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Welcome to the home of the
South East Coast Basketball League
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Round 5 preview
THE South East Coast Basketball League game of the week will pit men’s teams Lakers and Panthers against each other, capping off the night in the 8.45pm timeslot at the Icehouse.
Lakers have struggled to find top form in the early stages this season, but found a way to scrap through and inflict Cats’ first loss of the season last week.
One of the deepest teams in the competition, Lakers are often happy to grind out a win and are more than likely to produce the closest result.
Not one to win big or lose by large margins, Lakers will give Panthers opportunities to snatch this one, but the result will hinge heavily on the performance of Jack Yeates.
Yeates has been leading Panthers from the front and his blinding quickness and his athleticism causing matchup problems for most opposition teams.
But Pioneers point guard Craig Stratford will be well aware of his opponent’s capabilities and he will be hoping for assistance from last week’s top scorer Ben Anderson to help produce a winning score at the offensive end.
Also in the late timeslot, Bulldogs head to Millicent to face Saints, but have not enjoyed prosperous times on the road of late.
Their last visit resulted in a 66 point loss to Cats, producing the darkest hour of Bulldogs’ SECBL history.
But they will be hoping to turn that form around, aiming to bounce back from a loss in the grand final rematch last week and score a road success over Saints.
Saints dropped the battle for bottom spot last week and will be anxious to record their first win.
They will leave nothing to chance and will play a physical game to try and rattle the visitors and hopefully send Bulldogs packing with an 0-2 record in Millicent this season.
Early on in Mount Gambier, Cougars should extend their winning streak to three games when they meet Roos.
Although Roos broke through for their first win of the season last week, they do not have the firepower to overcome arguably the deepest team in the league and a team looking to go one better than their runner-up finish of last season.
However, the battle between Cougars’ Dallas Jeffree and Roos’ Daniel Peacock will be worth the trip to the stadium as a rising star takes on a Pioneers MVP.
Rounding out the men’s night will be the clash between Cats and Wizards.
Wizards are riding high on a two game winning streak and own the status of having the best offseason signings in the league.
Having picked up former Pioneers players Nick Morrison and Brad Wilson, as well as the return of Ben Jones, Wizards are stacked with talent alongside current Pioneers Chris Mason.
The boost in depth has taken the focus of original Wizards players such as Ben Brumby, BJ Morrison and Michael Stephens, who are flourishing this season.
But it will still take a big effort to overcome a visiting Cats side who have shown they can match it with anyone this season and it could be time for a Millicent side to shake up the men’s finals.
In the women’s competition, the top clash will be the grand final rematch between Panthers and Cougars.
Cougars head into the clash coming off a strong win in Millicent last week, while Panthers are yet to hit full stride this season.
If Panthers can get guards such as Courtney Walters firing from outside and utilise a distinct size advantage Sonya Bawden has inside, they could add their second win of the season.
Another interesting battle could be fought out between Cats and Roos.
Roos in their first season have unloaded some top recruiting in the form of Ashlee Nobes, Jodie Taylor and Sharon Stokker, while also drawing strong performances from Aimee Marshall and junior Chantelle Weir.
If they can stay composed for 40 minutes, they could rattle Cats and leave them languishing on the bottom of the ladder, a position they are not too familiar with.
Completing the round, Bulldogs will be fighting an uphill battle against Saints in Millicent.
Saints have also retooled, adding top young players Nicole Butler and Rebecca Trench to the lineup.
Their presence was felt in their first appearance together, when they combined for around half of their team’s output.
Wednesday, November 14.
Men
Roos v Cougars, 7.30, MG1
Wizards v Cats, 7.30, MG2
Panthers v Lakers, 8.45, MG1
Bulldogs v Saints, 8.45, Millicent
Women
Cats v Roos, 7.30, MG3
Cougars v Panthers, 8.45, MG3
Bulldogs v Saints, 7.30m Millicent
Thrilling round
FOUR South East Coast Basketball League games were decided by four points or less on Wednesday night, with Lakers claiming the show-stopper.
Lakers ended Cats’ undefeated start to the season in the men’s competition, with Cats dropping a nailbiter.
The Lakers win was largely due to the efforts of forward Ben Anderson, who poured in 31 points to steer his team to victory.
Anderson lifted his team on his back as the only player to reach double figures for his side, while Nathan Chapple and Scott Lonergan battled galiantly with 22 and 14 points respectively for Cats.
While Cats’ 55-53 loss was disappointing, it signifies just how close the intertown competition has become.
That notion was reaffirmed when Wizards knocked off Panthers, escaping with a 59-54 success.
Panthers relied heavily on Jack Yeates (22 points), Tyson Kettle (12) and Jason Humphries (10), but did not have the answers to a full strength Wizards lineup boasting four current or ex-Pioneers.
Nick Morrison dropped 18 for Wizards and was well assisted by a 14 point contribution from Chris Mason and 12 from Damian Alleyn.
It is two wins in a row for Wizards, who will need all that momentum to overcome a feisty Cats outfit next week.
Cougars tasted first blood in the grand final rematch, with a scorching second half drowning out Bulldogs 80-64.
Dallas Jeffree was the main reason for the turnaround after half time, reeling off 17 points for Cougars in a stellar third term on his way to a game high 31.
Ryan Smith added 12 points to help Cougars’ cause, while Jamie Croker’s 10 point haul was also a handy aid, proving too much for a Bulldogs side paced by 18 point efforts from brothers in arms Simon and Matt Berkefeld and 14 from Tom Kosch.
Daniel Peacock and Brett O'Neil produced an outstanding one-two punch to steer Roos to the first win of the season over Saints.
Peacock compiled 23 and O'Neil added 14 to hold off Saints 57-55.
Clint Gallio battled hard for his 18 points for Saints, while Jim Weston chipped in with 16, but it was not enough.
The final thriller was played out in Millicent, where Cougars invaded Cats’ territory to collect a 41-39 win.
Only Catherine Larkin reached double figures for the victors, but small contributions from across the board saw off a Cats charge led by Chantelle Fennell (12 points) and Kate Sporer (10).
In the only other women’s game after Panthers’ trip to meet Saints was postponed, Roos bounded over Bulldogs in impressive fashion, scoring a 56-42 victory led by 16 points from Aimee Marshall.
Bulldogs had three times the players in double figures – Michelle Trewartha (14), Rebecca Campbell (12) and Peta Simkin (10) – but more contributors led to the final result for Roos.
Change of email address
July 5, 2007 - 03:15 PM
PLEASE NOTE: For all inquiries regarding the SECBL website, please direct them to secbl@tpg.com.au
The former address (secbl@ausi.com) will no longer be checked.
One again, the email address for the website is now secbl@tpg.com.au
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