Round 11 - Saturday 18th Jan
The UBL is back in 2014! Auburn Basketball Centre welcomed back UBL players this Sat 18th January, after a short break over Christmas. Players were ready to get right back into the swing of it, with a few new faces, and some interesting match-ups.
Game 1 West Lions (8th) v Sydney Royals (2nd)
The Lions were missing Coach Merve Tait and star player Tony Tolavae but as we know with these young bloods, they will always be ready to compete. The first half was a tight affair as Lions fought hard to contain Royals big man Charles Bloeman in the post. Streak-shooting Chris Johnstone was also proving a handful bombing away 3 pointers in transition. The Lions kept it close in the first half, only down 10 Points.
By relentlessly pushing the ball in transition, the 3rd quarter saw the Royals push out to a 30-point lead, creating easy scoring opportunities, with
Blake Smith and Chris Johnstone scoring at will.
The game ended Sydney Royals 115 - West Lions 84. Chris Johnstone amazed everyone with 45 pts 7 boards, Charles Bloeman chipped in with 24 pts 12 boards, and for the Lions Martin Bleeker finished with a double-double 22 points, 10 rebounds.
Game 2 East Dolphins (6th) v Central bulls (7th)
The East dolphins cruised to victory over the Central Bulls who
were without UBL leading scorer Daniel Moser (27pts per game), and would need a special effort to get the win. Dean Rowan & Jason Freshwater led the way for the Dolphins each with over 30 points. Kyle Painter stood out for the Bulls coming off the bench and scoring 28 points and grabbing 13 rebounds while Jono Mann covered the stat line with 16 points 11 rebounds and 5 assists.
Game 3 - City Sonics (1st) v South Sydney Wolves (5th)
In round six of the competition these 2 teams went to OT, with the experienced Sonics getting the edge 89-85 in a tough contest. Today both teams were missing some firepower. The Sonics were without ex-kings player Ben Knight, as well as the talented Johnny Jovine and Blake Borgia. The Wolves were missing 2nd leading rebounder Petar Kuzmanovic, and ABA young gun John Chaumont.
The game got off to a flying start with the Wolves rarely missing a shot, whilst the City Sonics struggled to score. With the Wolves holding a 20-2 lead, a hasty timeout by the Sonics settled them down, and got them back on track with the 1st quarter finishing 22-10 to the Wolves. In the second quarter, the Sonics repeatedly went inside to big men Tom Dawson and Ross Allsop with success. For the Wolves, Mahesh Padmanabhan kept the scoreboard ticking over. Halftime saw the wolves lead 30-23.
Early in the 2nd half, the Wolves pushed out to a 14pt lead but the experienced Sonics gradually reeled that in, to tie the game at 49-49 with 5 mins to play.
In a scrappy ending to the game, Mahesh Padmanabhan (21 pts 4 boards 4 assists) was able to make some clutch plays, whilst the Sonics were luckless. The Wolves held on to win 60-51 in a very low scoring game for these two teams.
Game 4 Parramatta Wildcats (3rd) v Norwest Giants (4th)
LIVE FEATURE on Youtube UBL TV
This week the Wildcats fielded an intimidating squad featuring NBL stars Graeme Dann and Luke Martin as well as ABA stalwarts Goran Veg and Jamie Newth.
The Giants were not without weapons though, as rising star Jordan Lum Kon has proven a handful in the UBL and Rangi Kennedy and Hala Manoa can put up numbers in a hurry.
The first quarter was a low scoring scrappy affair, with Giants point guard Jordan Lum Kon repeatedly double teamed, and the Wildcats easing into the game, looking for a rhythm. At the end of the quarter, Wildcats led the Giants by 10.
In the 2nd quarter the Wildcats really got it going, with sharp shooter Adi Causevic putting on a shooting clinic finishing the half with 5/7 from beyond the arc. The wildcats point guard duo of Luke Martin and Jamie Newth kept pushing the ball in transition finding open teammates at will, whilst the Giants struggled to find cohesiveness. At the half the Wildcats had blown the game open as the Giants were looking for answers.
The second half saw much of the same as the Wildcats continued to push the ball and score at will. Goran Veg highlighted the half with two athletic dunks. The Giants never stopped competing though with Jordan Lom Kon and Rangi Kennedy fighting hard to find ways to score.
In the end, the Wildcats star studded squad was too much for the Giants, with the Wildcats taking the victory 107-73.
What a great weekend of basketball. With only 3 weeks left, playoff spots are still up for grabs. Can the Norwest Giants, or East Dolphins get on a roll and
sneak into the top 4? Can the Central Bulls, or West Lions knock off one of the big boys? Should be fun to watch!
