Microgaming Cavaliers 65 – 48 Marvels
In a preview of the upcoming Cup Final, league leaders Cavaliers took on an under strength Marvels missing key point guard Ben Campbell and centre Ross Wilson in a fast paced game that neither team seemed to fully get hold of. Cavs opened up with a zone press and a strange 1-4 hybrid defence that Marvels managed to split several times to good effect, James Horton the prime beneficiary as he ploughed towards the basket. Daniel Pieciak was the lone bright spot for the Cavs as he continued to make his case for the Hustler of the Year award with some superb rebounding action, finding the open Sean Doyle and George Tsapakis for some easy scores but some late first quarter heroics from Darren Cain pulled the game back close. Marvels offense stuttered a little in the second, while David Clarke from Cavs found his touch from deep and Cavs took a ten point lead into the half time break. Nice even paced scoring in the third from the Cavs was matched by the Marvels but their progress was hampered by a nasty hand injury to shooting guard Nik Cain who they will probably miss for the rest of the season now and is a big blow. The fourth saw Cavs take their foot off the pedal a little and Marvels edged the quarter by two points but it wasn’t enough to eat into the Cavs lead and they secured the win.
Celton Warriors 76 – 53 Pokerstars
Pokerstars were looking to finish the season strongly and faced off against a top four opponent for the last time in a scrappy, foul riddled affair that was only punctuated by brief moments of basketball. Pokerstars guard Dylan Codey worked hard from the point, showing a great handle and distribution but open shots weren’t being knocked down by his team mates. Warriors went about their business efficiently though, and when they weren’t at the foul line, managed to make good use of their open looks, Kai Kirkham and Wayne Mears the star shooters. Pokerstars mounted a mini comeback in the second, with strong inside out play from Fred Roman and Chris Jonat but two late dagger threes from Kirkham ruined their run and Warriors had a 15 point lead going into the half. The third quarter was key as Warriors held Pokerstars to a measly six points and racked up 24 of their own making the fourth a bit of a formality as they closed out the game, with Mears taking advantage of a flagging defence.
Ron Smiths Turkeys 86 – 57 Giants
Turkeys set out their stall early in the first, making use of the size and power advantage they had in the middle through Allan Walkingshaw, which in turn opened up the court for Wig Bregazzi who was on fire in the first, capping a throwback performance with a rare long range three at the end. As if to prove it wasn’t a fluke, he opened the scoring in the second with an identical shot while backcourt partner Paul Ellison started to smoulder a little himself and the pair drove the Turkeys scoring. Giants spluttered on offense themselves, despite Fred Atherton putting in a workmanlike effort on the floor. Facing a 25 point deficit at the half, Giants started the third in furious fashion and managed to win the quarter with some strong shooting from David Beggs and Hayden Mclarney while Turkeys seemed more interested in racking up turnovers but the pattern reversed in the fourth as Walkingshaw and Bregazzi resumed their first quarter antics and finished out the game strongly to put a lid on the upstart Giants.
LMN Construction Phillies 101 – 53 Rams
Phillies could be forgiven for having one eye on the showdown with the Cavs in the coming weeks for the league title, but any distractions were put aside in an emphatic win, played in good spirits between these two teams at opposite ends of the table. Although all eyes are on that potential decider match, Phillies still need to take care of business leading up to that and they certainly did that, topping the century mark for the second time this season against a Rams team that’s show real signs of improvement since the New Year. However, Mel Valencia was their only consistent scoring threat throughout the game and Phillies were much more balanced in their attack, with Revi Del Rosario leading from the front. Phillies need to win every remaining game to take the title, but with Cavs in the same position, it’s all to play for over the next three weeks.
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