Photo Courtesy of Meredith Foley - Lisa Braunberger Wildcats Storm to Defeat Mustangs - By Noel Rowsell The Parramatta Wildcats men's team has scored an imposing 109-75 win over the Maitland Mustangs in Maitland on Saturday night, in round seven of the 2009 Waratah Basketball League competition. The final margin of thirty-four points was, in itself, impressive but does not adequately convey the full effect of the barn-storming finish of the Wildcats. The visitors swept through 'money-time' like a tornado, winning the final quarter 41-18 in a devastating display of power basketball. Wildcats head coach Dave Riemer said "I told everyone before the last quarter started, if anyone gets caught standing around simply watching the action in the final twelve minutes, they'd be spending the rest of the game watching it from the bench". Those words would literally wake a slumbering beast from its lethargy, with the Wildcats literally crushing the home team in an irrepressible display. Coach Riemer had plenty of sympathy for the Mustangs, "who played with great heart until the final hooter." "Their coach apologised to the fans for the way the game finished but they (Maitland) had nothing to be ashamed of - they played their hearts out to the final whistle" said Riemer. "The crowd was great and I've got to say, it's by far the best crowd we've seen this season - if only all teams in this competition could capture such attention from their local fans". Saturday night's game had plenty of high points, with former Sydney Kings NBL guard Damian Martin and former Northern Suburbs Bears WABL shooting guard Adi Causevic both making their debut appearances for the Wildcats. Evergreen American import Butch Hayes also showed he is continuing to hold back the sands of time whilst playing with the Mustangs, leading his younger team-mates by example with a great personal haul of 17 points and 15 boards. The two Wildcats teams are both on the Northern Beaches next Saturday afternoon, for the much-awaited clash with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles at the Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre (NBISC), Warriewood. The Sea Eagles men, cruelly dubbed by some fans as "Dad's Army", have captured the imagination of Sydney basketball fans this season, due to some clever recruiting. The incoming roll call of stars included Terrance Rone and Stephen Rafty from the Wildcats and Ben Arkell and Michael Bell from the Hills District Hornets, all players perhaps in the twilight of their careers and yet ever so dangerous for their wealth of knowledge and talent. The women's game tips off at 3pm and the men's game at 5pm and should hopefully attract a great crowd - for what should undoubtedly be one of the more entertaining games this season. Parramatta Wildcats 109 (Stefan Blaszczynski 22 points, Adi Causevic 17, Goran Veg 13, Damian Martin 13 points, 12 boards; Ing Lau 13 points; Graeme Dann 10 points, 9 assists; Charles Bloemen 10 points, Kristian Blaszczynski 9 points, 12 boards) defeated Maitland Mustangs 75 (Butch Hayes 17 points, 15 boards) WOMEN Norths Bears 67 def Bankstown Bruins 60 The Norths “Soul Sports” Bears faced the first placed Bankstown Sports Bruins on Saturday at the Bear Pit. Historically, the Bruins have largely had their way with the Lady Bears, but in 2009 the Bears recruited well, have recently found some on-floor chemistry and came into today’s match confident of causing an upset. The Bears came out firing with Norths Centres Tanya Smith (16 points in the first half) and Petra Krolke (12 points in the first half) having their way in the key against Bankstown’s forwards, giving the Bears 43-32 half time lead. The momentum changed at the beginning of the second Half, with Bankstown’s defensive pressure causing some problems for the Bears. The Bruins cut the lead to 3 points before Darcy Wilson hit a big three to take the Bears lead back up to six points going into the final Break. Lisa Braunberger then stepped up in the final quarter to knock down 2 big 3 point bombs late in the shot clock just when Bankstown looked like making a comeback. This game ultimately was a defensive tussle spearheaded by Norths guard Alana Mountfield, who did a fantastic job limiting Bankstown’s main offensive weapon to 8 points for the game. Top performers for the Lady Bears were Tanya Smith 24 points 22 rebounds, Petra Krolke 17 points 12 rebounds, Lisa Braunberger 14 points 7 assists, Alana Mountfield 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals. MEN Norths Bears 87 def Bankstown Bruins 74 The Norths “Soul Sports” Bears came into Saturday’s match against the Bankstown Sports Bruins full of confidence after two big wins in round 6 and it showed early on. Bears guard Linden Smith-Hyde dominated both ends of the floor early scoring 10 points on 5/6 shooting and shutting down Bankstown’s Clint Reed at the same time. Richard Ivanov came in half way through the first and continued Smith-Hyde’s fine work propelling the Bears to a 28-16 first quarter lead. Bankstown fired back in the second stanza, with a quick 6-0 run to start but the Bears steadied the ship by getting the ball back in Luke Brennan’s hands who finished well under the bucket and anchored the defensive end (6 points and 9 rebounds for the quarter). Bears up 44-31 at half time. After the break, the Bears came back out with renewed enthusiasm and defensive intensity to push the lead back out to 24 points. It became the James MacCann show, with the tenacious point guard penetrating the Bankstown defence with ease and finding his team mates for naked looks. The lead was pushed out to 27 points mid way through the fourth quarter before Norths coach Popovic took all his starters out of the game. Final score 87-74. Top performers for the Bears were Linden Smith-Hyde 14 points, James MacCann 13 points 11 assists 3 steals, Luke Brennan 18 points 18 rebounds, Ufojan Isbic 15 points 14 rebounds. Nationals Women continue home streak - by Matt Anderson The Canberra Nationals Women posted a strong 79-57 victory against the Hills Hornets on Saturday night. Boasting a lineup that included Sydney Flames players Molly Lewis and Rachel Herrick, and former AIS scholarship holder Ellie Manou, back from a two year stint in the US College system, the Nationals were in for an uphill battle. But it was in the face of this tough opponent that the Nationals produced their most complete game of the season. Every player made a contribution to the victory, with the scoring spread evenly - five players reached double figures, led by BJ Moyes and Hannah Bowley, each with 15. Kate Rowe and Nicki Graham chipped in with 13 each, as the team shot an impressive 42% from the floor, and an amazing 85% from the free throw line, making 22 of 26. However the key to the victory was the tenacious and relentless defence - the Nationals were relentless on every possession, never allowing the Hornets an easy basket. Nicki Graham and Sarah Johnston led the way, with Graham once again give the task of defending the best perimeter player for the opponent - this time it was Molly Lewis. With her boundless energy, she chased her all over the floor, holding her to just 8 points, on 3 for 14 shooting. Johnston was also everywhere, and her ball pressure was critical in restricting the Hornets offensive flow. Coupled with the Nationals ability to control the rebounds 45-37, the Hornets were stifled, held to one shot every time down the floor, leading to only 23 points in the first half and 57 for the game on 30% shooting. Holding the team to such limited offensive production is impressive and the Nationals will aim to do that in every game for the rest of the year. Next weekend, May 2nd, the Nationals welcome defending Waratah Champions the Sydney Comets to town. The Nationals will need to bring an even stronger performance than this one if they are to knock off the Comets, but they have showed this year that if they play for the full 40 minutes they can compete with anyone. This game tips off at 5pm at Belconnen Basketball Stadium and is the first double-header of the year with the BOA Canberra Gunners, who tip off at 7.30 against the Brisbane Spartans.