Follow games through @UBLofficial on Twitter or LIVE Stats and Live and on demand video through our WEB HUB www.ultimatebasketball.com.au
Game 1 West Lions (8th) v Sydney Royals (2nd)
The Lions were missing Coach Merve Tait and star player Tony Tolavae but as we know with these young bloods, they will always be ready to compete. The first half was a tight affair as Lions fought hard to contain Royals big man Charles Bloeman in the post. Streak-shooting Chris Johnstone was also proving a handful bombing away 3 pointers in transition. The Lions kept it close in the first half, only down 10 Points.
By relentlessly pushing the ball in transition, the 3rd quarter saw the Royals push out to a 30-point lead, creating easy scoring opportunities, with
Blake Smith and Chris Johnstone scoring at will.
The game ended Sydney Royals 115 - West Lions 84. Chris Johnstone amazed everyone with 45 pts 7 boards, Charles Bloeman chipped in with 24 pts 12 boards, and for the Lions Martin Bleeker finished with a double-double 22 points, 10 rebounds.
Game 2 East Dolphins (6th) v Central bulls (7th)
The East dolphins cruised to victory over the Central Bulls who
were without UBL leading scorer Daniel Moser (27pts per game), and would need a special effort to get the win. Dean Rowan & Jason Freshwater led the way for the Dolphins each with over 30 points. Kyle Painter stood out for the Bulls coming off the bench and scoring 28 points and grabbing 13 rebounds while Jono Mann covered the stat line with 16 points 11 rebounds and 5 assists.
Game 3 - City Sonics (1st) v South Sydney Wolves (5th)
In round six of the competition these 2 teams went to OT, with the experienced Sonics getting the edge 89-85 in a tough contest. Today both teams were missing some firepower. The Sonics were without ex-kings player Ben Knight, as well as the talented Johnny Jovine and Blake Borgia. The Wolves were missing 2nd leading rebounder Petar Kuzmanovic, and ABA young gun John Chaumont.
The game got off to a flying start with the Wolves rarely missing a shot, whilst the City Sonics struggled to score. With the Wolves holding a 20-2 lead, a hasty timeout by the Sonics settled them down, and got them back on track with the 1st quarter finishing 22-10 to the Wolves. In the second quarter, the Sonics repeatedly went inside to big men Tom Dawson and Ross Allsop with success. For the Wolves, Mahesh Padmanabhan kept the scoreboard ticking over. Halftime saw the wolves lead 30-23.
Early in the 2nd half, the Wolves pushed out to a 14pt lead but the experienced Sonics gradually reeled that in, to tie the game at 49-49 with 5 mins to play.
In a scrappy ending to the game, Mahesh Padmanabhan (21 pts 4 boards 4 assists) was able to make some clutch plays, whilst the Sonics were luckless. The Wolves held on to win 60-51 in a very low scoring game for these two teams.
Game 4 Parramatta Wildcats (3rd) v Norwest Giants (4th)
LIVE FEATURE on Youtube UBL TV
This week the Wildcats fielded an intimidating squad featuring NBL stars Graeme Dann and Luke Martin as well as ABA stalwarts Goran Veg and Jamie Newth.
The Giants were not without weapons though, as rising star Jordan Lum Kon has proven a handful in the UBL and Rangi Kennedy and Hala Manoa can put up numbers in a hurry.
The first quarter was a low scoring scrappy affair, with Giants point guard Jordan Lum Kon repeatedly double teamed, and the Wildcats easing into the game, looking for a rhythm. At the end of the quarter, Wildcats led the Giants by 10.
In the 2nd quarter the Wildcats really got it going, with sharp shooter Adi Causevic putting on a shooting clinic finishing the half with 5/7 from beyond the arc. The wildcats point guard duo of Luke Martin and Jamie Newth kept pushing the ball in transition finding open teammates at will, whilst the Giants struggled to find cohesiveness. At the half the Wildcats had blown the game open as the Giants were looking for answers.
The second half saw much of the same as the Wildcats continued to push the ball and score at will. Goran Veg highlighted the half with two athletic dunks. The Giants never stopped competing though with Jordan Lom Kon and Rangi Kennedy fighting hard to find ways to score.
In the end, the Wildcats star studded squad was too much for the Giants, with the Wildcats taking the victory 107-73.
What a great weekend of basketball. With only 3 weeks left, playoff spots are still up for grabs. Can the Norwest Giants, or East Dolphins get on a roll and
sneak into the top 4? Can the Central Bulls, or West Lions knock off one of the big boys? Should be fun to watch!
Follow games through @UBLofficial on Twitter or LIVE Stats and Live and on demand video through our WEB HUB www.ultimatebasketball.com.au