13^th April 2011

Photo: Eagle juniors in action in Spectrum Stadium

Darwin Airport Resort League Results from Tuesday 12 April 2011

Round Fourteen– Challenge Season

League WOMEN – Uni Rebels v Eagles

Uni Rebels survived a scare from the Eagles as they kept their unbeaten streak alive with a narrow 54-48 win. Falling behind 17-11 in the first quarter the Rebels turned to their shooting star to get back on track. Brianna Grazioli (11) and Greta Hollis-Stephensen (13) from Eagles were firing on all cylinders early, but once the Rebel defense took hold the game opened up for League scoring ace Jaylene Bonson to work her magic in transition as she hit 12 of her game high 23 in the second quarter to give the Rebels a slim 29-27 half time lead. The second half turned into a grinding affair with the Rebels able to hold off any attempt by the Eagles to regain the lead. Trish Graham added to the Rebel offense in the second half, scoring 11 of her 15 points as the competition leaders outscored the Eagles 25-19. The game was a good tune up for next weeks games for both sides as Rebels tackle TV Jets and the Eagles take on Lightning.

League Women – Ansett v Tracy Village Jets

Tracy Village Jets picked apart Ansetts defense to win going away 60-43. A explosive first half by the Bombers put the Blues on the back foot as they trailed at the main break 26-14. Tara Carroll (22) and Tikesa Docherty-Cole (17) led by example in the first half combining for 17pts, but they really opened up the game in the second half adding another 22pts as the Jets extended their lead despite a more determined effort by Ansett. Eloise Drescher (12) & Jennifer Kinsella scored all but 1pt of Ansetts first half points before Olivia Birkett (12) and Isabella Politis (10) took over the scoring…hitting 21 of the Blues final points. The win keeps the Jets in second place, trailing the Rebels by 4pts on the ladder.

Ladder:                   Uni Rebels 8-3-0, Tracy Village Jets 7-1-3, Lightning 4-3-4, Eagles 3-1-7 & Ansett 1-2-9

Next Week:                        Eagles v Lightning 6:15pm, Tracy Village Jets v Uni Rebels 7:45pm, Ansett-bye

League MEN –Tracy Village Jets v Uni Rebels

The Tracy Village Jets reign the roost after sneaking past the Uni Rebels by one point 65-64. The Jets picked up the game points despite missing a couple of the teams leading scorers in Nick Pattrick (U/18 National Championships) and Travis Ellis (unavailable). The last time the two teams met the Jets prevailed 80-71, but this time the Bombers had to call upon their experience to run out winners as captain Michael MacLean (23pts), Clinton Kononen (12) and Daniel Miller (11) combined for 46pts. The Jets held sway in the first half taking a 35-33 lead but the Rebels were in the hunt with the effort being put in by two new imports in Andrei Moss who hit a game high 27 and Aaron Ritchie who had 15. The second half was a see-saw with the lead changing often, but the Jets got on a roll midway through the last quarter that gave them a 6 point buffer with about 54 seconds remaining in the game. Rebel Jamie Hamill nailed a trey and Moss popped a two pointer to get within 1 with less than a second to play. The inbounds pass was good but the shot went wide giving the Bombers the win and maintaining their intact undefeated record.

League Men – Ansett v Warriors

Ansett easily shut down the Warriors 77-47 with a solid team effort (5 players in double figures). Captain Matt Hunt led from the front with 16 with loads of support coming from Cameron Parnham (14), Bryce Whitaker (13) & the Feeney brothers Nick and Jake (10 ea). After powering out to a 21-11 first quarter lead the Blues added a 19-15 second quarter run to lead at the half 40-26. The Warriors never got off of the starting blocks and the defensive effort from the Blues shut down the momentum they needed to stay in touch. Regardless of the pressure brought on by Ansett, Warrior Jay Johnson still managed to play with the consistency that has become the norm for him, leading the Warriors with 14.

League Men – Eagles v Lightning

Lightning ran past the Eagles 92-80 for their third win of the season and inched closer to a possible playoff position with just six games remaining. The win propelled Lightning over Razzle & Warriors into 5^th place on the ladder just 5pts behind Eagles & Rebels. Evan Browne from Lightning led all scorers with a game high 32 and Cameron Bailey had 13 with 3 others in double figures. Joseph Johnson led the Eagles with 27 and new import Buster Perkins added 16, but the birds were sorely missing the guiding hand of Timmy Duggan (U/18 National Championships) at the point guard position. However, the Eagles did play the Lightning almost even in the second half, but couldn’t make up the deficit of the first half when the Lightning out scored the Eagles 45-34      

Ladder:       Tracy Village Jets 11-1-0, Ansett 8-2-2, Eagles & Uni Rebels 5-2-5, Lightning 3-1-8, Razzle & Warriors 2-2-8

Next Week:    Eagles v Ansett 6:15pm, Lightning v Tracy Village Jets 7:45pm, Warriors v Razzle 9:15pm, Uni Rebels-bye