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Episode 12: Savage by name, Savage by nature
206 Plays2 years ago
Lachy and Squin review Round 12 of NBL1 East 2023. New additions to the league stood out and some resident stars were missed. The race to the finals is still well and truly alive for most, with big changes seen again in ladders for both the men's and women's competitions.
Games covered:
Mens: CoE vs. Newcastle Falcons
Womens: Albury-Wodonga Bandits vs CoE and Central Coast Crusaders vs, Manly-Waringah Sea Eagles.
As always we have an all-star 5 for the round with some news and gossip. This week some sad news, including the news about John Mapiou from Canberra Gunners. There is a fundraiser for John's care and recovery. To donate visit asf.org.au/projects/scorers-academy-pty-ltd
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to NBL One East 2023 Season
00:00:14
Speaker
Welcome back to another episode of East Got Game, an unofficial podcast covering the NBL One East competition for 2023, where we review, preview and interview our way through the season.
00:00:28
Speaker
My name's Jacinta, I'm from Central Coast Crusaders, and with me, as always, is Lockie France from, I'm just gonna say Sutherland Sharks, part-time Sydney Comets, ring in Sydney
NBL One East Break: Timing and Opportunities
00:00:40
Speaker
Comets. Yeah, part-time Sydney Comets, I'll be back there in a few weeks. Fly by Sydney Comets, maybe, you know, to try and tie in the comet flying through the air, view flying there. It's very loose, but we'll get there. How are you going, Lockie?
00:00:56
Speaker
I'm great, Squint. How are you? Yeah, not too bad. Thanks. Not too bad. Pretty eventful week again of NBO1 East that I think I am looking forward to the long weekend next week to make sure that we can have a bit of a break from basketball, even if the other conferences are going to be carrying on. I think the East deserves a little bit of a break given that we have been going on for a lot longer.
Special Plans During League Break
00:01:21
Speaker
How are you feeling about the break coming up?
00:01:24
Speaker
I think the break is coming at a perfect time, actually, just gives everyone a week to reset. You know, all of those, all those little injuries that you've been playing through and training through. On top of already a huge season where some teams have seen, you know, plenty of double, double headers, like probably more double headers than we were used to last year and when we were still Warrata as well. So certainly a big test coming up for some top, some of those teams, but you can't be at the top without those
00:01:53
Speaker
types of challenges. That's what it takes to be a champion. But while the league is going to take a rest next week, we might have something planned and maybe we can, we can let our listeners know at the end of the episode. Hey, Locky. Yeah, I think yeah. Leave people in suspense. Give them a reason to listen to the end. Exactly. You listen to the end. You listen after the All-Star five and then you'll find out what we're doing next week.
00:02:20
Speaker
But anyway, let's get stuck into the round 12 results and you were tasked with a men's competition this time, Locky.
Men's Competition: Game Results and Standings
00:02:27
Speaker
What did it look like in round 12?
00:02:31
Speaker
So I think we had nine games this week, couple of double headers, and it all kicked off at Hills, where Norse came back from 15 down at halftime to pick up a 93-88 win. Comets hosted Inner West, and it was Inner West getting the 104-71 win. Comets welcomed Indiana Faithful into the roster, but had no whiny swag of the Bullock. So a big out there for them is
00:02:57
Speaker
There are losing streak continues, unfortunately. Center of Excellence got a 100 to 88 win over the All River Donger Bandits on the road, despite having a short-handed roster.
00:03:11
Speaker
Canberra edged out a 16.01-85 win over the Penrith Panthers. The manly Waringa Sea Eagles got a 79-72 win over Central Coast, which actually sees them draw level with Central Coast and a couple of other teams on three wins.
00:03:29
Speaker
Illawarra so they've got Harry Morris back and of course Davo Hickey returning last week so they've got they picked up in 97-68 win over the Newcastle Falcons just Lucas Walker to return for Illawarra now.
00:03:44
Speaker
Maitland got a 99-82 win. Big performances from a player on either side in that one, winning over Bankstown. We might hear more about them during the All-Star Five. Sutherland defeated Hornsby 85-73. Sharks again getting it done without Lockie Hutcheson as they look to
00:04:06
Speaker
continue to integrate Deng Gak into the roster alongside their two established big men Jeff Gerlach and Mark Earl Beasley. And then on the Sunday, it was Kai, savage by name, savage by nature, making up 28 points as centre of excellence, dominated Newcastle with a 112-83 win.
Men's League Standings and Top Teams
00:04:27
Speaker
And then, of course, coming up on Thursday, it is the Centre of Excellence taking on the Canberra Gunners in the local Derby. Just one more game to go in what will technically still be round 12. So is Markel Beasley a big man in Sutherland or does he just play like a big man because he's got that athleticism? He's pretty much our foreman and really athletic. So, yeah, he pretty much sits at the fore and sometimes it'll be
00:04:56
Speaker
Sometimes it's Gack and Gerlach both on, you know, he's trying to get them to be the foreman, one of them to play the fore, spot almost so. Last week we tried having three of them, all three of them on court at the same time. I think that's largely been put to rest.
00:05:14
Speaker
Yeah, there's such thing as going big and then there's such thing as going too big as well. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, we don't usually see Mark well without either one of them on the court. Yeah, you know, come in and of course, players, you know, leaving, they were short handed this week as well just in general. So yeah, having him step up being really big.
00:05:36
Speaker
for the COE in the last couple of weeks. And if we look at the ladder, the Centre of Excellence have officially clinched a top eight spot, sitting at 16 and one. And every team outside the finals at the moment can only get to 15 wins. So they're 16 and one, four wins clear of Inner West who are at 12 and two. So Inner West still with a few games in hand.
00:05:58
Speaker
as do Norse who are at 11 and 3 and then Sutherland 11 and 4. So nice and tight there for those second, third and fourth spots.
00:06:07
Speaker
Then camera on nine and five in fifth and then three teams Maitland Newcastle at Hills all at eight and six and there is just point five in percentage between Maitland and Newcastle and then another three percent back to Hills. Hills will be stinging about losing that game because they could have been nine and five and half a game ahead of that fight for
00:06:31
Speaker
the last couple of final spots. Illawarra sitting 7-7, Oribodonga 7-8, Comet still slipping down at 6-8 and they're the teams that will probably round out the fight for finals. Central Coast, Bankstown, Penrith and Manly all with three wins at this stage and then Hornsby 0-15 but I haven't checked their schedule but they're certainly
00:06:55
Speaker
They keep giving teams troubles, but can't quite get over the line at the end of the day, which is really unfortunate to say. Yeah, a few men's teams. I think I know I can speak for the Crusaders too. Certainly going through a rebuild.
