Turkeys edge past Hoops; Wolves & Jets pick-up wins
The Championship campaign resumed apace this week with a full slate of games after the success of the January Cup. The early game saw Hoops post a solid performance against Turkeys in a game that was decided in punishing 3rd quarter. Wig Bregazzi opened the scoring for Turkeys with some nice drives to the basket and was joined by Mikey Brereton in the mid-range which soon saw the Turkeys 8-points ahead. Hoops defence shifted to close the pair down, while their offence picked up a gear as they shifted the ball quickly and cracked open the inside where Gemma Kirkham dominated. Hoops were snapping at Turkeys heels until a duo of last-minute shots from Chris Wolfendale helped them pull away, 19-10, at the end of the first quarter.
Hoops dominated the opening minutes of the second quarter as quick ball movement was coupled with outside shooting to rack up points. Danielle Murphy delivered the goods from outside the arc while Mairi Harrison and Zoe Kirkham picked up points from the mid-range and inside. Defensive adjustments also held, denying Bregazzi and Brereton their earlier successes. Turkeys fell back to the shooting skills of Wolfendale though who again delivered from both mid-range and the 3-point line, with his outside shooting key to keeping Turkeys ahead. At the end of the quarter Hoops had reduced the deficit, but only by a single point as Turkeys held the lead, 38-30.
The third quarter is where the game was decided, and it started well for Hoops as their defence continued to frustrate Turkeys on the inside and kept them to a lower scoring pace. It was the offensive side of the floor that cost Hoops though, as shots refused to drop in the early stages and a tighter Turkeys defence cut down on opportunities. As the quarter progressed Turkeys again started to pull away with the trio of Bregazzi, Brereton and Wolfendale keeping things ticking over. Rhian Evans and Oksana Federovych joined Kirkham on the scoresheet in a late run that got Hoops back on track, but the quarter ended with Turkeys well ahead, 53-38.
The final quarter was a balanced affair as Hoops again found their form and started to convert, nearly the entire squad finding routes to the basket and points on the board. Turkeys pace slowed but, with a solid lead established, they played the clever game and ran the clock as they hunted for opportunities on offence. Time proved the enemy of Hoops who couldn’t build enough momentum to overcome Turkeys lead with the final buzzer sealing a 65-53 win for Turkeys, but a Woman of the Match award for Gemma Kirkham’s solid offence and defence for Hoops.
The other games of the evening saw dominant performances from league leaders Jets & Wolves. Wolves piled the pressure onto Cavaliers in a 92-36 victory that saw a Man of the Match performance from Oscar Lace. Lace was key to the Wolves pressing defence that led to plenty of steals which were dutifully capitalised on by Michael Pardoe and Harry Brindle. Cavaliers struggled in the first half but found some form in the latter portions of the game as Phil Evans and Les Winnicki sank their shots. The momentum stayed firmly with Wolves though as they rained 3-pointers from Viktor Capkanovski, Corey Pinder, and Lace while Cameron Scott dominated boards and put backs. Wolves will be hoping for a similar performance when they face Jets this week.
Meanwhile Jets left Ravens on the runway as they flew into an early lead powered by Jake Glover and Pete Boussougou. Despite a spirited defence, Ravens struggled to finish on offence allowing Jets to pull further away as the game progressed. Relentless pressure from Jets in the late game led to another run as Tom Dalton-Brown controlled the floor, picking up Man of the Match for his efforts. Final score, 83-35 to Jets.
