Written by Jai Simmons, 2024 BV Rookie Reporter Program
Round 8 of Championship Men is now complete and what a round it was! Being just around the corner from the middle of the season, the pressure is beginning to build Shepperton, Melbourne University and Hume who are all tightly contesting for a finals spot. Wyndham continued their dominant form and Western Port secured their first win of the season.
Shepparton (90) def. Camberwell (85)
Round 8 tipped off with a closely contested game. Shepparton were strong enough throughout the contest to hold off the late charging Dragons who were prepared to fight until the last buzzer. Despite their late efforts at a comeback, the Dragons were unable to recover from a prolific display between both Joshua Kooiman and Tyler Best. The pair both sunk 40 points and tallied an impressive 19 rebounds. Shepparton achieving an important win over the Dragons, now separates themselves from the bottom three and look to challenge for a finals spot in the mid table. It’s not all negative for Camberwell as Jackson Dean was able to make it 3 games in a row where he scored over 20. Consistent performances from their stars and still having a couple of games in hand over rest of the competition will provide the Dragons with the motivation to return to their best form which we’ve seen can be electric.
Bellarine (83) def. Mckinnon (82)
Bellarine hosted Mckinnon in one of the games of the season. Bellarine looked to be the better team as Mckinnon struggled to stop Nicholas Velasquez who looked dangerous early on and ended up scoring 19 points with a crucial 8 assists. Bellarine dominated the second quarter beating Mckinnon 25 to 10, which set themselves up with a comfortable 16 point lead at half time. Mckinnon, however, swiftly turned the tables in the 3rd and 4th, outscoring the Storm respectively in both. Shaquille Maharaj for Mckinnon was impossible for Bellarine to contain, totaling 26 points with 13 rebounds and 6 assists. Mckinnon’s late surge of momentum even saw them take the lead by 1 point and held it with just 5 seconds to go. Post time-out it was Bellarine who had a chance to score, and they did, Rohan Jarvie put up a mid range shot which hit the ring and then was spectacularly tapped in by Liam Mclnerney which saw Bellarine secure the victory.
Bellarine have now won back-to-back games by just one point, showing their ability to close out games and hold their nerve. Their important win now places themselves neck and neck with Mckinnon for a spot in the top four.
Wyndham (104) def. Hume City (100)
In the first game of Wyndham’s double header, they secured an important win in a battle where Hume were willing to push all the way to the end. Wyndham brought the intensity from the start shooting at 55% from the mid range, with Troyce Manassa scoring a crucial 27 points, shooting at an impressive 66% from the 3 point range. Hume were looking to bounce back after a loss in round 7 and looked up for the fight. Despite losing the 1stand 3rd quarter, Hume came out of the blocks strong in the fourth and piled the pressure on Wyndham. Scott Stone helped Hume stay in touch with Wyndham by scoring an impressive 34 points alongside Malik Mckinney who put up 18 field goals and made 12 helping Mckinney reach 28 points for the game. Despite the loss, the Broncos will retain the positives of keeping touch with such a dominant team - such as Wyndham who have only suffered 1 loss for the whole season.
Pakenham (93) def. Blackburn (88)
Both teams looked to continue their form after each picking up a win in Round 7. Blackburn started off strong, winning both the 1st and 2nd quarter comfortably, reaching a 13 point lead at half time. However, from this moment onwards it was the Warriors who countered Blackburn’s electric start and attempted to prevent any chance of an upset. Blackburn’s stars were shining, as James Legan, Anthony Kimble and Kortland Martin all scored 20 plus points each! The trio also collectively had 29 rebounds presenting a threat in the air off the back board. It was Pakenham’s consistency on the score card that proved helpful to their victory as 5 players including Joshua Dow, Tiras Morton, Joe Davis, Matt Berkec and Callum McNiff all scored near or around 15 points with McNiff specifically scoring 23. After what was an opening early display of nerves for the Warriors, they stuck to their vibrant style of play and eventually sailed towards their 6th win of the Season.
Melbourne University (112) def. Keysborough (103)
Melbourne University’s first game of their round 8 double header began with a home game against a sharp Keysborough. Melbourne University needed to make a statement after loosing their last 2 outings. However, they had to overcome the Cougars who were developing some major momentum after winning their last 3 in a row. Melbourne University started strong and won the first quarter 33-26. Keysborough began to improve their performance as the game went on, however shooting at a 28% 3-point conversion compared to Melbourne University’s 45%, can be considered a defining aspect of the game. Gerard Newby’s effort of 35 points and a huge 17 rebounds wasn’t enough to match the all round excellence from Melbourne University who had both Joel Rimes and Ricardo time scoring 26 and 25 points respectively. Melbourne University now looked to carry their form onto Sunday in the second leg of their double header against Western Port.
Western Port (86) def. Sunbury (85)
Western Port headed to Sunbury and secured their first victory for the season. Despite being on the road, Western Port looked lively right from the beginning. Their efforts led to a lead of 7 at the first break and despite a late surge from Sunbury in the 3rd, Western Port held strong and clung onto their first win. This loss for Sunbury would now add up to be their 3rd in a row, as well as being back to back losses by only 1 point. The only player on the court to score 20 points was Elijah Davy who also had a commendable 3 assists. 15 rebounds from Russel Permenter further solidified a victory that was more than needed for Western Port and will hopefully begin an upwards trajectory of form for the remainder of the season.
Melbourne University (105) def. Western Port (89)
Both teams faced off on Sunday in what would be their second game of the round. Melbourne University got the better of Western port after excellent 1st and 4th quarter performances. Both teams would’ve liked to continue their winning ways from their previous game within the round, however, due to a sublime performance from Joel Rimes scoring 25 points, it would be Melbourne University who would continue their winning ways. Western Port were able to stick with Melbourne University throughout the 2nd and 3rd losing both quarters by just 1 point. Western Port were unable to take their second win of the season and Melbourne University maximised their double header now placing them closer towards the top 5.
Wyndham (94) def. Keysborough (91)
For the final game of Round 8, it was yet another double header for both teams. This fixture between the two top teams was shaping up to be an entertaining affair and that it was. In the opening stages it started looking positive for the Cougars, early on dominating both quarters and seeing themselves ahead by 14 at the halfway break. Wyndham’s class, however, soon began to become visible, bringing the margin down to just 6 points at 3 quarter time. Keysborough had attempted everything to halt Wyndham’s strengthening momentum. Although it proved too little too late as despite heading into the last 90 odd seconds level on points at 91 – 91, Daniaell Herbert sank a smooth three pointer with a minute remaining, which would end up being the last score of the game. Herbert had an impressive outing scoring 24 points including converting 6 out of his 9 attempted three pointers. Despite commendable efforts from both teams, it was Wyndham who yet again continued their triumphant season with a successful weekend.
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Photo credit: Curt Chavez Casequin