Women's Competition: Game Highlights
00:07:16
Speaker
All right, so I will take us through the women's results. Also kicking off with the Hills North game.
00:07:25
Speaker
was played at the Hornets nest. He was going down 30 points to 95. Aubrey Woodonga hosted COE in a very, very great and a very good game, very tight, came down to a three-pointer in the end, thanks to Bonnie Dees, who was also a May scholarship holder at the COE, who's just come in, and she hit a big three in the dying seconds to get the win
00:07:52
Speaker
over Aubrey, so the final score was 74 to 71. Then Canberra Nationals hosted the Penrith Panthers in Belconnen, and they won 93 to 48. Central Coast Crusaders hosted the Manlywaringer Seagulls. The top of the table were classic David and Goliath battle with the Central Coast Crusaders who are currently 10th, I think. Yes, 11th even, currently 11th.
00:08:21
Speaker
beating the top team 81 to 77. Illawarra Hawks hosted the Newcastle Falcon. So it was the battle of the big birds down at the snake pit. And it was Illawarra Hawks 49 and Newcastle Falcons 70. Maitland Mustangs had the Bruins at home and they won 75-61. Sutherland Sharks hosted Hornsby, Coringa, Spiders. Taking that one away, 106-61.
00:08:47
Speaker
Comets hosted the Inner West Bulls. And they won that game 90 points to 66. And Center of Excellence finished off their tough double header back at home against Newcastle Falcons. And losing that one 76 to 82 in what also was a thrilling game. That game going into overtime, thanks to a three point shot, a Nicole Munger three point shot,
00:09:17
Speaker
Uh, beautiful catch and shoot from the 40 to a right hand 45, put the game into overtime.
Women's League Ladder and 'Bounce Pass' Platform
00:09:23
Speaker
And then, uh, Newcastle went to win the extra period. I think it was 13 points to eight. So really excellent win from the Newcastle Falcons women's team, especially since they've also been quite depleted on the bench too, uh, in the last, especially in the last say three, four rounds. Um, there's been some games where they've only taken seven, eight players.
00:09:46
Speaker
or have at least only been able to rotate seven players and they're still managing to get some wins on the road. So yeah, big ups for Newcastle women's team. And the COE were also missing a few female players too. They had three of their athletes go to the basketball without borders camp. And as Lockie mentioned earlier, Jess Petrie is off sick. Unfortunately, I think she
00:10:11
Speaker
I think someone told me she may have even gone home to recover for a little bit, but I'm not too sure. But unfortunately, she's too unwell to play. But in that big game, Munger ended up with 33-9. And Isla Jufferman's had 20 points and 19 rebounds, so almost had a perfect 20-20. With five assists, too. So she can also dish a dime here and there. So yeah, that was a really, really good game. I recommend people check that out, check out the replay.
00:10:40
Speaker
Uh, now that you have to actually sign up for a program, well, it's not really a program. It's just, I don't know. I'm not too sure the intention behind the new platform that is bounce pass. But, um, basically if you want to now watch the games on the NBL one website, you've got to create a login to, uh, I guess a service called bounce pass, but it's literally all you do is create a login and you can still watch the games as you always have been. So.
00:11:10
Speaker
I'm not too sure, maybe it's something that's a work in progress. Yeah, at the moment, you get a few deals if you opt in to like part emails from MBL one partners, but I'm not sure if there's any other perks if you don't opt into those emails. So I guess if you're sweet with MBL one partners contacting you, you might get some deals. If you're not, then you've just got to pass to watch the game.
00:11:32
Speaker
I like a good deal just like the next person, but do I have time to even look into the deal in the first place? That's my downfall. That's my downfall. When I get the email, am I going to be bothered to open it? Is it going to be worth my while? I don't know. I'll leave that up to you guys. When you sign up, you see the perks. Maybe there will be some perks for you. Maybe there won't be, but time will tell. But yeah, that's why you've got to log in now.
00:11:56
Speaker
You've probably seen some graphics online for a new thing called Bounce Pass and that's what it is. It's got to be easy because even my mum did it and she logs in to watch the games five minutes before they start. So it must be easy if she can get it done and still watch the game. There you go. There you go. It's so easy that Locky's mum can do it. So I don't know why they didn't come to you for a slogan to promote Bounce Pass. I think that could be the new slogan.
00:12:21
Speaker
So easy lockies and I can do it. No, just guys, please don't make that the slogan. Yeah, I'm going to get stuck into the ladder. Let's say Manly, despite the loss of Crusaders, they're still sitting pretty in first place with 13 and two. Second place, Newcastle Falcons, they're doing it tough, gaining second spot, sitting at 12 and two. So it's still a game difference. And what's really interesting is that the North Bears have only played 13 games and they're 11 and two.
00:12:49
Speaker
Similarly, Sydney Comets are also 11 and 2. So, Norse are third, comets are fourth, and there's a bit of a percentage separating Norse and comets at the moment, despite having the same win-loss record. But Norse bears have a much smaller number. Well, when I say small, but less points against them than Sydney Comets, because I mean, 715 points isn't small.
00:13:15
Speaker
The difference between is big. North's good defensive numbers. I'm shocked. Not the most defensive efficient team in the women's league. Surely not. Uh, so yeah, like I said, North's fourth Comets, uh, sorry, North's third Comets fourth with the same win and loss record, but the percentage is splitting them. Center of excellence are now at fifth, uh, with 13 and three.
00:13:42
Speaker
Sutherland Sharks are six with ten and five. Maitland Mustangs are seven with eight and six. Aubrey Wodonga Bandits are seven and seven, but they are sure sprinting to that finals finish line now that they have the addition of Mallory Bates, their brand new import, who looks like she can definitely bring something to the inside game. Not that they needed more on their inside game, but she's got a really nice touch under the basket. So Aubrey looking pretty good.
00:14:10
Speaker
in 8th spot with a few tough games to go, but certainly gettable games. 9th spot is the Canberra Nationals on 6 and 8. 10th is Bankstown on 6 and 8 with again the percentage separating them. Crusaders at 11th with 5 and 10. Hawks at 12th with 3 and 11. Also, Inner West Bulls and Penrith Panthers and Illawarra Hawks, they're all tied at 12th, 13th and 14th. They're all 3 and 11.
