March 2, 2013

Photo: Uni Rebel Simon Hamill hit 16 in win against Palmerston.

Challenge Season

Darwin Airport Resort League Results from Friday 1 March 2013

League Women –Tracy Village Jets v Ansett

Tracy Village ran their unbeaten streak to 13 with a 72-50 win against Ansett. Kylie Duggan picked apart the defense of the Blues to rack up a team high 19 with back up from guard Sam Rioli and Tikesa Docherty-Cole who hit 10 apiece. The Jets powered past the Blues in the second quarter with a 24-10 run for a 39-24 half time lead that the Blues never recovered from. Ansett’s Sam Drescher led all scorers with 24 and team mates Lauren Flanegan and Patricia Atkinson chipped in with 12 and 10, but it wasn’t a match for the Bomber output.  

Uni Rebels v Lightning

Lightning got past the Uni Rebels by a narrow 51-46 margin as Ashleigh Houghton led the way in the last quarter, scoring 6 of her team high 12. The Rebels charged out in the first quarter to a 15-13 lead behind the inside play of Jenny Low Choy (20), but failed to match Lightning in the second quarter as they bolted away during a 21-5 run for a 34-20 lead at the major break. A third quarter fight back from the Rebels pulled them within six going into the last quarter, but Lightning stubbornly hung on for the win. Kahlisha Rioli added 13 for the Rebels while Emma Carbone and Lucy Murray hit 8 apiece for the Lightning.

Palmerston v Eagles

The Eagles took flight in the second half of a tight contest against Palmerston to emerge victorious with a 55-38 win. The Birds trailed 22-20 at the half time break due to some inspirational play from Palmerston’s Niina Hirvonen who hit 13 of her team high 16 during the first half. After the break, however, it was all Eagles as they took a 39-34 lead at the end of three quarters of play and then shut down Palmerston in the last quarter when they outscored them 16-4 for their first win of the competition. Point guard Michelle Friel from the Eagles led all scorers with 20 points and got help from Lillian Williams and Elyse Videon with 15 and 10.

Ladder:                              Tracy Village Jets 3-0, Ansett & Lightning 2-1, Uni Rebels & Eagles 1-2 & Palmerston 0-3

Next Week:                        Palmerston v Lightning 6:15pm, Uni Rebels v Tracy Village Jets 7:45pm & Eagles v Ansett 9:15pm.

League Men – Eagles v Razzle

The Eagles claimed top spot on the ladder with a 119-50 thumping of Razzle at the DBA Stadium Friday night. The tonne came up at the 3:52 remaining to play mark after Shonsdale Robinson hit a shot while adding to his mounting total of 41 points, a season high for him (57% from the field) and the highest total for the competition so far. The Eagles pretty much ran all over the Razzle during the game taking a 48-25 half time lead and blowing that out with a 43-16 last quarter. Buster Perkins hit a season high 31 and Joseph Johnson nailed 27. Perkins also had 12 assists and 11 rebounds. Robert Oliver tallied 19 for the Green and Gold while James Panton added 14 and 10 rebounds. The Eagles hit an impressive 53% from the field, dominated the boards 61-39 and collected 35pts off of 32 Razzle turnovers.

Ansett v Lightning

Ansett wasted no time in sending a message to Lightning as they flew off to a 23-3 first quarter lead on their way to a 68-46 victory. Lightning never recovered from the first quarter onslaught. The Blues led 39-23 at the half and then set off on another demoralizing 16-4 run against Lightning in the third quarter to take a game winning 55-27 lead heading into the last quarter. Daniel Florance (17), Tom (13) & Matthew Hunt (11) combined for 41pts for the Blues while Matthew Eckersley hit 14 and Tony Halikos 10 for Lightning.

Uni Rebels v Palmerston

The Uni Rebels and Palmerston teams went at it hammer and tongs with the Rebels breaking away in the last quarter for a hard fought 58-54 win, their first of the season. The return of guard Jarrod Sheppard proved timely as he hit a team high 30 points with support from Simon Hamill who dropped in 16. Jesse Bell from Palmerston took game high honour’s with a season high 37, but he played a lone hand as no other players hit more than 6. Lightning actually held the lead after three quarters at 44-43, but the Rebels grabbed the initiative in the last quarter, outscoring their opponents 16-10 for the win.

Ladder:                   Eagles 3-0, Ansett 2-1, Tracy Village Jets 2-0, Razzle & Uni Rebels 1-2, Lightning & Palmerston 0-2

Saturday:                Palmerston v Lighting 6:15pm, Eagles v Tracy Village Jets 7:45pm & Razzle v Ansett 9:15pm. Uni Rebels bye.

Next Week:   Uni Rebels v Tracy Village Jets 6:15pm, Eagles v Palmerston 7:45pm & Razzle v Lightning 9:15pm. Bye: Ansett