28 April
Author - Justin Schwarze
In what proved to be one of the most thrilling games of the Big V season, Mornington prevailed over Melton in an absolute Anzac Day classic. Hosted at the Mornington Basketball Stadium, the clubs came together to pay their respects in a moving service and presentation pregame.
Both sides showed ample amounts of bravery, grit and determination throughout the game, truly embodying the spirit of the Anzacs. It was a nail-biting, back-and-forth affair with neither team being able to throw the final knockout punch over the course of regulation.
Both teams operated on the interior early, with Reggie Campbell getting to work for the visitors, scoring 11 in the term. Matt Wolfe imposed and established himself inside as he so often does for the Breakers, utilising his strength to muscle up some buckets and guide Mornington to a 27-20 quarter time advantage.
Melton responded out of the huddle, with Mark Colverd connecting on back-to-back triples to immediately trim the difference to one. Campbell and Wolfe continued to duel down low, but the Thoroughbreds took the second term and evened the scoreline to 41 apiece at the main break.
The visitors started to get hold of the game in the third, taking advantage and getting out running from some Breakers turnovers. Max Cairns then steadied Mornington with a big tip-in off a miss, igniting the crowd and lifting the hosts to a two-point buffer.
After a few more traded baskets, Melton skipper Liam Allison went supernova for a stretch, burying a trey before finishing in transition after a Breakers giveaway. Following that, he took off on a one-man fastbreak after collecting a long rebound, gliding coast-to-coast to finish through contact and knock down his free throw. A personal 8-0 run saw the Thoroughbreds narrowly hit the front, leading 56-59 at the end of the period.
The visitors smelt blood in the final stage, holding their opponents scoreless for nearly the first five minutes of the quarter, capped off by Campbell streaking to the rim and laying it home that opened up a 12-point cushion. Wolfe responded with a nice move inside, before Mitch Bates-Webb completed an old-fashioned three point play. After some buckets at each end, two Ted Hood free throws had the margin at five with just over three minutes to play. Both teams went cold for a duration, before Hood converted at the rim to make it a one possession game with under a minute remaining. Aaron Gadsden’s attempt for Melton was no good and Mornington secured the board with a chance to tie.
Head coach Jeremy Leihy opted to not call a timeout, and Bates-Webb swished a ridiculously tough contested, fading corner three to even the game that sent the crowd into a frenzy. After a timeout, the visitors couldn’t score and were left stunned and in disbelief that the game was heading to an extra five minutes. Mornington had improbably shaved a 12 point deficit in five minutes to give itself a chance.
The Breakers struck first in overtime, with Bates-Webb splashing his fifth triple of the afternoon which was followed by another three from Wolfe. Gadsden nailed a jumper to answer, and two Allison free throws cut the lead to two. On the next possession, Melton had two chances to tie and take the lead, but both attempts rimmed out and the Breakers snuck away with an unbelievable result at home.
“Days like Anzac Day, they really make or break the intensity you bring to a game. We love to play for the cause of the day, and we’ve set out a significant effort to play in that spirit,” Mornington coach Leihy said post game.
“We had to fight hard in the spirit of the game and we couldn’t ask for anything less.”
Wolfe finished with a monster double-double of 30 points and 17 rebounds and was superb in the victory.
“He’s been a cornerstone for us for a couple of years now. He’s always a player we can rely on to bring anything and everything to every game, he hates losing,” Leihy said of his superstar centre.
“Leaning into this idea of trust, when it gets tough, we know we’ve got someone we can go to.”
For Mornington, it was huge to overcome the difference and steal a brilliant victory on a day that is about remembrance and honouring bravery.
“Our resilience starts with the trust that we have with each other. We’ve done a lot of work to build that trust and every single possession, they’re in control of the game. I fully have faith in them to execute as we’ve practiced and we’ve drilled,” Leihy said.
“Our resilience was really impressive, and it’s in the spirit of the day.”