00:14:40
Speaker
all separated by percentages. Then we've got Hills Hornets with two and 12 and Horns, Beaker and Guy Spiders at 16th with one and 14. So lots of shifting, especially in this top end of the ladder, which we also did see in the men's ladder too. You know, last week I was just singing the praises of the Newcastle Falcons men for gliding all the way up to fifth spot, but I think
00:15:06
Speaker
with their losses on the weekend, they have fallen a couple of spots again. So it can change very, very quickly. And while we've only got five rounds to go after the long weekend break, other than the men's COE team, I don't think anything's really for certain just yet.
00:15:45
Speaker
Yeah, just speaking about Aubrey, Wodonga and, you know, improving their roster with reportedly more to come. You know, now we've got Maitland at 8 and 6, so they're two games clear of Canberra and Bankstown and Aubrey 7 and 7, but you'd have to think that some of those games that might have been iffy for them before, they'd now be, you know, red-hot favourites in.
00:16:09
Speaker
you know, it might be a bit tougher for Canberra and Bankstown to reel in those other two teams for the last two final spots than it appears on the ladder. Yeah, definitely. And Bankstown may have their work cut out for them because it looks like Cappy Morrow is still out injured. Unfortunately, I don't think she played either game on the weekend. So that that's a shame that makes things difficult for for Bankstown.
00:16:36
Speaker
I did also see that they are added Warrata League legend Jasmine Barlow to their roster. So she might be providing a bit of cover for Cappy. Oh, okay. That will be good. Someone familiar with the program and the team chemistry. So that could be a big boost for the Bruins.
00:16:54
Speaker
And Canberra Nationals, you know, adding Izzy Bourne just in time, they're probably trying to stake their final claim on a spot in the finals as well. Yes, I think we'll be able to get stuck into it maybe a little bit later.
Game Analysis: Standout Performances
00:17:09
Speaker
as what we're hinting early in the episode, but we'll reveal all at the end. So yes, that is the round 12 women's results and ladder. Let's get stuck into some games, Locky. What game did you manage to watch this week? I commentated Sutherland Hornsby, of course. Sutherland got the win there, but the game I actually chose to watch and just due to life in general, I did only get to one game. Apologies for that.
00:17:36
Speaker
I actually, I chose Centre of Excellence Newcastle, which at the time looked like it was going to be pretty good, but COE only had eight players and Miles Cherry, looks like he got might've got injured in Newcastle's first game of the weekend. So he wasn't there for Newcastle and that sort of threw a spanner in the works, but we soldiered on.
00:18:04
Speaker
And eventually it was COE, as I mentioned earlier, getting the 112-83 win. And early in the piece, the absence of Cherry definitely, Newcastle I feel definitely felt it. COE making it very hard early for Newcastle to get that they wanted inside. Few fadeaways that maybe wouldn't have had to be fadeaways if Miles Cherry was the one with holding the ball.
00:18:33
Speaker
And COE jumped out to an early lead. They actually put up 62 points in the first half to 44. And I don't know that many teams are going to win games in this league giving up 62 points in the first half. I just want to say Kai Savage, according to Savage by name, Savage by nature early, he was just ridiculous.
00:18:56
Speaker
So he finished with 28 points off the bench in 27 minutes, shot 11-17 from the field, 4-7 from 3. He did finish with 4 fouls but that's probably the only real blight, 3 turnovers, I mean, so bad. Knocking down 3s but there was one point, I can't quite remember how the commentators described it.
00:19:18
Speaker
was it step back, fade away Euro step jump shot and it fell? I'm not sure if I got that exactly right, but it was definitely a Euro, there was definitely kind of like coming in sideways, Euro step, turn to face the basket, shot the jumper, knocked it down. And I was watching, I was like, there wasn't a travel in that. And I mean, that was just the highlight, but I mean, he scores in all three, at all three levels.
00:19:45
Speaker
knocking down trees getting to the carp shooting from the mid-range and just you know for a player who's been in the program for what three and a half weeks he's certainly taken to it like a duck to water.
00:19:59
Speaker
For Newcastle, Reid Nottage, definitely a good signing for them so far. Had 18.6 rebounds and five assists in just 19 minutes off the bench. But the reason he only played 19 minutes is because he had foul trouble. So that was a bit of a problem. I think his fifth was actually a technical foul with only about three and a half minutes to go. For COE,
00:20:28
Speaker
I think the 83 will make Robbie McKinlay happier than the 112.
00:20:33
Speaker
I think the last two times I've talked about COE, they conceded 99 to Sutherland and they conceded 100 to Illawarra. They got wins on both occasions, but they had to really lay the smack down on offense just to get over the line. So only conceding 83, a bit short-handed and I think, yeah, Robin McKinlay would certainly be a lot happier.
00:20:59
Speaker
with that defensive performance. But I have to say it did, the commentators may mention of it as well, but it did start to drag on a bit. It has certainly had that Sega-Barber second game of a back-to-back field. So CO actually played away the previous night in Albury and Newcastle. They didn't play Canberra the night before. They played Illawarra the night before.
00:21:22
Speaker
which is still a two and a half, three hour drive into Canberra to get there. So both teams had to pack up on Saturday night after their game, probably get in there after midnight and then turn around and play the afternoon game. It did, yeah, it dragged on a bit, but I'm not sure really how to put it, but I mean, COE, once they had that 62 44 litre half time, it almost looked, not that they were putting the queue in the rack, but that was sort of, you know, fine maintaining their advantage. They built it out a bit more and then,
00:21:52
Speaker
27-25 in the final quarter. I really liked John Furphy for COE. I think he was really impressive. Knocked down four of six from three point range, seven to 12 overall from the field. COE actually shot 13 of 25 from three point range. So 52%. And that'll win you plenty of games, particularly in a league where teams don't usually shoot that far over 30%.
00:22:20
Speaker
But I think credit to Newcastle, they shot almost 40% from three point range as well. But it really was a horror week for Newcastle. They were eight and four, as you mentioned, Squin, and now they're eight and six, and they have slipped from potential top four team to in that mix for, are you going to finish six? Are you going to finish seventh? Are you going to finish eighth? Are you going to finish out of the finals?
00:22:51
Speaker
And I think like, obviously, COE is streaking so far ahead that finishing, you know, if you have to play them in the first or second week of the finals, you're gonna find it really tough. But just getting a better final spot is, you know, always a good thing. And, you know, Newcastle have really hampered their chances, of course. Myles Cherry being, did he play four, was it four minutes, you said? Yeah, I think he played like four, 20, four, 30 minutes, like, yep.
00:23:18
Speaker
under five minutes in that game against Illawarra, which indicated that he must have been injured. Yeah, so five minutes in the first game, didn't play in the second game. You know, when you look at the win-loss column, it doesn't say loss, but because they didn't have Miles Cherry, it just says loss. Also need to make mention, Harry Beachump arrived at COE, I think it was this week. I think this might've been his first game.
