29 August 2012

Photo by Marie Reid:  Eagles Elyse Videon hit 8 points in loss to Tracy Village on Tuesday night.

Championship Season

Darwin Airport Resort League Results from Tuesday 28 August 2012

League Women –Tracy Village Jets v Eagles

The Tracy Village Jets powered home in the second half of their game against the Eagles to come out victorious 64-54. Trailing 41-29 at the major break the Eagles looked on the brink of an upset before the Bombers put it all together during a 35-13 blitz that left the Birds adrift wondering what had happened. Shooting 42% from the field to the Jets 31% the Eagles had ended the first half with a flurry of points from Trish Graham and Michelle Friel for the lead, but after the break points were very hard to come by as the Bombers ground down the Birds behind the shooting of Tara Maxwell (19), Keisha Tinley (10) and Sam Rioli (17). Friel hit 12 for the Eagles with support from Katherine Hollis and Lillian Williams (11ea).

Palmerston v Uni Rebels

The Uni Rebels just got passed Palmerston 55-50 in a real cliff hanger. Palmerston had taken the lead 50-49 with only 49 seconds remaining in the game on a two pointer by Nyssa Curwen, but it was the last time they held the lead. The Rebels tied it up on a made free throw by Jaylene Bonson and then took the lead for good with 45 seconds left on a basket from Justine Schmidt. Tense times for the Rebels who only shot 28% from the field to Palmerston’s 31% and they only hit 3 of 20 from outside the arc, usually one of their better stats. Bonson finished up with a game high 16 followed by Schmidt with 14 and Lucy Adam with 11. Curwen topped Palmerston with a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds as well as 3 blocked shots.    

Ansett v Lightning

Lightning edged past the upset minded Ansett 71-70 in a nail-biter that came right down to the final seconds of the game. It could have been overtime had the Blues Victoria Uhlig made both of her free throws with only 14 seconds remaining, but as it was Uhlig made only one which is reflected in the final score line. The game turned out to be a real see-sawing affair with Lightning’s Brittany Ward (28) and Sam Drescher (38pts & 21rebs) going head to head in the point scoring. The return of Drescher from the southern climes of Australia will be a huge lift for the Blues in the coming weeks of the season. Ansett jumped out to a 20-14 first quarter lead that was reversed in the second quarter as Lightning struck back with a 20-11 second half drive that put them up 34-31 at the break. From then on it was back and forth between the sides up till the endgame. Kia Bond put the Blues up 69-68 with 1:48 left in the game and then Ward tied it up at 69 all with 58 seconds remaining. Drescher (52% from the field) missed a shot with 33secs left and Ward (11/14 from the line) was fouled at the 23 second mark and she hit both free throws to give Lightning a 71-69 lead that proved just enough for the win. Jacinda Lambert hit a double with 19pts and 12rebs with Sarah Hagen adding 11pts. Lightning hit 19/28 from the line to Ansett’s 11/19.

Ladder:                   Tracy Village Jets 6-0, Lightning 5-1, Rebels 3-3, Ansett & Eagles 2-4, & Palmerston 0-6

Saturday:               Eagles v Uni Rebels 5:30pm, Tracy Village Jets v Ansett 7:00pm & Palmerston v Lightning 7:30pm @ Palmerston

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

League Men –Lightning v Tracy Village Jets

Lightning became the first team to beat the Tracy Village Jets with a decisive 83-70 win over the previously unbeaten Bombers. Cameron Bailey and Zac White hit 22pts each as Lightning catapulted over the Bombers into first place on the ladder with a 5-0 record. Hitting 46% from the field to the Bombers 34% Lightning raced away to a 42-34 half time lead thanks to a great team effort in the second quarter when they outscored the Bombers 21-14. Scoring most of their points in the paint (30) Lightning didn’t have to rely on their outside shooting in this contest. Bailey was the ‘go to’ man in the keyway where he got 16 of his total. The Bombers got within 3pts with 5:03 left in the last quarter after a made Travis Ellis shot, but Bailey was fouled in the act of shooting a trey during the next play phase and he potted all three shots to kick the Lighting lead back up to 6pts at 70-64. Lightning hung on despite the desperate pressure from the Bombers to cause the biggest upset of the season so far. Lightning also became the first team to hold the league’s leading scorer, Travis Ellis (18), under his average of 36.7ppg. Bailey and White also grabbed double figures in rebounds with 16 and 10. Michael MacLean hit a team high 19 for the Bombers before he fouled out and Danny Miller collected 12. Jesse Bell and Tony Halikos also hit double figures for Lightning with 13 and 10.  

Eagles v Uni Rebels

The Uni Rebels won a close one from the Eagles, outlasting their rivals 77-71 with newcomer Justin Eckhardt nailing a game high 38 for the winners. The Eagles again fell by the wayside, as they did last week, losing a game that they were leading heading into the last quarter. Trailing 31-18 after one quarter of play the Eagles had slowly dragged them-selves back into the contest to lead 45-43 at three quarter time. The Eagles had held the Rebels to just 2 points in the third quarter. Buster Perkins led the troops by example, hitting a team high 26, but the Rebels got their act together for the last quarter, finally breaking away for good in the tight tussle with about 5 minutes left. Jarrod Sheppard (12) hit a two pointer at the 5:36 mark for a 58-56 lead that the Rebels never gave up, although it remained close for the rest of the game. Eckhardt hit 19 of his total in the last quarter! Marcus Ch’ng hit 13 for the Rebels and Joseph Johnson added 18 for the Eagles. Uni Rebels 20pts from the charity stripe and 21 from outside the arc.

Palmerston v Ansett

Ansett got the better of Palmerston, grabbing the match winning points with a 73-50 win that put them into third place on the ladder. Daniel Florance was in fine form, hitting a game high 27 along with 14 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Bryce Whitaker chipped in with 14 and Matt Hunt 10 as the Blues took control during the second quarter and were never headed. Palmerston stayed with the Blues in a first quarter that ended at 18 apiece, but after that the Blues slowly but surely pulled away for the win. Shaquille Hohipa-Wilson top scored for Palmerston with 19, the only player to hit double figures.

Ladder:                   Lightning 5-0, Tracy Village 4-1, Ansett 3-2, Eagles 2-4, & Uni Rebels 2-3, Palmerston 1-4 & Razzle 0-5

Saturday:                Lightning v Uni Rebels 5:30pm, Palmerston v Razzle 6:00pm @ Palmerston & Tracy Village Jets v Ansett 7:00pm

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