26 October 2011

Photo: Lillian Williams in action from the League womens team

Darwin Airport Resort League Results from Tuesday 25 October 2011-Round 15

League Women –Eagles v Uni Rebels

Competition leaders Uni Rebels ran roughshod over the Eagles early in their game as they thumped the Birds 90-58 to stay one game in front of the pack after 15 rounds of play. With only 5 rounds remaining the chase for the double chance is also hotting up with three teams all having a shot at the minor premiership. The Eagles failed to respond to the Rebels challenge in the first quarter, falling behind 19-8. With no let up from the Rebel gunners the Eagles slipped further behind as Tamara Sheppard (16.3ppg) claimed game high honour’s with 21 followed by 18 each from Jaylene Bonson (16.4ppg) and Jamie Lee-Peris (14.5ppg) and 14 from Justine Schmidt. Eagle also had four players in double figures with Megan Fitzpatrick (13.2ppg) leading the way with 14. The win by the Rebels sets up a clash of the top two teams in the competition next Tuesday night with second placed Ansett who also won their round 15 game.

Warriors v Ansett

The close encounter expected between Ansett and the Warriors never eventuated as the Blues blasted off in the first quarter for a 20-8 lead that never got much closer than that. The final score of 72-31 was indicative of the tough defense employed by the Blues who held the Warriors to just single digits for each quarter. Lauren Flanegan (9.4ppg) enjoyed another brilliant shooting night while guiding Ansett to their 12^th win of the season. Flanegan had a game high 21 while the league’s leading scorer, Sam Drescher (22.2ppg), put up a workmanlike 19. Only Kate Smyth managed double figures for the Warriors as she popped 11.   Next week’s game between Ansett and the Rebels should be a preview of what can be expected in the playoffs at the end of next month.

Tracy Village Jets v Lightning

Another blow-out…this time the Tracy Village Jets dumping Lightning 82-41. With the engine boosters on full throttle the Bombers roared away in the first quarter to a 18-6 lead which blew out to 42-10 at half time. Kylie Duggan (8.2ppg) collected 10 of her 16 points in the first half with help from everybody and then Georgii Howlett (17.8ppg) took over in the second half hitting 13 of her game high 19 as the Jets pulled away for a comfortable win. Lightning picked up their intensity in the second half, but they never fully recovered from the shocking first half result. Chelsea Cook (12.3ppg) led the Lightning with 11, Deearne Lee had 8 and Emma Carbone and Alana Dingo chipped in with 7 each.

Ladder:                                           Uni Rebels 13-2, Ansett 12-3, Tracy Village Jets 11-4, Eagles 4-11, Lightning 3-12 & Warriors 2-13

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

League MEN – Ansett v Uni Rebels

The Uni Rebels put Ansett on notice that their hold on first place is tenuous after demoralizing the Blues to the tune of 66-46. The loss for Ansett was only their second of the season, having lost their first round game against the Eagles. Since then the Blues have seemed unstoppable, until now. The Rebels led 20-16 after one quarter of play and then built up the buffer with a strong 15-7 second quarter for a 35-23 lead. Live wire guard Marcus Ch’ng (10.2ppg) who has been controlling the Rebels game plan hit a season and game high 20 with Zane Meehl (19.5ppg) putting up 18 and Andre’ Moss (35ppg) and Jarrod Sheppard adding 13 each. The Rebel defense limited Ansett’s high scoring forward Daniel Florance to just 8 points, well below his 20.7ppg average. Rashad Chase (21.1ppg) top scored for the Blues with 18 and Matt Hunt added 15 but not much support was forthcoming from the rest of the Ansett team. Top spot on the ladder is definitely in jeopardy and the Blues have a tough game coming up next week against a revived Tracy Village Jets outfit.

Tracy Village Jets v Warriors

The Tracy Village Jets hit the ton for the first time this season, rambling past the Warriors 110-77. The Bombers hit more than 20pts in each quarter to breeze past the Warriors who only trailed by 9 at the major break 47-38. The third quarter proved to be pivotal for the game with the Jets ripping off 29 points to 13 to extend their lead out to 25pts at 76-51. Travis Ellis (25.8ppg) hit a season high 43 with plenty of back up from Brad East (3.75ppg) who had 21 and Michael Maclean on 19. New recruit for the Warriors, Phil Collins, lit up the score board with 26 on his debut, knocking down 7 treys in his haul. Coach/player John Culbertson returned from injury to hit 16 and Ben Muvirimi had 10.

Eagles v Lightning

The Eagles got the better of Lightning once again as they pounced for a 93-74 win that solidifies their place in the top four. Larry Williams and Buster Perkins (25ppg) combined for 23 first half points to give the Birds a handy 50-31 lead at the break. Lightning lifted in the third quarter to out score the Eagles 25-22, but it was a false hope as the Eagles took up the challenge and replied with a 26-18 fourth quarter that put the game on ice. Williams (27ppg) finished with a game high 33, Perkins had 19, Joseph Johnson hit 18 and Shane Harrison added 11. For Lightning they were best served by 17 from Cameron Bailey (10.8ppg) who returned from injury and 12 each from Tony Halikos and Wes Kelly.

Ladder:                   Ansett 13-2, Uni Rebels 12-3, Tracy Village Jets 9-6, Eagles 8-7, Lightning 2-13 & Warriors 1-14

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