All 4 of our senior teams had double headers over the weekend, our opening night for SEABL had plenty of excitement and our VYCW continued to impress!

 

VYCW

Eagles 63 def. by Altona 65

A slow start by the Eagles meant they were playing catch up all game. Down at quarter time by 15, the Eagles won the last 3 quarters but it wasn’t enough. They were able to draw level thanks to Nicola Stewart, with 15 seconds remaining after Courtney Willemse drew an offensive foul in her first senior game! Unfortunately the Gators were able to score with 10 seconds left, which decided the game. Stewart led all scorers with 19 points and 7 boards.

 

Eagles 70 def. Bendigo 61

The Eagles were able to turn it around Sunday afternoon with a win over the Braves, which was set up by a 29-13 start. Bendigo were able to chip away at the lead, getting within 5 points late in the 4^th quarter. However, Meg Crupi and Nicola Stewart showed cool heads, both making clutch free throws to hold on for the win! Mikayla Peterson had a second big game for the weekend, recording 15 points to go with 3 steals.

 

 

VYCM

Eagles 72 def. by Altona 83

The Youth Men went down to Altona in what was a game of 2 very different halves. The Eagles came out strong, putting up 28 points in the first quarter, only to have the Gators peg it back in the second half. Ben Barlow was the standout for the Eagles,with 16 points.

 

Eagles 68 def. by Sherbrooke 72

Rounding out a tough weekend for the VYCM, the Eagles were unable to hold onto a late lead against the Suns. Going into the last quarter the Eagles were leading by 7, but Sherbrooke’s offense exploded for 28 4^th quarter points. Liam Killey was a force inside, finishing with a double-double (27 points and 10 rebounds), while Matt Baggio continued to impress in his first season of senior basketball with 12 points of his own.

 

 

SEABL Women

Eagles 65 def. by Bendigo 92

The Eagles had a tough first hit out for 2018, in a loss to the the Lady Braves. Missing Ezi Magbegor and Chevannah Paalvast, who are both on national duty at the Commonwealth Games, the Eagles battled hard all night but some sharp shooting from Bendigo’s Nadeen Payne proved too much. Lauren Scherf was a beast inside with 27 points and 13 rebounds. Long time Eagle, Sharna Ayres, was able to drop in 11 points of her own in her first SEABL game.

 

Eagles 93 def. Sandringham 64

Backing up on Saturday night, the Eagles travelled down to Sandringham and were able to get their first SEABL win. Once again, Lauren Scherf put on a dominant display, with the Sabres not having an answer for her near triple double! The Eagles were always in control of the game, and were able to stretch out the lead in the fourth quarter, showing no signs of fatigue from their game the previous night.

 

Coach Zoe Carr had this to say about the game against the Sabres, “it was great to get our first win in SEABL on Saturday night and the girls were fantastic. Defensively, they managed to keep a very talented Sandringham team to 64 points which was impressive.”

 

 

SEABL Men

Eagles 77 def. by Bendigo 78

The Eagles had 9 SEABL debutants, facing a competition powerhouse in the Braves. Down by 14 at half time, the Eagles showed a lot of grit in front of a massive home crowd to rally a 28-15 3^rd term. Jeremy Kendle was the thorn in the Eagle’s side all night, dropping 36 points including the last 4 of the game. The Eagles were led by Dyson King-Hawea, who had 23 points, including 3 triples. Matt Reynolds put the Eagles ahead by 3 with three and a half minutes to go, but they were unable to hold on from there. Some late attempts to win the game came up short and the Braves came away with the 1 point victory. The crowd was left wanting more, with plenty of highlights including a few dunks by Daniel Camps; which is a sign of what is to come this 2018 season.

 

Eagles 91 def. Sandringham 90

The Eagles wrapped up our opening weekend for SEABL with a hard fought 1 point win over the Sabres. It was tight all night, with neither team ever getting a lead out to double figures. The teams went basket-for-basketball for the last 5 minutes of the game, until Joel Spear was fouled as time was about to expire and scores level! Never in doubt, Spear stepped up to the line and made the 2^nd to give the Eagles their first SEABL win! 6 Eagles were able to hit double figures, led by Mike Best’s 16 points, showing a willingness to share the ball which proved vital in the 4^th quarter.

 

Grant Wallace was pleased with the weekend overall, “Our preseason prep was all focussed on being as good as we could against Championship contender, Bendigo Braves. I was really proud of the boys commitment to task and the way they played. Whilst not textbook at times – we hung tight to have a shot on the buzzer to win it. Falling short we have learnt so much and will be better for it. Thank you to our home crowd, whose support was amazing and we look forward to it continuing in 2018. Then to back up against Sandringham on the road the next night and come away with the W was a great reward. Against all odds the depth of our team was showcased and a 1 point win provided.”

 

 

 

Thank you to everyone who came and supported our Senior Eagles this weekend, especially those who were able to make our opening night in SEABL so special. A special thank you to Vicki Ward, Brian Harvey, Margaret O’Connor, Avis Scullin, Brad Tucker, Ross Clark and Terry O’Connor who were able to attend on this historic night for the club.

 

 

NEXT WEEK

Friday:

SEABL Women V Canberra 7:30pm @ DVSFC (Friday the 13^th/Halloween night)

Saturday:

VYCW V Ballarat 6pm @ DVSFC

VYCM V Eltham 8pm @ DVSFC

SEABL Women V Nunawading 5:30pm @ Nunawading

SEABL Men V Nunawading 7:30pm @ Nunawading