Sharpshooters shine in Cavs v Cannons

The NSC Main Hall hosted a close fought battle between Cannons and Cavaliers in a game that was defined by outside shooting from both sides. Oliver Hamilton hit a swish 3-pointer for Cannons in the opening minute, with Dylan Evans joining him from outside the arc shortly after to power Cannons ahead. Cavaliers were initially caught out by the pace of Cannons, but stayed in contention through the efforts of Phil Evans and Chris Wolfendale. Jack Wilkinson gave a solid defensive performance on the inside, keeping limiting the impact of Cavs big man Dave Minay and further slowing their scoring. Meanwhile Cannons pace and finishing kept them ahead throughout the quarter, leading by 10 at the end of the first, 18-8.

Gabe Thatcher opened the second strong for Cannons with a drive to the basket that drew foul free throws which he dutifully sank. Cavaliers defence had adjusted after the quarter break though and proved more secure against the outside shooting of Cannons while locking down the inside against drives. The stronger defensive efforts were coupled with some cleaner movement on offence that soon freed up Wolfendale who delivered the goods from outside the arc. As the minutes wore on Cannons lead slipped away and it looked like Cavaliers could level for the half until a late 3 from Evan O’Dea and a quick drive from Jack Wilkinson pushed back to a 9-point lead, 29-20 at the half.

The third turned into a shooting gallery as both teams fired shots form outside the arc in a frantic ten minutes that turned the game on it’s head. Wilkinson initially opened for Cannons to keep them ahead, but Cavaliers returned in kind as Wolfendale and Evans were joined by David Boyle in raining shots from well outside the 3-point line. The blistering run saw a 19-point swing that launched Cavaliers into a solid 11-point lead. The quarter was far from done though, Cannons struggling to get inside the paint fired a barrage of their own 3s, Hamilton, Rowan Coulter and Jack Wilkinson finding some success. Cavs weren’t without reply though, mid-range and outside from Evans and Wolfendale keeping them basket for basket, and holding the lead to the end of the quarter, 44-58.

Outside shooting continued throughout the fourth, Cavaliers stalwarts Wolfendale and Evans continuing to deliver while Cannons initially proved less successful. Coulter, Hamilton and Wilkinson again found limited success outside the line but Cavaliers held onto the lead as Cannons felt the pressure from a short clock. A late 11-point flurry from Wilkinson gave some solace to Cannons but couldn’t change the outcome, Cavaliers running out winners 64-77 at full time.

Pirates continued their improved form as they faced Hoops in the second game of the night, with quick ball movement and drive and dish options opening up chances for Jamie Grose and Andrew Holton. Hoops moved the ball around effectively and managed to find chinks in Pirates armour as Gemma Kirkham and Mairi Harrison exploited routes to the basket while Becky Dunne and Danielle Murphy hit 3s.

Pirates continued to work both ends of the floor and further ahead as the game progressed, solid zone defence holding Hoops at bay. A run of fast breaks early in the fourth from newcomer Jordan Brew coupled with pull up shots from Lance Davidas to extend the Pirates lead. With the final buzzer Pirates had a convincing win, 74-34, and setup a solid battle for play-off positioning against Ravens this Thursday.

The final game of the evening saw another solid demonstration of outside shooting as Kyle Mills and Michael Pardoe opened  with quick 3s for Wolves in their match up against Ravens. Matt Jones and Miltos Provatakis hit some nice shots and quick drives but Ravens couldn’t keep pace with Wolves scoring who spread the outside shooting and hit a league high 18 3-pointers to take the win, 80-55 at full time.

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The second Super Sunday was less super than initially hoped as both Wolves and Jets secured walkover wins against Cavaliers and Pirates, neither team able to play due to illnesses and injury. Cannons and Hoops did take to the floor at the Roundhouse though, in a game that showcased the solid strengths of both sides. Hoops opened strong with an outside 3 from Mairi Harrison that was follow up by some nice high post play and ball movement that setup quick hitters from Oksana Fedorovych and Gemma Kirkham. Cannons relied on Gabe Thatcher for much of the first, the shooting guard showing off some solid skills with nice floaters and drives to the basket. Hoops strategy proved more successful in the first quarter though, taking a slender lead 20-18 at the whistle.

Cannons were fired a full barrage in the second quarter, active hands on defence and solid rebounding resulting in a series of steals and fast breaks which saw Alfie Garrett join Thatcher in racking up points. The fast breaks were coupled by aggressive drives from Rowan Coulter, who powered through lanes on his route to the basket. Hoops continued to run a good movement offence but struggled to convert in the second, only Daniella Kravela and Bethany Shiell. When halftime arrived Cannons had surged ahead, 24-36.

The second half opened strong for Hoops, Danielle Murphy swishing a trio of shots from the mid-range, but Cannons continued to fire as Thatcher, Garrett and Coulter dominated scoring. Strong defence and solid rebounding helped keep Cannons in control as the game continued but two late swish 3-pointers from Murphy and Kravela gave Hoops a boost and the last baskets of the game, Cannons taking the win 42-79.