21 September 2011

Photo: Buster Perkins…40 points against Lightning

Darwin Airport Resort League Results from Tuesday 20 September 2011-Round 10

League Women –Lightning v Tracy Village Jets

The traffic jam at the top of the ladder in the Womens League competition remains the same after Round 10 games at the Darwin Stadium Tuesday night. Uni Rebels, Tracy Village Jets and Ansett all enjoyed wins over opposition that is struggling to make it into the top four.

The Tracy Village Jets dispatched the Lightning 52-35 with Jenna Lew Fatt (7.1ppg) leading the way with 16 points and Kylie Duggan (6.8ppg) chipping in with 12. Lightning put up a good fight for the first half to only trail by 1 at the half time break 24-23, but the second half was a different ball game. The Bombers tightened up on defense, holding Lightning to just single digits in both quarters as they powered away, scoring 29 points to just 11 for Lightning. Chelsea Cook (11) and Emma Carbone (10) were pretty effective in the first half, but Lightning’s scoring effort fell away in the second half, handing the Jets their eighth win of the season and putting them back on the winning track after two successive losses.

Eagles v Uni Rebels

Uni Rebels kept their form with a 67-51 win against a determined Eagle outfit that stayed with the Rebels until the last quarter. The Eagles were just five points behind the Rebels going into the last quarter (48-43), but the intensity dropped away as Justine Schmidt (16 @ 10.6ppg) and Tamara Sheppard (13) from the Rebels peppered the hoop during a 19-8 run that put the game out of reach of the Eagles. The return of Katherine Hollis and Megan Fitzpatrick will add to the Eagles firepower and defense in the rounds to come as the birds try to regain the perennial final four form that has served them well in the past. Jaylene Bonson (17.8ppg) again led the Rebels from the field with a team and game high 18 while Fitzpatrick took the scoring honour’s for the Eagles with 16. Lillian Williams (7.2pg) also hit double figures for the Eagles with 10.

Warriors v Ansett

Ansett rolled over the Warriors 62-35 to keep them locked in a three way tie at the top of the ladder. A solid defensive effort by the Blues in the first half put the game well out of reach of the Warriors. The Warriors only managed to put up 3 points in the first quarter and just 8 in the second as the Blues stormed past them for a 34-11 half time lead. The scoring output from Warrior Carolyn Nyhouse (13 @ 17.6ppg) was held in check as she struggled to find a way past the Blues defense (55pts in the last two games). Sam Drescher (19 @ 24ppg), Kate Hoschke (10) and Olivia Birkett (9) led the way for Ansett with a combined 38pts. A huge matchup looms next week between Ansett and Uni Rebels.

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

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

League MEN – Ansett v Uni Rebels         

Ansett claimed bragging rights in the match up with the Uni Rebels Tuesday night after the Blues shut down the much vaunted offense of the Rebels for a 77-69 win that puts Ansett two games in front of the Rebels on the ladder. League scoring leader Andre’ Moss was held to just 11pts, well under his 40+ per game average. Rashad Chase (22ppg) led the Blues with 24 points with Matt Hunt (18 @ 17.4ppg), Daniel Florance (15 @ 21ppg) and Tom Hunt (10 @ 7.7ppg) adding double figures to the total. The Rebels jumped out to a 25-21 first quarter lead that quickly disappeared in the second quarter as the Blues upped their defensive work rate to blast past the Rebels 25-10 for a handy 46-35 half time lead that they retained for the remainder of the game. Former Harlem Globtrotter Michael Jones hit a team and game high 27 for the Rebels with Zane Meehl and Jarrod Sheppard contributing 15 each.

Eagles v Lightning

The Eagles bounced back from last week’s narrow loss to the Jets to easily knock off the Lightning 97-65. The absence of Cameron Bailey from Lightning’s roster was evident, but the Eagles went about the business of notching up another win to stay firmly entrenched in third place on the competition ladder. Buster Perkins (25ppg) had the hot hand as he put up 40 points to lead four other Eagles in double figures. The return of Shane Harrison (12) from holidays shored up the Eagle defense inside the keyway and the coming of age of Henry Bui (14 @ 10.78ppg) is proving to be a big bonus for the Eagles. The return of Jesse Bell to the Lightning lineup should prove invaluable in the coming weeks as Lightning try to get back into playoff contention. Bell had 14 points to compliment 15 by Brodie Hertel (8ppg), but the lack of firepower from the rest of the team led to their downfall.  

Tracy Village Jets v Warriors

The Tracy Village Jets kept a firm grip on a share of third place as they flew past the grounded Warriors 93-49. A 51-24 half time lead was more than enough for the Jets who had the foot to the pedal on offense while doing a defensive number on the Warriors. The Warriors were missing the on court presence of coach John Culbertson who sat out the game, his 13ppg and rebounding definitely missing as his side struggled to stay close to the high flying Bombers. There was no mercy shown by the Jets as Nick Pattrick (21) and four others hit double figures to fire the Bombers home. Eric Klenke led the Warriors with 12.

Ladder:       Ansett 9-1, Uni Rebels 7-3, Eagles & Tracy Village Jets 6-4, Warriors & Lightning 1-9

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