00:23:41
Speaker
had 10 points off the bench. And indeed, apart from Kai Savage, they had five other players in double figures, and then James O'Donnell with nine points and 14 rebounds. So Ben Henshaw, still getting it done with 19 points, three rebounds and six assists, but they really spread it out. Even with only eight players, no one played more than 28 minutes. So really good to see. So he's still managing to spread the love. And as I mentioned, they're now,
00:24:11
Speaker
in finals 16 and one, absolutely flying other young kids and great to see the new additions are making an impact because that is going to be massive for them down the stretch as there's a still, you know, let's say a clear, but some question marks over, you know, who's going to be there come late July when finals arrive. Uh, we have been talking about since the start of the podcast, how
00:24:37
Speaker
Um, you know, just being very conscious of who's performing well for the men's COE team at the start of the season. Uh, but are they going to be sticking around for finals? Uh, when do they get the call up for college? When do they have to leave? Who's going to be replacing them? Are they going to be able to stay consistently good? And obviously on paper, you would expect, yes, the best, most talented young athletes in Australia are going to be. Consistently good, but you got to remember this is a bunch of kids from all over the country who
00:25:08
Speaker
Some may have played together before, some may have played only against each other at a Nationals and give her that a lot of these kids went through COVID and some of their Nationals perhaps would have been canceled. Maybe they've only had one Nationals. So yeah, lots of different variables, but it definitely seems promising with these new athletes coming at the right time. And like you said, Lockie, they're already making their mark. So it's really exciting to see how far they'll go.
00:25:36
Speaker
Certainly. And it's not just, you know, yes, they're the most talented youngsters in Australia, but you would expect that these kids could be, they're coming in, could, some of them could be 12, 18 months younger than the players they're replacing, which when you're coming up against, you know, you come up against, you know, a Glenn Morrison, a Chris Bryan, a Miles Cherry, someone like that.
00:25:58
Speaker
you're a 17 year old kid or you're, you know, 18, maybe getting close to 19 and you've had two years at the AIS, you know, getting in the weight room, building yourself up, you know, time and age is a really big thing for these young kids and the ability to build yourself up physically and with your skills can be so massive. Yeah. Time and age is right, especially with age because, you know, the,
00:26:24
Speaker
Longer you play basketball and the higher levels you get, it's certainly about experience and maturity and the psychological side of the game, which can really sometimes come with time and age.
00:26:38
Speaker
Yeah, so I mean, it's not always one and done with the
COE Team Players: Availability and Finals
00:26:42
Speaker
COE. Definitely a beatable team, as North did earlier in the season. Interesting, Rocco Zukarski hasn't really made much of an appearance in the last few rounds, so I'm not sure if he's injured or if he's just being sat out or what's happening. Yeah, not entirely sure. Yes, certainly a short-handed roster, hopefully we see.
00:27:03
Speaker
And we'll come back soon enough. But if anyone has any Intel, always hit us up on the Eastcott game Instagram. We love to fill the gaps of our knowledge with yours. And our dams are open only for nice things. If you say any mean things, I'm just going to delete it. So don't bother.
00:27:24
Speaker
That's the nicest way I can say that. Um, so lucky you apologize for only seeing one game, but truth be told, mate, the last like six episodes you've been doing the heavy lifting of the game reviews. So I needed to, I needed to show up today and, um, you know, hold up my end of the bargain. So I did two women's games and this one was hard to go past and it did come as a recommendation from one of the coaching staff too.
00:27:53
Speaker
It was the Aubrey Wodonga Bandits versus COE in Aubrey Wodonga, the one where Bonnie Dees, one of the May scholarship holders, hit that big three in the end to get COE the win. But yeah, this was a really, really good game. Interestingly, they switched commentators at halftime, so I don't know what happened there, but they only started the game with one commentator.
00:28:19
Speaker
And then at halftime, it was definitely a different commentator, but still only had one. So maybe they were just a bit short stuff that night down at Lauren Jackson Sports Center in the commentary box.
00:28:30
Speaker
But what I really liked Aubrey, like we mentioned earlier, Mallory Bates has joined as the second import for the team. She looks like she has a really nice touch. She could hit it from the high post, under the basket, under pressure. The only criticism I had is that she needed more touches.
00:28:49
Speaker
She needed the ball more. But I guess the Aubrey find themselves in that kind of unique situation where they have lots more talent on the roster between Hannah and Mahadi, Pivich and now Bates. They're gonna have to find a way to share the shots a little bit better. There were certainly times where Aubrey, I feel like one of those four players, maybe two of those players more than the four.
00:29:18
Speaker
We're probably taking the game on their shoulders a little bit too much rather than trusting the process and their teammates to get a better score. And I think sometimes those situations were a bit of a downfall.
00:29:30
Speaker
For Aubrey, there was probably better options that could have been taken. But look, I'm not their coach. Maybe that's what their coaches instructed them. That's just an observation. But what I really liked was their defense that they came out. There was a lot of switching going on quite early between the guards. And I noticed that the center for Aubrey Wodonga was normally dropping back under the basket. So it read to me like a little bit of a matchup zone.
00:29:57
Speaker
that kind of looks like a man, but he's actually acting a little bit like a zone, but I can't be too sure. But that's what it looks like. But regardless of what it was, it was very effective because it made the COE have to play their half court offense a good couple of metres outside the three point line and became quite disruptive. But the COE, to their credit, still ran a lot of four high sets, still ran a lot of horn sets. Aubrey also ran a lot of horn sets as well.
00:30:25
Speaker
The COE with Isla Jufferman's in that high post, she played a lot more high posts and low posts than you would expect, but yeah, she's great up there. She's able to set those reverse seals off a hand off. I would hope that maybe she was just having a bit of an off day shooting those open jump shots from the elbow, but that's something that I hope improves over time too.
00:30:52
Speaker
But, you know, the likes of Safran Shields, Great Court Vision, Lara Sonfire has also a new scholarship polo that's come in and she's made an impact already. I think she had like 12 quick points in a short period of time. And first time I got to see Ruby Gray play some decent minutes or at least play properly. And she can be quite nifty as well herself. So a lot of these players are also getting ready to go to the Under-19 World Cup in July.
00:31:22
Speaker
And I think that the games like this, especially against Aubrey and then when they played Newcastle, a great preparation for that, just for that level of toughness and physicality that FIBA love at their tournaments.
