The streak is broken! Stuck in the murky darkness of a 12-game losing
streak in the Big V’s top division, compounded by a disappointing 5-point loss
to fellow cellar-dwellers Melbourne the previous night, the Werribee Devils
fronted up to their brand new stadium to face the Diamond Valley Eagles on
Sunday afternoon. They were perhaps hoping that a brand new venue would signal
a brand new beginning. And that’s the way it panned out, with the lads holding
on for a long-awaited 80-76 victory.
The name of the Devils new home court – Eagle Stadium – has been a bone of contention for many people in the Wyndham community, and it was deliciously ironic that the Devils first game was against the Diamond Valley…EAGLES. One hopes that common sense prevails and the situation resolves itself soon.
It is said that basketball is a big man’s game, and this game was dominated by two of the biggest, the Devils Darcy Harding and Eagle Matthew McCarthy. The pair traded blows (metaphorically speaking) and scored over half the points for the quarter as Werribee took a 22-16 lead into quarter time. It was Harding’s most dominant game for the season so far and he was dangerous every time he got the ball in his hands.
The Devils started the second quarter well and led by 14 with three minutes left in the half. However, maybe it had been so long since they had controlled a match as they were doing, and one got the sense that the match was not safe until the final buzzer. All of a sudden McCarthy stepped up again and scored eight points in 90 seconds to leave the Devils with just a five-point lead at the main break, 43-38.
Werribee persevered in the third quarter and gradually built up a hard-earned double digit lead through extended runs of eight and nine unanswered points which was as big as 16, and took an 11 point lead into the final break. Jordan Hughes stood up with seven points and three rebounds.
So the Devils found themselves in unfamiliar territory: a double digit lead in the last quarter. Their destiny was in their own hands and with seven minutes to go the lead was 15. Surely it was “How far the Yellow and Blue!”?
However, The Eagles had other ideas. Buoyed by a brain fade from Darcy Harding that resulted in a double technical foul and his exit from the game, they gradually whittled down the deficit until, remarkably, they crept within 76-74 with two minutes to play. Coach Mark Hughes called a timeout and the atmosphere at The New Furnace was filled with tension. Could they hang on? Jordan Hughes made a successful basket as he was fouled, and the following free throw gave the Devils a five-point buffer.
Matthew McCarthy brought the margin back to three with a minute to play and it was on for young and old. Missed free throws from Anthony Luxford and David Cobb could have proved costly, and McCarthy had two chances in the final seconds but neither were successful, allowing the Devils to hold on for a well-deserved win.
Darcy Harding finished with 31 points and eight rebounds; David Cobb had 11 points and crashed 19 boards, while captain Jordan Hughes had 19 points and five assists. Youngster Jesse Harberger had one of his better games for the year, contributing eight points and two blocks and it was the first time the senior Devils have logged 80 points in a match this season.
Unfortunately the Devils were unable to climb off the bottom of the ladder due to some of the clubs around them also having wins, but they have another good opportunity for a victory in their next match-up against 10th-placed Sherbrooke who are only one win ahead.
The name of the Devils new home court – Eagle Stadium – has been a bone of contention for many people in the Wyndham community, and it was deliciously ironic that the Devils first game was against the Diamond Valley…EAGLES. One hopes that common sense prevails and the situation resolves itself soon.
It is said that basketball is a big man’s game, and this game was dominated by two of the biggest, the Devils Darcy Harding and Eagle Matthew McCarthy. The pair traded blows (metaphorically speaking) and scored over half the points for the quarter as Werribee took a 22-16 lead into quarter time. It was Harding’s most dominant game for the season so far and he was dangerous every time he got the ball in his hands.
The Devils started the second quarter well and led by 14 with three minutes left in the half. However, maybe it had been so long since they had controlled a match as they were doing, and one got the sense that the match was not safe until the final buzzer. All of a sudden McCarthy stepped up again and scored eight points in 90 seconds to leave the Devils with just a five-point lead at the main break, 43-38.
Werribee persevered in the third quarter and gradually built up a hard-earned double digit lead through extended runs of eight and nine unanswered points which was as big as 16, and took an 11 point lead into the final break. Jordan Hughes stood up with seven points and three rebounds.
So the Devils found themselves in unfamiliar territory: a double digit lead in the last quarter. Their destiny was in their own hands and with seven minutes to go the lead was 15. Surely it was “How far the Yellow and Blue!”?
However, The Eagles had other ideas. Buoyed by a brain fade from Darcy Harding that resulted in a double technical foul and his exit from the game, they gradually whittled down the deficit until, remarkably, they crept within 76-74 with two minutes to play. Coach Mark Hughes called a timeout and the atmosphere at The New Furnace was filled with tension. Could they hang on? Jordan Hughes made a successful basket as he was fouled, and the following free throw gave the Devils a five-point buffer.
Matthew McCarthy brought the margin back to three with a minute to play and it was on for young and old. Missed free throws from Anthony Luxford and David Cobb could have proved costly, and McCarthy had two chances in the final seconds but neither were successful, allowing the Devils to hold on for a well-deserved win.
Darcy Harding finished with 31 points and eight rebounds; David Cobb had 11 points and crashed 19 boards, while captain Jordan Hughes had 19 points and five assists. Youngster Jesse Harberger had one of his better games for the year, contributing eight points and two blocks and it was the first time the senior Devils have logged 80 points in a match this season.
Unfortunately the Devils were unable to climb off the bottom of the ladder due to some of the clubs around them also having wins, but they have another good opportunity for a victory in their next match-up against 10th-placed Sherbrooke who are only one win ahead.
Is all sports coverage in Australia this colorful? :-)
ReplyDeleteHaha, not really Crystal. It's just my way with words :)
Delete