1 March 2012

Photo:  Rachel Watchorn from League Women

Darwin Airport Resort League Results from Tuesday 28 February 2012

League Women –Uni Rebels v Tracy Village Jets

Tracy Village jumped to the head of the ladder as the Jets flew past the Uni Rebels 73-66. The Bombers put it all together on the night as they rebounded from a 4 point first quarter deficit to claim a narrow 37-35 half time lead that they turned into a winner. The Rebels grabbed the early lead through the efforts of core players, Tamara Sheppard and Jaylene Bonson (15), but fell away dramatically in the second quarter when the Bombers outscored them 17-11 to take the lead. Kylie Duggan, with support from Demi Cubillo, ignited a Bomber 23-19 run in the third quarter that gave them a 60-54 advantage with one quarter to play. Sam Rioli (12) nailed a three pointer to start the fourth quarter for the Bombers and they wrapped it up with back to back treys from Tikesa Docherty-Cole and Cubillo (10) despite the frantic efforts of the Rebels to haul themselves back into the game. Sheppard finished with a game high 28 (her best for the season so far) while Georgii Howlett led the Bombers with 23 (12 in the pivotal third quarter).

Eagles v Ansett

Ansett did a number on the Eagles, turning a 21-8 first quarter lead into a 74-54 win that keeps them in the top four tied with the Eagles on two wins apiece. Six different players scored in the first quarter for the Blues and they never lost that buffer even though the Eagles played them fairly close for the rest of the game. Sam Drescher had a game and team high 17 for the Blues and she had support from her sister Eloise with 15 and Kate Hoschke with 11. The Eagles also had three players in double figures, Rachel Watchorn 14, Katherine Hollis 13 and Michelle Friel with 12. The difference was the scores put up by the bench players.

Warriors v Lightning

The battle to get off of the bottom of the ladder was won by the Warriors who pipped Lightning in a close finish 45-41. The game looked locked up for the Lightning who were leading 37-23 at the start of the fourth quarter, but somebody lit a fire under the Warriors who promptly went on the warpath during a 22-4 run that got them their first win of the season. Lightning had built up the lead with steady play led by Tahnee Lew Fatt and Kelli Sealy, but no one could have seen what was coming in the last quarter. Who would have thought the Warriors capable of such an extreme shift into an offensive unit bent on running down Lightning and claiming the win. Roanna Edwards (11), Jennifer Kinsella (10) and Nyssa Curwen led the Warrior fight back while Lew Fatt and Sealy topped the Lightning scoring with 14 and 11.

Ladder:                               Tracy Village Jets 4-0, Uni Rebels 3-1, Ansett & Eagles 2-2, Warriors 1-3 & Lightning 0-4

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

League MEN –Eagles v Tracy Village Jets

Tracy Village stayed firmly entrenched at the top of the ladder as the Bombers staged a convincing 79-62 win against the Eagles. Another one of their explosive first quarter starts put them way out in front 21-7, placing the Eagles behind the eight ball from the outset. The slow start from the Birds did stir them into action, but they couldn’t put together enough points to bridge the gap even though Joseph Johnson lifted his game in the second half, scoring 21 of his team high 25. Travis Ellis led the Bombers with a game high 26 followed by 19 from Captain Michael MacLean and 12 from Liam MacLachlan. For the Eagles Johnson of course led the team (including 12 pts from the charity stripe), and he had support from new recruit Lebron Benning who tallied 12 in his debut game. The Eagles totaled 20 points from free throws.

Ansett v Lightning

Ansett topped Lightning 71-54 after trailing in a low scoring first half 19-18. Lightning only hit 4 points in the first quarter, but put up 15 in the second to take the lead, although it didn’t last long. Jake Feeney & Jarrod Sheppard took control of the game for the Blues after the break scoring 9 points each in a turnaround third quarter when they outscored Lightning 33-19 to take a firm grip on the game. Try as they might Jesse Bell (20) and Cameron Bailey (15) failed to rally the Lightning in the last quarter as team lost for the third time this season. The Blues just had too much fire power for Lightning. Point guard Matt Hunt ended up with a team high 20 with Feeney on 13 and Sheppard on 10.

Uni Rebels v Warriors

The Uni Rebels won their game against the Warriors, on the score sheet, but due to them playing an ‘unregistered’ player their game will be forfeit to the Warriors 20-0. For the record the score favoured the Rebels 84-72 with Rohan Cropley leading the Rebels with 26, followed by Marcus Ch’ng 19 and Simon Hamill 13 (yes Simon Hamill has un-retired). Warrior Phil Collins put up a team and game high 33 with Tendayi Muyambi adding 10. This is 3 forfeits in a row for the Rebels leaving them languishing in last place on the ladder.

Ladder:                   Tracy Village Jets 4-0, Ansett 3-1, Eagles 2-2, Lightning & Warriors 1-3, Uni Rebels 1-0-3

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