00:31:36
Speaker
But, which I love, I mean, don't be soft, but there is a line, there is a line of how physical it can get. But yeah, really impressive from COE. Aubrey as well, like I said, possibly a matchup zone, that defense worked really well. And they made the really smart decisions throughout the game that when Ayla Juffamans had to go off, whether it was for Sabal, you know, for Sabal for foul trouble.
00:32:02
Speaker
Then Aubrey did a good job of trying to get the ball inside and exploit her.
00:32:07
Speaker
not being on the court. So Ash Hannon, who was our guest on Eastcott Game last week, made some very nice moves and seals under the basket. And I feel like the guards did a really good job of taking their time to get her the ball in the right spot as well. But yeah, lots of horn sets again, like I said, some really good minutes from the bench players for Aubrey, such as Sarah Mellison. She came on and shot a really nice corner three to get it going in the first quarter.
00:32:36
Speaker
Um, but yeah, the real, it was really tight. It was just in that fourth quarter where COE really took it away. Uh, went in the fourth quarter, 21 to 12. Um, if we look at some of the deeper analysis, the only things that really stand out is that Aubrey went and had more points in the paint in the fourth, which was quite interesting with 10. And, uh, whereas COE had more in the first quarter with 12, but otherwise nothing really outstanding.
00:33:05
Speaker
Um, shooting percentage was like pretty close. Well, not pretty close, but, uh, COEs was much better at 35 from the three point line and 47, um, from two point line overall. Um, but otherwise not a lot separating them when you come to the analysis tab. But some of the outstanding performances, Isla Juffman's had 14 and 13 for COE. And let me just double check. She, yeah, she was in foul trouble with four.
00:33:35
Speaker
as well as Jada Clark, so they were kind of skating on thin ice there. Jada Clark had 16 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and Safran Shields ended up with a nice five assists. Ruby Gray had 13 points, Bonnie Dees had 10, and that big dagger, and Lara Sumphi in just under 15 minutes had 12 points and three rebounds, so she was very efficient. For Aubrey,
00:34:01
Speaker
It was Michaela Pivich who had 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists. So really doing a little bit of everything, which we love to see. Mallory Base ended up with 17 and 7. And in just under 25 minutes, Ash Hannon had
00:34:22
Speaker
11 points and five rebounds in just under 18 minutes, which is probably not as much as we like to see Ash. So I'm not too sure what happened. She wasn't in foul trouble, but maybe it was just going with the flow.
00:34:35
Speaker
Mahadi had 10 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. So pretty well even spread of scorers amongst both teams as well, but also a very entertaining game. So I recommend people jumping on and watching that one. And then the second game I covered was one that I happened to commentate, which was Central Coast Crusaders and Manly. So did you catch any highlights of this at all, Locky?
00:35:01
Speaker
I haven't yet, but I am very interested because, well, yeah, it's one of the biggest upsets of the season so far.
00:35:10
Speaker
Yes, and I'm very glad that it's a crusader, one of the crusaders team who can claim that for a change. Yeah, it was outstanding. The crusaders came out very strong, really high scoring quarter from both teams 28-25. And to full, I have to give full credit to Coach Loscellini Cartier, who
00:35:34
Speaker
is the assistant coach of the MBL1 team and also the head coach of the Youth League team with Nicole Hutchins, who plays for Crusaders. So she was thrown not in the deep end, but she had a tall order of, you know, making her head coach debut in MBL1 East and against the top team. And to come away with a win, I mean, do you retire after that performance? Like you got you got to the top in one game. Tyrone defeated.
00:36:04
Speaker
Retire undefeated, exactly. And the day before this win, she celebrated her 25th birthday. So what a great way to celebrate the birthday weekend with getting that win. But yeah, this was really highly competitive game.
Crusaders vs Manly: Strategy and Performances
00:36:21
Speaker
It was really interesting because both teams still played with pace, but there wasn't a lot of defensive
00:36:30
Speaker
Sorry, there wasn't a lot of transition opportunities for both teams. Both teams really like to run, but both teams perhaps recognize that in each other very early and were able to
00:36:42
Speaker
implement very good defensive transition for most of the game. But once we were in the half court, both teams still played with relatively good pace, lots of composure. I think that Manley were probably, I'm not too sure if they were complacent, but Coach Kerwin had to call a timeout literally in the first 54 seconds of the game.
00:37:02
Speaker
because the Crusaders came out and were just like on an eight nil run and coach Kerwin had to blow, had to blow a timeout in 54 seconds. I don't know if I've seen a timeout that quick in my life, but yeah, I don't think, I think he had to kind of pull his players into line and, but then, you know, they would certainly tested the Crusaders half court defense was definitely a lot better, a lot better pressuring in the lanes and maintaining their player on the dribble.
00:37:32
Speaker
especially which is sometimes waxes and wanes. But I think the desperation in the second line of defense was a lot better as well from the Crusaders, which is sometimes where things can fall apart a little bit. But obviously being a Crusaders fan and more former player, I guess I know historically that when Crusaders, either men or women's team, have a really great start against a really competitive team, the biggest challenge then is being able to maintain it. So
00:38:00
Speaker
Third quarter came around. There were lots of third quarter wobbles from the Crusaders. They had three very quick team fouls that were called. Nothing was really going their way in that third quarter. And I think they ended up losing at 24 to 12. So losing a quarter by 12 points and being in foul trouble pretty early, we were kind of like, oh, this is it. We knew that they could come back and certainly still have a good track at winning.
00:38:29
Speaker
You know, as history serves, that's generally when we tend to crumble a little bit. However, we hung in there. We won the fourth quarter 21 to 10. Yeah, like I said, Manly just seemed a little bit rattled and a little bit uncomfortable in their half-court offense. But to be fair, they still came out in the fourth quarter doing the absolute best. Like, sometimes when a team hasn't been, has been so successful in a season,
00:38:58
Speaker
And they haven't been truly tested. They haven't had an opportunity to do any character building, but this manly team weren't going away at all. Like they were still really wanted to win. So they were still taking their open shots quite confidently. What I really liked is that, you know, Kim Hodge was having a great game. She ended up with 27.6 rebounds to assist, but they kept going to her in the high post and sometimes in the short corner where she can, you know, she's got a pretty high shooting percentage from there.
00:39:27
Speaker
So sometimes between Zoe Miller and Kim Hodge, there were really nice pick and pops to get Hodge open on that extended elbow. So that was some easy buckets for Manly when they really needed it. But yeah, we'll go through, I'll go through some more stats. So Alex Delaney had 15 points, 10 rebounds, four assists.
