March 23, 2013

Photo:  Marcus Ch'ng from Uni Rebels led the charge past Lightning with game high 23pts.

Challenge Season

Darwin Airport Resort League Results from Friday 22 March 2013

League Women –Ansett v Uni Rebels

Ansett blew past the luckless Uni Rebels 72-37 for their fourth win of the season. Sam Drescher was back on court after a week’s absence and she lit up the score board with a game high 23 points along with 14 rebounds and 7 assists. The Blues took the first quarter 14-8 and then added 17 more for a 31-18 half time lead. The Rebels struggled to stay with the Blues and missed the rebounding and shooting of Jenny Low Choy (15.7ppg) whose presence inside the keyway has been their strength so far this season. Jaylene Bonson was the lone standout for the Rebels with 17 points. Support for Drescher (19.5ppg) came from Amelia Shanahan (16pts 19rebs-13 offensive) and Lauren Flanegan (13pts 8rebs). Trish Atkinson also put in a big effort for the Blues on the boards, grabbing 14, 9 of them on the offensive boards. The Blues dominated the boards 67-33.

Lightning v Eagles

Lightning thumped the Eagles 71-42, handing them their fourth loss of the season. Lucy Murray hit the first basket of the game for Lightning after just 40 seconds of play and Lightning was off and running. The Eagles never led in the game and by halftime trailed 34-19. Kelli Sealy had a top game with 20 points & 5 assists followed by Annabella Assmus with 12pts and 14 rebounds and Deearne Lee with 10pts. The Eagles out rebounded Lightning 58-47, but had trouble putting the ball in the hoop, hitting only 24% for the game against 35% for the Lightning. Michelle Friel led the Eagles with 17 points and Lillian Williams added 14 and a game high 20 rebounds. Sore point for the Eagles was a turnover count of 29 that led to 27 points for Lightning.

Tracy Village Jets v Palmerston

Game rescheduled to Saturday 20 April due to NT Sports Awards participation.

Ladder:                              Tracy Village Jets 5-0, Ansett & Lightning 4-2, Eagles 2-4, Uni Rebels 1-5 & Palmerston 1-4

5 April: Rd 7                       Palmerston v Uni Rebels 6:15pm, Ansett v Lightning 7:45pm & Tracy Village Jets v Eagles 9:15pm.

No games over the Easter weekend.

League Men – Tracy Village Jets v Ansett

Ansett continued their recent dominance over the Tracy Village Jets with a solid 68-48 win over last season’s runner ups. Ansett led 14-12 after one quarter and 37-27 at halftime due to the play of Daniel Florance who hit 14 of his game high 21 in the first half. Matt Hunt was also on target hitting 11 of his 19. The Jets had balanced scoring but no one in double figures for the game. The absence of big guns Travis Ellis (25ppg) and Phil Collins (17ppg) didn’t help the Bomber cause, but the Blues were not to be denied. They put their stamp on the game and sent the Bombers packing. Jay Johnson chipped in with 14 points for the Blues while Michael MacLean led the Bombers with 9.

Lightning v Uni Rebels

The Uni Rebels charged past Lightning 72-43 for only their second win of the competition, but it got them into a three way tie for fourth place on the ladder. Guard Marcus Ch’ng hit a season high 23 for the Rebels and he had plenty of support from Jamie Hamill (12pts from 4 treys) and Jake Kirby (11). The Rebels led 16-13 after one quarter, but Lightning put in a strong 18-11 rally to grab a 31-27 half time lead thanks to the effort from Cameron Bailey who hit 12 of his 17 points during the half. After the major break, however, scoring for Lightning was pretty much non-existent as they fell into a hole. The Rebels outscored the Lightning 22-4 in the third quarter and 23-8 in the fourth to run out easy winners.

Palmerston v Razzle

Palmerston got their second win of the season and second in a row with a 65-46 victory marred by a couple of disqualifying fouls. Palmerston led at every break through the play from Jesse Bell (game high 28pts) and Aaron Simpson (14). Robert Oliver from the Razzle was the only player from the Green and Gold to step up in the first half, hitting 12 of his team high 18, but Palmerston’s defense held the rest of the team at bay and they trailed 28-16 at the break. Newcomer Brenton Dell gave some hope to the Razzle in the second half, hitting all 14 of his points, but his effort was nullified by Simpson’s hard work. The win by Palmerston put them into a tie for fourth place.

Ladder:                               Tracy Village Jets & Eagles 5-1, Ansett 4-2, Uni Rebels, Lightning & Palmerston 2-4 & Razzle 1-5

5 April: Rd 8                      Uni Rebels v Ansett 6:15pm, Razzle v Tracy Village Jets 7:45pm & Eagles v Lightning 9:15pm. Bye: Palmerston

No games over the Easter weekend.