Hoops 4 Health Challenge Cup Darwin 2009

 

 

 

The NT Men bumped off the Hoops 4 Health outfit 99-75 in a highly entertaining game Thursday night in front of a crowd in excess of 500 at the DBA Stadium.  Sporting some iconic names in the guise of Anthony Mundine, Leroy Loggins and Andre Moore, and Timmy Duggan, the Hoops 4 Health side was hard pressed to keep up with a couple of sprinters from the NT who stood out as the game progressed.  After one quarter of play the teams were tied up at 19 apiece as they looked for any cracks in the opposing defense that would let them open the game up.  DBA newcomer Nick Freer, from Michigan in the US of A, and Leon Perdue, who hails from North Carolina, stepped up in the second quarter for the NT as the home team went on a 28-17 run for a 47-36 half time lead that put them on the path of their first win ever against a Hoops 4 Health team. 

 

 

The 6 foot 6 inch Freer (pictured v Timmy Duggan), who has just signed on for the Uni Rebels in the DBA League competition, has blistering speed and attacks the hoop whenever he gets the chance to jam in a missed shot or go for the big dunk in transition.  Throughout the game it was obvious that Freer (game high 23) was the ‘go to’ man on the court for the NT, but young Louis Ilton (20) also made his presence felt with a swag of rebounds and good hustle on defense to back up his scoring effort. 

 

 

Hoops 4 Health big man Andre Moore was made to work hard for his team high 19, most of his points coming in the paint where he put on a show of how a man of his size should score in the keyway.  Sweet shooting Leroy Loggins dropped in a three pointer for his first points of the game and the former NBL star added a couple more in his tally of 12 and three time world champ Anthony Mundine also got on the scoreboard late in the first quarter.  But no matter how hard Hoops 4 Health tried they just couldn’t make any inroads on the lead the NT was holding and in the last quarter it blossomed out to 32 before both sides put in the reserves to finish off the game. 

 

 

The lead up games for the Hoops 4 Health event kicked off with a match between Warruwi and Maningrida women, won by Warruwi 38-25.  Leah Narol hit a game high 16 for Warruwi and Colleena Darcy had 15 for Maningrida. 

 

 

The second women’s game of the evening was won by H4H Brown against H4H Blue 68-50.  Tamara Sheppard from the Brown squad led the way for all scorers with 23 while Sam Drescher (15) and Keisha Tinley (12) teamed up for Blue. 

 

 

In the game just preceding the big event some Darwin ‘Legends’ hit the court in a tribute match for well known sportsman Eddie Clarke.  The legends Blue team, comprised of Maisie Austin, Norm Hagan, Greg Adams, Jorge Perriera, Natalie Hunter, Bryan Ah Mat, Chris Schmidt, Basil Damaso and Sharon Ah Chee, beat the Brown team of Robbie Sheppard, Lorraine Adams, Tricia Kurnoth, Donna Hunter, Jeff Larson, Dean Chisholm, Fred Adams and Dennis Lew Fatt 32-25.