00:39:50
Speaker
Bri Delaney had 13 points, six rebounds, three assists. Each of them taking 14 and 13 shots respectively. So their shot numbers were pretty good. But considering this was a one versus 11th place, their shots were pretty limited. Kim Hodge had 17 shots, which I think was pretty good. She certainly became their focal point as the game went on.
00:40:17
Speaker
Um, and Zoe Miller in just under 22 minutes had 12 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals. Uh, it was a shame that the youngsters like Sari Mowbray and Gracie Lee couldn't get on, but I think it was just too tight of a game for them to get any court time, understandably. Uh, for the Crusaders, Danny Corot, the absolute hero who hit a very crucial three point play off a drive.
00:40:42
Speaker
in like the dying seconds of the game. Oh my gosh, that was so good. If you haven't seen it, the Central Coast Crusaders Instagram did put it on their story and I have copied it. So I might just pop it up on my story or the Easter game profile as well. Cause it was, it was awesome. Uh, she, yeah, 22, three, and five, she ended up with Nicole Hutchins though, for me, she was the real turning point in this game.
00:41:09
Speaker
She played 23 minutes and she had 18 points and 15 rebounds and she shot 8 from 12. So I think where Manly's part of Manly's, I won't say downfall, but I would say that the Crusaders did a really good point of exploiting the fact that Manly don't have a true center that would be
00:41:28
Speaker
strong enough to come up against Hutch. So Hutch is tall, yes, but she's really strong. Like she's got to be one of the strongest centers next to Juffman's in the league, I think. Um, what, uh, sometimes though, Hutch can be a little bit too strong, you know, getting a little bit cheeky with dropping the elbow, uh, the old illegal screen, just, just trying to get in a little bit of a nudge and a bash here and there and the referees are very wise to it. So she gets caught up and gets in fair trouble.
00:41:56
Speaker
So she only gave away one of them this game, Wocky, which you'll be happy to hear. I did do it in front of the ref though. So obviously got pulled up for it, but she managed to stay in the game, which is good. And what I really liked from Hutch this game was her composure and her footwork under the basket. So her footwork has been getting better with every game and especially better from last season and her finishing, but this time, but now it's her composure when she's under the basket and she's under pressure.
00:42:26
Speaker
She was taking on two people, like she was getting double-teamed. You know, Coach Cohen, the great coach that he is, was like double-teaming down Hutch in the post, but she was still taking them on and making some shots because she was so composed. So I think that was a win in itself. But otherwise, really, really good game. Very exciting. I hope that the Crusaders will take this and
00:42:50
Speaker
be able to back it up. But I really think though, at this point of the season for Manly, given they came into this game on a 12 game winning streak, we still got, you know, after we've got a break next weekend, then we're going to have round 13 of 18 the weekend after where they play COE. So I think this loss is actually coming a really good time for Manly where they can have enough time to figure out what they need to improve on based on their loss in that game.
00:43:20
Speaker
still have enough time to implement it. They still got to play COEs, that will be a good test. And because the thing is like, it's great to have a winning streak, but unless you're really tested in terms of your team's character and culture, and some of those weaknesses exposed like not having a true center that can guard someone like Hutch, you've got time now to problem solve that. And I think you need that character building going into finals, because if this is a team that's going to go all the way,
00:43:49
Speaker
like we said at the start of the episode, that means that they're going to have to keep building on this and maintain this possibly all the way to NBL One Nationals in August. So I think the loss actually comes at a good time. Yeah, I don't know that I subscribed to the loss they had to have credence, but certainly having a down performance and learning from it regardless of the result. And sometimes you see it more and feel it more when you lose.
00:44:18
Speaker
So I think if that game had been 81-77 manly, maybe they just breathe a sigh of relief and go, okay, it was just a bad game, we got through it. But you lose and then you're like, oh, okay, we just lost to a team that is no chance of making finals. We got to do something about this. Yeah.
00:44:41
Speaker
Yeah, that's actually probably a better way to frame it. Yeah. The way of trying to make lemonade out of lemons with, we're on a winning streak and we just lost to the 11th place team. But yeah, it's still lots of basketball to play. I'd be really interested to see how they go against COE because, you know, Isla will be there doing a thing. But yeah, watch this space. I would pick
00:45:10
Speaker
Next round, round 13, I would pick Manly COE as probably one of the game of the week. You're just doing my job for me straight up. Did you have any, like, what game, did you pick any games of the week for round 13 for the men at all? I haven't, but it will not take me long to have a look. Let's have a look at round 13 in the men and see if there's anything. I mean, I'm pretty sure because yes,
00:45:38
Speaker
Well, Sutherland North. Oh, yeah, that will be really good. Yeah, so Sutherland North, which is our third versus fourth at the moment. So really big in terms of our finals placings. You know, you don't want to slip down into that back half of the top four. And... Have they played each other yet? Because I mean, Manly and COE haven't played each other yet. And it will be round 13. It'll be their first and probably only time.
00:46:06
Speaker
But have North and Sutherland played each other? Oh, you're testing me. I am. I'm throwing under the bus. Well, the problem is, it wasn't at Sutherland, so I don't remember commentating it if it was. Fair. That's fair. Do we play him really early in the season? Crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
00:46:31
Speaker
While you look, you know, I don't think, I don't think we have quite yet. No, it doesn't look like it. Um, no, but yes, I also liked, um, Canberra, Illawarra, you know, Canberra looking to, uh, claw their way into the top four if they can, while Stillawara is looking to hang on to a top eight spot. And Comets Maitland, can Comets arrest this losing streak?
00:47:01
Speaker
Yeah, I think I reckon they're the best three, particularly for the sake of entertainment, particularly North Sutherland. But the other two will be just as entertaining, but more so. I think that's more on the line in terms of final position, finals and positionings on the ladder with those other two games. Certainly. It's only going to get more important each game from here on out. Yeah, for sure. For sure.
Round 13 Preview: Anticipated Games
00:47:31
Speaker
For me, for the women's, yeah, manly COE, definitely. It would be my game of the week. Apparently, we're hosting COE again on Sunday, the 18th of June. That would be nice because I missed the last one because I had COVID. What bad timing that was. Hosting COE. Okay.
00:47:58
Speaker
Yeah. It says on Sunday, the 18th, uh, COE are coming to play us in women's. Oh, I know. Hold on. I'm looking at men's. Ah, so that might be the makeup game. Yeah. That's the makeup game from yes.
