Thomas stars as Buccs beat Eagles
The Sun City Plumbing Geraldton Buccaneers have defeated the People’s Choice Eagles 96-87 in men's State Basketball League action on Saturday.
The Eagles had come off an upset win the night before against the Perth Redbacks but were unable to continue their momentum and overcome the fresher Buccaneers.
Neither team was able to control the game until the Buccaneers went on a run in the fourth quarter to set up the victory.
The first half was a back and forth affair with neither team being able to stamp their authority on the ball game. The Eagles went into half time with a one point lead, although they outrebounded the Buccaneers by more than double. This included 16 offensive rebounds for the Eagles compared to the Buccaneers two.
The third quarter saw both teams make some sloppy mistakes with simple errors such as travelling violations costing each team possession but yet they remained inseparable.
The Buccaneers built momentum early in the fourth going on an 11-4 run in the first four minutes.
The Eagles didn’t give up and continued to fight with every possession but Buccaneers guard Daniel Thomas hit a clutch three pointer with less than a minute to go to kill off the fight back.
Both benches were clearly frustrated at times with some calls made by the referees and the Eagles bench was given a technical foul late in the third quarter.
The teams showed excellent ball movement throughout the game and had similar shooting percentages from the field.
Daniel Thomas had a game high 34 points which included 18 points in the fourth quarter alone. Aaron Ralph also contributed with 28 points and 11 rebounds giving him a double-double.
Jarrod Balcombe top scored for the Eagles with 24 points but also had help from Nikola Donlagic 16 points and 11 rebounds and centre Tom Jervis who finished with 12 points, 20 rebounds and seven blocks.
Buccaneers coach Ray Evans explained how the team needed a win and what they could improve on for their game on Sunday afternoon against Rockingham.
“We lost last week so we needed to get back on track and we’ve got another game tomorrow so it was a very important win,” he said.
“I just like the way the guys played the second half [with] a lot more hunger.
“We’ve got to come out from the beginning and rebound from the beginning and run our offence a bit better as well.”
Article by Aemero Yitbarek at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre
Photo by Helen Theoharakis (Hoop Shots)
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