Jets Soar Early, Hold Off Cavaliers in Gritty Showdown
Old rivalries flared anew in the latest round of the basketball league as Jets took on former teammates Cavaliers in a hard-fought game. Jets were quick to take off, outside shooting from Tom Dalton-Brown helping power them to a double-digit lead in the opening minutes of the first quarter. Cavaliers struggled initially, reliable scorers Chris Wolfendale and Dave Boyle seeing little of the ball as Jets deployed a triangle and two defence to lock them down. It was Boyle who made the first breakthrough, driving in strong and picking up a foul and free throws to open the Cavaliers scoring. Baskets followed from Wolfendale, but Cavaliers struggled to reach the same heights as Jets and lagged 19-8 at the end of the first.
Jets continued to soar in the second quarter, with quick conversions from Peter Boussougou and Wayne Mears extending their lead. It didn’t take long for Cavaliers to respond though and some solid cuts and screens freed up Wolfendale who delivered the goods with a nice mid-range and contested outside shot. A new focus again locked down Wolfendale but left openings that rookie Kyle Furlong exploited to great effect. The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the quarter, and Jets held their lead, but a more balanced affair, coupled with Phil Evans sinking two nice shots in the final minute, it felt like the momentum was shifting toward Cavaliers, 33-21 at halftime.
A contentious third quarter saw both teams go all out to settle the game, Jets using baseline backdoors and secondary cuts to great effect while Cavaliers made solid progress through effective screening and mid-range pull ups. Evans, Wolfendale and Boyle were dominant for Cavaliers with a good mix of drives and outside shots that chipped away at Jets lead. Some frustrations showed on the Jets side as shots failed to drop and they ran into a solid wall of Cavs defence. Again, it was outside shooting from Dalton-Brown that was key, limiting the damage and keeping Jets in the game. It was all to play for at the end of the third though, Cavaliers had won the quarter 11-14, and had slashed Jets lead to single digits, 44-35 going into the fourth.
The final quarter saw both teams go all out to seize the momentum and claim victory. Post-entry and quick swings opened opportunities for Jets, with Dalton-Brown joined by Paul Kilic on the outside 3. Meanwhile Cavaliers relied on inside moves coupled with some mid-ranges and outside shots, Martin French delivering the goods. The teams traded baskets as the game wore down, and while they matched Jets for much of the quarter Cavaliers struggled to break through a solid defence and whittle down the deficit. Fatigue found Cavs in the final minutes and allowed Jets to slowly build their lead, with the decisive blow coming from Matt Jennings who returned from injury with a solid post move that pushed Jets to a 15-point lead and outside the reach of Cavaliers with a minutes remaining. A final 3-pointer from Kilic settled the game and with the buzzer Jets had taken the win, 62-44.
The second game of the night saw energetic performances from Cannons and Hoops, with the former showing a more settled offence in the opening quarters of the game. Quick pace down the court has been a trademark of Cannons in their first season but they coupled this with a more measured half-court performance as Oliver Hamilton and Gabe Thatcher controlled the flow of play. Continuing to rely primarily on outside shooting, better options were found through some good ball movement, and it wasn’t long before Rowan Coulter and Jack Wilkinson were providing the goods.
Hoops were not to be underestimated though and found plenty of success from outside the arc as Danielle Murphy, Becky Dunne, and Daniella Kravela, all hitting the mark. Hoops also used inside moves and baseline cuts to great effect, with Gemma Kirkham racking up points. A standout performance came from Cannons Evan O’Dea who crashed the boards on both ends of the floor, leading to plenty of opportunities for breaks and second looks for the Cannons side. This, coupled with aggressive pace, proved decisive for Cannons who took the game, 100-56.
The final game of the evening was a fast and furious affair between Wolves and Pirates, who have drafted Wig Bregazzi (formerly of Turkeys) during the Christmas Break. The influence of Bregazzi shone through in a more settled and confident Pirates performance, which saw them match Wolves basket for basket in the opening quarter. Defensive adjustments on the Wolves side led to a breakthrough in the second quarter with a string a steals and fast breaks that powered them ahead. Pirates had some nice moves and breaks as the game wore on but it was Wolves who emerged victorious at the final whistle, 81-29.
