Round 4 of the UBL competition kicked off at 2pm with the East Dolphins taking on the winless Central Bulls.
The East Dolphins were without leading scorer and playmaker Jake Wilson, thus giving the Central Bulls a huge oppurtunity to get thier
first win of the season. With a few new additions to their team, and a 30 point game from PG Daniel Moser
(one that included a spectacular left-handed tomahawk dunk), they were able to do just that, and hold off a competitive Dolphins squad.
The next game of the day had the Norwest Giants take on the City Sonics. The Norwest Giants came prepared with a strong game plan, but against a very experienced
and talented Sonics Team it was always going to be a big challenge. The Giants started well matching the Sonics for a large portion of the first half. But at a certain point the giants
went away from thier gameplan for a short stretch, and that made all the difference, as the sonics pushed out to a 20 point lead midway through the 3rd quarter and were able to hold off
the giants. Once again Norwest Giants Jordan Lun Kon proved he is a fantastic young talent, as he led his team with 28 points. For the City Sonics Tom Dawson & John Martin each had 24 points with Tom grabbing 12 rebounds.
Game 3 of the day proved to be a cracker of a game! The South Sydney Wolves took on the young guns, the west Lions. Only recently the Wolves had a convincing win over the Lions 99-62,
but today was a different matter. The young West Lions came out with not just the energy we are used to seeing, but a more mature approach, one that belied thier
ages. In the first half the South Sydney Wolves repeatedly went to the big men inside in attempt to exploit miss-matches. This proved semi successful, with Wolves big men
Josh Stevenson and Petar Kuzmanovic combining for 29pts, 42 rebounds by games end, and a 35-29 halftime lead. The second half proved a different matter,
with the relentless energy and disruptive defence from the young Lions erasing a 13pt 4th quarter Wolves lead, to lead by 1 with 40 secs left. Wolves Justin Kay (10pts 9boards) proved the difference
with a nifty offensive rebound and putback with 30secs left the last basket of the game, as the Wolves hung on to win 71-70 against a spirited West Lions outfit. The Wolves Petar Kuzmanovic was a standout with
15pts 25rebounds 5assists 2 steals. For the West Lions, Javery Gonzales was a standout! finishing the game with 18pts (7-11 shooting) 3boards 2assists.
The 6pm "Feature Game" had the Parramatta Wildcats take on the Sydney Royals. The Wildcats were without stars Graeme Dann, Luke Martin, and Goran Veg, but saw the
first appearance of the experienced Steve Leven. The Royals were missing the talented Charles Bloeman, but still fielded a uniquely talented squad.
Both teams came out guns blazing with Wilcats Adi Causevic and Royals Chris Johnston in a first half shooting battle. The game was fast paced, but it was the royals accurate shooting
and ball movement that saw them finish the half with a 39-30 lead. The second half saw much of the same. Wilcats Steve Leven settled his team down as they prepared to claw back
into the game, but Royals had an answer every time with unselfish ball movement creating plenty of open shots. The Wilcats fought hard to get back into the game, and narrowed it to a 4pt game with 3mins left.
The royals continued to push the ball, and held on for a well deserved 84-78 win! The Wilcats were solidly led by Adi Causevic, 26pts 7boards 3assists, and Steve Leven, 15pts 6assists. While the Royals spread the scoring
around, but standout, and college bound Chris Johnston stood out with 31pts 7boards.
What a fantastic day of balling, featuring unreal dunks, and nail-biting finishes. Topped off with the feature game as the youthful and talented
Sydney Royals knocked off the big boys - Parramatta Wildcats!
For more action check out UBL TV or our LIVE stats page. Each can be found with a tile on the home page
