a draw, 33-33.
Thoughts on the 1st and 2nd V
1st V
The 1st V had not beaten Trinity since Term 1, 2020 and went into the game against a Trinity side that had only beaten Cranbrook this season in Round 1. The 1st V started the game extremely well, playing an almost perfect quarter of Basketball to get the jump on Trinity, and take a 14-point lead at the break.
Waverley led for the entire game and at one stage, late in the 3rd quarter, pushed the lead to 25 points. Ultimately, the 1st V took the game by 22 points.
Waverley sits atop the ladder, sharing honours with Knox and St Aloysius’, in a three-horse race for the title, after St Aloysius’ were able to defeat Knox in a close game by 2 points. The return fixtures against these schools in Term 1 will determine just who comes out on top in the race for the Rev Fr A V Smith Shield this season.
The 1st V face a tricky game against Barker this week, who have been travelling reasonably well this season with two wins. The last four games between the schools have been decided by 7 points or less.
2nd V
The 2nd V kept on with their winning ways, once again dominating their opponents, this time Trinity Grammar, who were also undefeated heading into the game. The 2nd V now sit alone at the top of the table with a healthy Points Differential, having defeated their opponents, on average, by a margin of 15 points.
They now turn their attention to a winless Barker team, and are looking good to head into the long Summer holiday break maintaining their unbeaten record, and starting the second-half of the season on a high.
Other Waverley Teams and Their Wins and Draws
In addition, to the 1st V and 2nd V wins, other Waverley teams did very well against their Trinity opponents, especially in our junior teams, winning the following games: 10A (45-32), 10C (47-31), 10E (56-43), 10F (42-38), 10G (37-28), 10H (26-11), 9A (42-34), 9B (42-13), 9D (29-23), 9F (25-23), 9H (26-18), 8C (43-37), 8D (43-21), 8E (23-21), 8F (39-31), and 8G (30-28).
The 9Cs (37-all) and 8As (33-all) drew their games. The 10As (1-0-3) and 8As (1-1-2) sit 4th in their competitions, while the 9As are having an outstanding season so far, and are outright leaders of their division on four wins.
We Need You at the BBQ! Can You Assist for Just One Hour?
Our continued thanks go to Rachael Smith and Glenn Smith for their wonderful efforts in running the BBQ since the start of the season. Funds raised by the Supporters’ Club have helped to pay for Basketball equipment, including scoreboards, shot clocks, backboards and rims.
Both Rachael and Glenn would love some help, so if you are able to assist for one hour this Saturday, please contact Rachael at rachael_gray@hotmail.com
Culture Day
Thank you to all our 1st V and 2nd V players, who once again did a tremendous job by participating in another Culture Day, by supporting Waverley teams playing their games against Trinity at Waverley.
Good luck to all teams against Barker this weekend!