00:48:19
Speaker
So I was like, hold on. Yeah. So no, I would say game of the week for me, Manly, Center of Excellence. And they're playing at Manly, and I think that's going to have an influence, to be honest. Oh, yeah, Sharks North, of course, again, that's going to be pretty tough. But yeah, those two, those two would probably stand out. And then North play Center of Excellence again on the Sunday. So North women actually have quite a tough
00:48:49
Speaker
weekend with Sutherland on the Saturday, COE on the Sunday at home. But Norse, Norse being the one team that have beaten, well, yeah, not the one team now that Falcons have, but Norse being the team that have beaten COE, it would be great if they can go 2-0. Yeah, I mean, it's one of those weekends where they could
00:49:10
Speaker
go 2-0 or if they slip up a couple of times, go 0-2. I mean, if you look at it, it's almost one of those weeks like I was talking about with Sutherland when we played Comets and Hills a couple of weeks ago. It's one of those weeks where you kind of expect to go 1-1, but you don't know which one will be the win and which one will be the loss. But if I'm North, I'm probably saying, no, we're going 2-0. Two big wins. Two big wins.
00:49:40
Speaker
you know, almost clinch top four, you know, if they can knock off Sutherland and CLE. Yeah, they don't muck around those Norse women. Not in the slightest. All right, let's get into some news and gossips. What have you got for me, Locky?
00:49:56
Speaker
A short week this week, but seeing as we're talking about Norse people, Emma Donnelly, formerly of Comets, now at Norse, New South Wales under 20s player, committed to Iona University, which is in New Rochelle, New York, so about half hour drive north of New York City. It's a D1 school.
00:50:15
Speaker
So that will put paid to Emma's MBL1 East career until she completes her time at college. So yes, very good luck for your next four years, Emma. Awesome. And you may mention already during this episode, you know, Wani Swaka didn't play
00:50:38
Speaker
this week, but Indiana faithful has now joined the Sydney Comets men, um, which is a nice little sneaky addition as well. Um, I see that you also saw an even bigger name on a women's roster pop up. Yeah. Yeah. I saw a play. I'm not sure. Look, I think it's a, I think it's a good side. Not someone I've really heard of his play called Lauren Jackson is now listed on the Aubrey with dongle bandits. Can you give me any insight on her?
00:51:05
Speaker
Uh, look, it's not a name I'm really familiar with other than the stadium that the band it's playing. So I don't know. Yeah. I think that's where we named the name from. Uh, yeah. Just has a stadium named after. She's probably pretty good then.
00:51:19
Speaker
Yeah, she's probably pretty good. Yeah, you know, LJ making a return. That would be great. All eyes on LJ because I mean, there has been a lot of talk she has been recovering from two different injuries on both of her like two different legs. One being stress fractures or some kind of fracture in her foot. And the other being unfortunately Achilles injury she did at the historic
00:51:44
Speaker
John Kanerina game during the WNBL season. So she's still recovering. I've definitely seen on her social media profiles that she's shooting around with, of course, Sammy Mack, assistant coach of the Lady Bandits. She's also doing a little bit of shuffling and agility and some gym work back on her feet too. So I wasn't too sure if she was ready to return to court, but we'll see how we go. I mean, put an end down.
00:52:14
Speaker
Get it in early, see if she qualifies for finals. Well, that's right, because it's getting very, I think Aubrey, their next game will be two thirds of the season. So that would be, I think at a third of the season remaining, you're locked in, aren't you? Yeah, I think so. That's the news I heard, yeah. But I'm not sure then, you know, if you pop your name on the roster, do you get an injury exemption?
00:52:44
Speaker
Yeah, who knows? Why didn't she get any, like, did she not qualify for an injury exemption the rest of the time? I don't know how that stuff really works. I just leave that up to the administrators. Yeah, that's, yeah. You know, we'll look at the playoff rosters and who's there is there. Exactly. And then like you said, just a reminder that COE and Gunners play, COE and Gunners and COE and Nationals play on Thursday to round, to finish off round 12.
00:53:12
Speaker
and we're recording on a Monday. So we can't see into the future to give you a review of that game. We're still working on it. Still working on it. It's a Canberra local Derby. It's going to be great. It's going to be great. I would love to do that on a Thursday night, but I just know from living there for four years how cold it can get in Belconnen Stadium. So be prepared.
00:53:36
Speaker
Uh, I'm sure, you know, preaching to the converted being Canberra locals, I'm sure they don't need to be told to be prepared. Um, but, uh, otherwise anything, anything else of worth that you've heard? No, not, not too much. Nothing really happening around the traps at the moment. No, no, no, nothing from me either. All I will say though, is that, uh,
00:54:03
Speaker
There was some sad news coming out of the Sydney Flames camp today about Tiana Munga Kahia who unfortunately has called early retirement on her basketball career after being diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer.
00:54:19
Speaker
For those who don't know, Tiana lived with breast cancer while she was in college at Syracuse. She overcame all of her treatment. She was in remission. She made her way back to the basketball court and was having an absolute standout season for the Sydney Flames last year. It was due to play again. She was playing for the Northside Wizards in MBL1 North very recently until she got a contract to play in Toulouse in France.
Player Transfers, Injuries, and News
00:54:48
Speaker
And as far as I know that she was there. And unfortunately, yeah, the news came out today that her cancer has come back. Her breast cancer has come back and also is present in other parts of the bodies according to the press release that was administered by the flames today. So lots of thoughts and good vibes for Tiana Mangakahia. I'm sure that if you don't know her,
00:55:15
Speaker
you probably know someone that knows her. So just keep her and her family in your thoughts for this week, which is some pretty horrible, devastating news for such a talented athlete. So yeah, it's not the news that we like to bring on the podcast, but we thought certainly worthwhile mentioning given how, how everyone knows her and it's, it's really, really, really sad news. So yeah, please keep her in your thoughts. Also,
00:55:43
Speaker
Johnny Mapia from Canberra Gunners. Unfortunately, about a week ago had a very devastating car accident as well. He's still in hospital and recovering. There has been a couple of posts on basketball, ACT, social media page. Well, I should say Facebook because I only really use Facebook.
00:56:06
Speaker
um, about, uh, Johnny's condition and ways that you can help, uh, perhaps donate, um, to trying to get his life back on track. Our friend Josie, who runs the Instagram page, promote the goat is also doing an auction online to help raise money for John as well. And his treatment, she's auctioning off three different types of sneakers.
00:56:32
Speaker
So if you had to promote the goat, she's made a post on there. There's a link in the caption about how you can go about bidding on those sneakers or making a donation, uh, to go towards John's treatment. Um, but otherwise go to basketball, ACT's Facebook page. And there's usually some updates in there, but also keeping him in our thoughts and obviously the rest of his team and his family because, um, yeah, those things are so tragic and unexpected. Um, and you never really know how to.
