Sunday, 22nd August, 2010

The Wollongong Roller Hawks got their championship aspirations back on track at the expense of the WheelKings this weekend, collecting 2 huge 80 point wins.

The first game was in Shellharbour yesterday and the Roller Hawks were in berserk mode after their 2-game drubbing at the hands of the Perth Wheelcats last weekend. They jumped swiftly to a commanding lead in front of their loud, parochial home crowd and subsequently cruised to a 127-43 victory. 

Wollongong's offence was driven by their blitzkrieg defence, suffocating the undermanned WheelKings with full-court pressure. In the absence of head coach Gerry Hewson, and without key veterans Koen Jansens and Jeremy Van Asperen, assistant coach Alan Cox struggled to find a combination that could compete with the opponent's impressive array of talent.  

Spearheaded by Australian Rollers Grant Mizens, Tristan Knowles and Brett Stibners, and further bolstered by the presence of Canadian representative Yvon Rouillard, the Roller Hawks were just too powerful. 6th man Shawn Russell also deserves mention as he would be a definite starter on any NWBL team outside of Perth and Wollongong.

Absent from the Wollongong line-up yesterday, and likely out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery, was Australian Roller and former WheelKings guard Jeremy Doyle. Everyone associated with the WheelKings wishes JD a speedy recovery and a successful return to the court in 2011.

(there are currently no statistics for this game but they will be added when available)

Today's rematch took place at Minto Sports Centre but it was a case of different venue, same result. The WheelKings took another hammering, 137-55. Wenty's youth and lack of height made easy pickings for the Roller Hawks who led 38-12 at the first break and then 68-26 at the half.

To their credit, everyone on the WheelKings played hard to the end which was evident by having their best quarter score (18 points) in the 4th period. However, it's impossible to compete when your team is forced into 38 turnovers and gets out-rebounded 38-28. Wollongong was also shooting the lights out, connecting on an outstanding 69% of their attempts.  

A highlight of the weekend for Wenty was the solid contribution straight away from new recruit Mari Amimoto. Mari represents Japan and is in Australia primarily to play for the Goudkamp Gladiators in the Women's NWBL. Today, she was an equal top scorer with 12 points at 75% accuracy in just 17 minutes of court time.

The weekend's results have finished the WheelKing's finals chances but that would have been an unexpected bonus anyway in this development year. There's no doubt that Wenty have a bright future with youngsters Keegan Oh-Chee, CJ Grogan and Josh Meoli. Rookie guard Brad Grove is another standout prospect. With point guard Kylie Gauci still only 25, the WheelKings are just 1 or 2 tall players and a veteran import away from contending in the next few years.

Wollongong Roller Hawks 137 - Knowles 39 pts, 11 rebs, 14 assists; Stibners 35pts, 8 rebs, 16 assists; Russell 33 pts @ 79%, 9 rebs, 7 assists; Mizens 11 points @ 83%

Wenty Leagues WheelKings 55 - Gauci 12 pts, 7 assists; Amimoto 12 pts; Grogan 12 pts; Oh-Chee 7 rebs

Photo: Japan national team member Mari Amimoto stops new teammate Kylie Gauci in dramatic fashion at the recent World Champioshiips.