From the Co-Captains of Basketball, Angus Mattick & Matteo De Vecchi
It was the first game of the year for the 1st V and 2nd V. The St Aloysius’ game was cancelled last week because of the heat. Waverley hosted Friday Night Lights against rivals Cranbrook with both teams eager to play.
The 2nd V had a lot of changes to the team with Hayden Walton moving up to the 1st V while Miguel Joson and James Markham were ruled out giving a chance to Jacob Gibson and debutant James Foster. Waverley started out strongly with great ball movement between the bigs coming from Josh Weinstein and Jake Thomas and Waverley led at half time 25-18.
In the second half, the 2nd V showed they weren’t able to control the whole game as Cranbrook came out firing giving them their lead early on in the half. The lead changed many times throughout out the game as Cranbrook were leading by one point with 20 seconds to go and had possession of the ball. However a steal and score from James Matis won the game for the 2nd V and they now are 3-1-2 for the season
The 1st V also had many team changes with guards Jeremy Petrisis and Johnny Pawle being ruled out for the rest of the season due to injuries, giving Hayden Walton and the returning Angus Mattick the call up.
Both teams were unable to break away from each other, as the game was tight through all four quarters with the crowd playing a big part in the game as both teams struggled to make outside shots and it became a very defensive game.
The game got down to the final minute with Cranbrook having a one point lead until they hit a big 3 giving them a very big win, while for the first time this season Waverley had consecutive losses making them 3-0-3 for the season, but hoping to get back to winning ways when they play the top team, Trinity, this weekend in what will be the last home game of the season.
The 1st V and 2nd V would like to thank all those that came out to support the boys on Friday night and congratulate the crowd in the way they behaved throughout both games.
Good luck to all against Trinity this week!
From the Convenor of Basketball, Anthony Gibbs
1st and 2nd V
With the loss of Round 6 on the CAS Basketball calendar due excessive heat, Waverley Basketball was back in full swing last Saturday against local rivals Cranbrook. The round kicked off with Friday Night Basketball with Waverley hosting the 1st V and 2nd V games for the first time in the refurbished Br J P Lacey Gymnasium in the Cosgrove Centre. A large crowd had already built up by the start of the 2nd V game. The 2nd V played a great first half, outplaying Cranbrook to move to a 9-point lead at half time. The second half was tense as Cranbrook inched their way back into the game, while the crowd sat nervously on the edge of their seats, as the game came down to the final seconds. Cranbrook were leading by 1 point with moments left on the clock when James Matis shot 2 points to seal the game for the 2nd V 43-42 and notch up a well-deserved win. The victory sees the 2nd V move to a 3-1-2 record for the season and remain third on the CAS ladder with 7 points. Joshua Weinstein, George Hatziandreou, Finn Wright and James Matis were excellent on the night.
The crowd had swelled to 400+ people for the start of the 1st V game. Despite two frontline players (Johnny Pawle and Jeremy Petritsis) not being available due to season-ending injuries, the 1st V started reasonably well, moving to a 2-point lead at the first break. The second quarter was another close affair and Cranbrook took a 1-point lead at the main break. In the second half, Cranbrook shut down the 1st V’s offense with their zone defense. The 1st V was not able to penetrate Cranbrook’s defense and did not execute plays as instructed. When shots were open, they were unable to make them. Numerous free throws were missed. Another area that has been strong for the 1st V this season has been defense, however the team’s defensive effort on the night was way down by their standards. The 1st V were able to press Cranbrook well, but were unable to capitalise on their steals or deflections. Considering their impressive start to the season with wins over St Aloysius’, Cranbrook and Barker and a narrow loss to Knox, the 1st V were not at their best on the night. Despite the loss, captain Dean Stojanovski, Nicholas Blakey and Ryan Abbott were strong performers. The team will be looking for a much-improved performance against ladder leader and basketball powerhouse Trinity this weekend.
While Waverley did not win both games, the night was extremely successful. The College was able to host the largest crowd for a basketball game seen in a long time at Waverley and spectators were treated to two very close, competitive games.
I would like to acknowledge and thank a number of people for contributing to its success. Thank you to our College Executive for their support of Friday Night Basketball. Thank you to Head of College, Mr Leddie; Deputy Head of College, Mr Brennan; Director of Co-Curriculum, Mr O’Donnell; Director of Student Wellbeing, Mr Porter; Head of Senior Sport, Mr Elliott; Mr Chen, Mr Cornish, Mr New, Mr Spargo and Mr Wilmot for attending and supervising our boisterous student supporters. Thank you to 1st V and 2nd V parents for hosting the delicious post-match supper for coaching staff, players and their families. Thank you to our Basketball Supporter Group for catering for hundreds of hungry spectators. Thank you to the College’s Prefect body for their support in leading the chorus of chants and modelling excellent behaviour to our younger students. Thank you to all spectators, especially Year 10 students, for their support of both teams. Thank you to our hard-working gym managers, Edward Hartson and James Mattick. Thank you to Cranbrook for continuing our close rivalry and contributing to the wonderful tradition that has developed between both schools in the Friday night arena. Finally, thank you to the players and coaching staff of both schools for their performances on the court.
In other games
In other games, Waverley was victorious in the 3rd V (33-31), 10G (16-12), 9C (50-36), 8A (22-21), 8B (32-14), 8C (34-24), 8E (28-20), 8F (38-9), 7A (54-23), 7B (32-13), 7D (24-23), 7E (29-11), 7F (45-6) and 7H (38-8 vs. Newington). The 9F’s (18-all) and 7C’s (22-all) drew their respective games. It was a great start for our Year 7 teams with a near clean sweep of results. Our Year 7 and Year 8 basketball teams contain a wealth of talent, which is a great sign for the future of basketball at the College.
Presentation Night
The annual Basketball Presentation Night is nearly upon us. The event will be held from 5pm-7pm on Saturday 11 March at the College. Tickets will be made available through Trybooking in the coming weeks.
Good luck to all teams this weekend against Trinity.
