Championship Women (1st
16-5): vs. Melbourne Tigers (4th 12-9)
@ North Melbourne Rec. Centre, Saturday 6.00pm
For
the first time in 10 years, the Geelong Lady Cats will feature in the Big V
State Championship playoffs. Geelong warmed up for the clash with Melbourne by
beating Hume City 72-61, with Candice Rogers again putting her hand up for the
SCW MVP award and All-Star honours with 22 points and 16 rebounds. Melbourne
Tigers, who hold a 2-1 advantage over Geelong in the regular season, and
finished fourth after being done on head-to-head by the Lady Broncos, will be
the Lady Cats’ opponents at the unlikely venue of the North Melbourne Rec.
Centre. “The Tigers
are going to be tough in the semis. They are young, enthusiastic and good, so
we need to use our experience, smarts and talent to get on top and give
ourselves a chance of winning,” coach Grantley Bernard said. Kylie Morrissy
missed the win over HumeCity with a re-occurrence
of a knee injury, but is expected to be right for the Tigers. Veteran back-up
guard Vicki King is also likely to play after recovering from an ankle injury.
However, playing assistant coach Lauren Green is still waiting for medical
clearance for her knee problem.
Division
1 Men (1st 16-4): vs. Altona (4th) @ Altona Sports
Stadium, Sunday 2.00pm
Geelong will
take a loss 92-77 to fellow championship contender MelbourneUniversity
into game one of the semi-final clash with Altona, who finished fourth after
losing head-to-head to Warrnambool. The Cats were undermanned, missing class
veteran Paul Hutchison and solid role player Craig Jarvis for the clash with
the Black Angels. Jason Reardon all but engraved his name on the Division One
MVP award with 22 points, 10 rebounds and two assists. The former Supercats has
shone through from the moment he stepped into the side in round two with a 26
points, 18 rebound and six assist performance against La Trobe University. In
the end he averaged 21.8ppg, 14.2rpg and 4.6apg. The Gators will be no pushover
and Cats’ coach Shayne Bow will be keen to return to The Arena next week with
game one in the bag. James Guljas is Altona’s go-to man, averaging 16.9ppg and
11.6rpg. However, against Geelong he’s had hauls of just 13 and 8.
Youth League Women (7th 9-11):
Season Over
The Young
Lady Cats have capped off their inaugural season with a disappointing 80-48
loss to playoff bound Melbourne.
It left Geelong
with a 9-11 record to end the campaign, which at one stage had them sitting 7-4
and third on the ladder. However, a tough run home against more experienced
line-ups conspired against Kat Clancy’s squad and an unlikely finals berth.
With an average age of the core eight members of the squad just 19 (in a 23 and
under competition), there are plenty of positives that can be taken away from
the season. “(I’m) very proud of the team,” coach Clancy said. “Especially
considering the calibre of some of the opposition teams’ development programs
and the players in the competition.”Jess Watson will contend for the MVP award, having come
back from a knee reconstruction to average 15.2ppg and 10.2rpg. At worst she’ll
be in the Youth League Women All-Star team when it’s announced next month.
Youth League Men (5th 9-9):
Season Over
The Young
Cats have split their double-header to end their first season in the top flight
of Big V Youth League basketball. After handing Bulleen a 118-70 thumping on
the road on Saturday night, with Supercats’ rookie Michael Rebula scoring 34
points, grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing five assists, Geelong pushed finals-bound
Melbourne all the way at The Arena Annexe on Sunday, before finally succumbing
89-82. In his third year in charge, coach Dave Brown can be proud of how his
side turned around a disastrous opening month, to almost pinch a playoff berth.
Losses to Hawthorn have come back to bite. While if the Young Cats hadn’t blown
a 20 point half time lead against DiamondValley in round 17, the
clash with Tigers on the last day of the season would have been a ‘live’ one.
Last Modified on 04/08/2010 10:04
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Comment Guidelines: The SportsTG Network is made up of players, families and passionate sports followers like you who have a strong opinion about sport. That's great - we want you to have your say and share your thoughts with the world. However, we have a few rules that you must follow to keep it fun for all. Please don't be rude, abusive, swear or vilify others. Apart from some pretty serious sport sanctions, we also can ban you and report you if things get out of hand. So play fair and have fun, and thanks for your contribution.