CHAMPIONSHIP WOMEN

Geelong Cats 47 lost to Melbourne Tigers 85

The Melbourne Tigers travelled to the Arena on Saturday night to collect a satisfying round one win. The Tigers grab the lead from tip-off and excelled to boast a 19-point lead at the major break. The visitors kept their feet on the accelerator to push the lead out to 25-point by three-quarter time and finished out the match 38-point victors. Melbourne coach Sarah Nobbs said her side controlled the tempo from the onset with her side responding well to directions. She said this allowed the Tigers to give some of their bench players minutes. “It was a great first up win from a fantastic team effort,” Nobbs said. Bec Campagli led the Tigers’ campaign with a game-high 20 points, with Hope Terdich’s 16 points, 11 boards crucial for the visitors. Ash Vella and Cara Angel also showed form with 15 points apiece. For the Cats it was the joint efforts of Amy Wormald and Sarah de Grandi which shone (10 points apiece) with Olivia Cameron collecting eight points. Geelong coach Darren Busuttil said it was not a pretty game, but Melbourne executed better for the duration. “We will only get better,” Busuttil said.

Game MVP: Hope Terdich (Melbourne Tigers)

 

DIVISION 1 MEN

Geelong Cats 96 dft. Hawthorn Magic 76

Last year’s Division 1 Men’s Runners-Up Geelong, headed to the home of the Magic for Round One, and were quickly able to get back in the winners column. After what can only be described as a shaky start for the home team Hawthorn, Geelong headed to the first break with a 24-8 advantage. A shooting percentage of 2 from 24 to start the game proved a hurdle that, even a valiant effort in the remaining quarters, could not be overcome. Relatively even for the rest of the game, the Magic could not make the Geelong lead disappear. The stats indicated an evenly spread Cats attack with Patrick Philips high scoring with 19 points, ably assisted by Chris Brown with 17 points and 9 rebounds. For the Magic, returning after a few years away from the game, Nick Dimitroff dominated with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Game MVP:  Chris Brown (Geelong Cats)

 

YOUTH LEAGUE 2 MEN

Hawthorn Magic 97 dft. Geelong Cats 77

A very polished performance in the Magic’s first youth league game, building a strong lead in the opening quarter, and refusing to surrender it as they ran out 20 point victors. Chris Shallue was impressive with 17 points on 57 per cent shooting, while Jerry Juric and Zac Barry contributed 15 points and 11 rebounds each. Steven Wiasak showed glimpses of his 2008 form with a strong double-double of his own; however the Cats were never able to recover after a slow start.

Game MVP: Steven Wiasak (Geelong Cats)

 

Geelong Cats 85 dft. Werribee Devils 80

This closely contested match went right down to the final minutes as Geelong bounced back from a tough Saturday night game to even their record for the weekend.  The Cats went into the final quarter leading by eight but had to withstand a fierce Werribee charge. Steven Wiasak was simply incredible with a 32 point, 20 rebound haul to pace the Cats, while Nathan Moore teased at a triple double with 12 points, eight boards and eight assists. Alex Bogart-King and John Banski both had double-doubles for the Devils.

Game MVP: Steven Wiasak (Geelong Cats)

 

QUOTE OF THE ROUND “You have got to play D.” - Geelong coach David Brown