THE Big V Division One playoffs are beckoning for Geelong.

Coming off a disappointing home loss, the Geelong Big V men posted an excellent 92-76 road win over Mildura on Saturday night, underlining their potential and resolve.

Leading 23-14 at quarter-time, Geelong lost some grip during the second period, but finished with a 50-37 second half for a well-earned victory to be in the thick of the playoff race.

Forward Marty De Lange (27 points, 11-15FG, six rebounds) was outstanding in only his second game of the season, taking up the inside slack with centre Seb Loader absent.

Although they didn’t shoot the ball especially well, guards Keith Harrison (16 points, six rebounds), Paul Hutchison (14 points) and Ben Suchanek (13 points, six rebounds, seven assists) played key roles.

Geelong (6-2) is sitting third on the ladder and faces a tough road-home double against Coburg (5-4) on Saturday and Sunbury (7-2) at The Arena on Sunday (3pm).

 

The Geelong Lady Cats split their weekend road-home double, celebrating Mother’s Day with an excellent win over Dandenong Rangers at The Arena.

The weekend started with a 62-49 road loss to the Waverley Falcons on Saturday, but the Lady Cats backed-up with a strong 64-54 home win over Dandenong on Sunday.

Guard Prue Kenny (17 points) was Geelong’s top scorer in the loss to Waverley, while Charmaine Ferguson (14 points) and Jae Conn (12 points) led the way in the win over Dandenong.

That win keeps the Lady Cats (4-5) in the race for a Big V Championship playoff spot, but they face a tough road game against Hume City (7-2) on Sunday.

 

The Geelong Big V Youth League (2) men suffered their second straight loss, dropping their road game to Hume City, 100-90, on Saturday night.

Down by only one at halftime, Geelong was outscored 33-19 in the game-deciding third period despite the efforts of Steven Wiasak (19 points, 10 rebounds) and Simon Evans (17 points).

Geelong (4-5) has a road-double against Coburg (4-5) on Saturday and Sunbury (4-5) on Sunday at The Arena (1pm).