00:57:02
Speaker
how to deal with it. But yeah, thinking about everyone and really wishing both Tiana and Johnny a very safe recovery too. Otherwise, yeah, not news that we like to share, but news worth sharing. But how about we top it off with our all-star five for the week, Locky.
Top Performances and All-Star Five Announcement
00:57:22
Speaker
Take it away with your mens.
00:57:24
Speaker
All right, so a few big performances this week, as always, nine games, plenty to go around. We'll get straight into it. Going to start with Matthew Eldridge from Manly Moringa, who had a big, big game in the win over Central Coast. He had a big 22 points, 19 rebounds, three assists and a steal as Manly got the win 79-72.
00:57:53
Speaker
Dave O'Hickey from Illawarra, also a big outing, 22 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and a block just for good measure in that big 29 point win over Newcastle. And now the next two actually came from the same game.
00:58:13
Speaker
So it was the Bankstown Maitland game and Hayden Blankley from Bankstown finished with 29 points, 17 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and a block. But it was Maitland getting the win at 99-82 because Will Cranston-Lown dropped a 30 piece, 30 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in the win.
00:58:37
Speaker
And then it was the man off the bench. It's tough to find the stat line. He was so far down on the box score, but Tony Colovey from inner West 35.6 rebounds and assists a steal and three blocks in the 105 73 win over comets. So there we are an all-star five for the men.
00:59:01
Speaker
And so I almost, I almost missed Tony because he is literally the second last name on the box score. And there's all these players with nothing and I'm scrolling down and I always miss you. But it was only the fact that I, um, I was like, these points don't add up. There's got to be someone around here doing something big. And there he is. Big Tony, the former, former Sydney King. Yeah. I had a similar experience when I was getting prepared for the NBA one show today.
00:59:29
Speaker
Uh, I was also, almost, also, almost missed Tony at the very, very end. And I was like, Oh, well he had a big game. That's probably worth mentioning, uh, himself and Hayden getting a bit of a shout out on MBL one show today. It's funny. So I mentioned like Tony, he's just prone to those big games. You know, he did it against Sutherland really early in the season.
00:59:52
Speaker
He'll just come out and it's like tonight, he's going to be the one that's going to go absolutely off. It doesn't happen all that often, but when he goes off, where does he go big?
01:00:01
Speaker
Yeah, it's probably good timing, considering Blake Morrow did sustain a back injury last round when they played away at Hawke. So I think he's still slowly recovering from that. I know he did play, but while he's recovering, I think he's probably got to be careful because he's got to think about longevity and finals time. Because, you know, in the West Bulls, men are in contention of definitely making finals weekend. So probably a good time for Tolleve to step up and fill the gap of Morrow in the time being.
01:00:32
Speaker
Um, so what was the women's like? Yes. Yeah. So the women's, uh, pretty much, if you didn't score 30 points, you weren't in it, but the four, four of the five had at least 30 points this round, starting with Vanessa. She has 35 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and five steals against the inner west pool. So she was also just shy of a double, triple double.
01:01:01
Speaker
So that was very, very good from Ness. Nicole Munger had 33 points and five rebounds versus COE. And that was the same game where she hit the three point shot to send them into overtime. So extra points for you Miss Nicole Munger. Number three, we had Emily Simons from North Bears. She had 32 points, 10 rebounds in 31 minutes.
01:01:27
Speaker
uh, against Hill's Hornets this weekend. And, uh, she, that included five from nine three pointers. So, uh, yeah, she was just making the most of her time. I think 32 points. Is that outscoring the opposition? Yes, it is. It is outscoring the opposition by two points. Yeah. In that 30 to 95 win for the North. Uh, yes. Emily Simon's alone scored more than the opposition.
01:01:58
Speaker
Um, and Izzy Bourne, Canberra, new, newfound Canberra national, uh, had 30 points, eight rebounds and four steals against Paneras Panthers at home in Belconnen. And our fifth spot, there were lots of people who could have had the fifth spot, but it went to Michaela Dompkins from Inner West Bulls who had 27 points and 12 rebounds against Comets. And I'm pretty confident that Michaela is still, uh, leading
01:02:26
Speaker
the league in average rebounds per game. She is averaging 14.45 rebounds per game with Nicole Munger averaging 13. But yes, she's maintained, Mikayla and Nicole have maintained those high level of rebound stats all season. So that's been super impressive.
01:02:46
Speaker
Um, I had to learn though that the average, like the stats and for the average to get into the top five average, it's a minimum of five games played. And Talia Tupaya is still sitting at fifth with average points with 24.8 and she hasn't played for quite a few rounds now. Nice. So she, she, she should be back. I did read a pen with Panthers.
01:03:13
Speaker
Very nicely, always post their newspaper clip from, I think it might be the Western Weekend newspaper or whichever newspaper it is out there. And they did make mention that Talia might be back playing for Penrith to get some minutes in her legs prior to Asia Cup, where she could play for New Zealand. That would be great to see. Interesting. I didn't realize she was a part of the New Zealand squad.
01:03:38
Speaker
Yes, she is, so yeah. The rest of the New Zealand's got her over in Europe playing against some friendlies against Serbia and the like. Yes, yes. But yeah, Talia's not quite at the playing stage yet, I don't think. Interesting. Well, hopefully she'll be back on court soon and that she's okay. But yeah, she's still holding fifth spot in points per game average. So certainly leaving a mark on the leaf. But
01:04:08
Speaker
I think that's all from me, Lockie. Have you got anything before we wrap up or would you like to give our listeners some insight into what we will have next episode despite there being no basketball played? Oh, I think we're going to do, I think what we'll do is we're going to do a deep dive into the run home and all the permutations and all that good stuff that everyone loves. If North beats Sutherland, if Manly beats COE, if Illawarra beats Bankstown, what's going to happen?
01:04:36
Speaker
that kind of stuff that we all love digging into. Yeah. And for disclosure, I don't know nothing about that stuff. My look, I was decent in maths at school. It certainly hasn't translated into any way in any kind of basketball sense. I have no idea how to do the calculations and predictions and final placings based on ladders and and what happens when. So I'm going to leave that all to Locky and probably ask you a lot of questions.
01:05:06
Speaker
I'm just a man with a spreadsheet, Squint. That's all it takes. I mean, I can open a spreadsheet, but I don't know what is the correct data to fill it to make such great calculations like you can. So yes, the spotlight will be on you. All right. Cool. Thanks again, Locky, and I'll see you on the long weekend. See you then. Rest up, everyone.