Werribee's Winning Weekend - Round 13, June 20 & 21, 2015

The Werribee Devils had a successful weekend, with three of the four teams posting wins.

The State Champ men travelled to take on eighth-placed Hawthorn and came away with an 81-72 victory, their second win in three games. The Devils posted their highest score for the season, thanks to 30 points from Darcy Harding and 22 from David Cobb. On the offensive end it was a consistent four quarter effort, with totals of 22, 21, 20 and 19, while they kept the Magic to 9 points in the second quarter. The win also hauls the Devils off the bottom of the ladder, where they have spent much of the season. There are seven matches left in the Devils season with a double header coming up. They face sixth-placed Bulleen on Saturday, then have the opportunity for another win when they host Melbourne on Sunday afternoon.

The Youth League teams both played at home on Sunday afternoon, and delighted the small crowd with pleasing victories. Both teams currently sit just outside the finals, so getting the win was very important for them. In the Women’s it was fifth versus sixth, as the Devils took on the Coburg Giants. Hayley Jones got the Devils off to a good start with a big 3-pointer, and this set the tone for a high-scoring, even first stanza. Both teams were shooting well and Charlotte Vincent-Lord led the Devils with seven points. Despite leading for most of the quarter, the Devils trailed by one at the first break, 22-23. Coburg also dominated the rebounds 13-4.
The Devils extended their lead in the second quarter, led by Britney Epperson with seven points. The rebounding improved, with seven players grabbing boards. Taylah Lea and Tegan Hindle snatched a couple of steals and Hindle added three assists. They kept the Giants to 13 points for the quarter and took a narrow 42-36 lead into half time.
The girls couldn’t shake the Giants in the third quarter, with Lyndsey Hoogenhout and captain Stephanie Belbasis keeping their team in the game. The 3/4 time lead was only four points but the Devils came out strong in the final term, finding themselves 15 points ahead at one stage. Teaghan Doyle stepped up when she was needed, scoring seven final-quarter points and grabbing four rebounds, and Hayley Jones also got four rebounds. Coburg lifted in the final minutes but couldn’t quite bridge the gap, meaning Werribee came out victorious, 76-68.
The Devils had several strong contributors. Charlotte Vincent-Lord finished with 19 points and three steals; Tegan Hindle scored 11 points, three assists and four rebounds and Teaghan Doyle had 15 points and six rebounds. The girls sit half a game outside the final four and have a tough run home. They have six games remaining, and five of those are against top four teams.

The Youth League Men matched up against the Keysborough Cougars, who have spent the last few weeks on the bottom of the ladder. The first five minutes were even, but the Devils finished with a 15-3 run to take a 13 point lead into quarter time, 29-16. Josh Toniato had a strong opening, hitting a couple of three-pointers to lead all scorers, and dishing out three assists. He was joined by Mark Luxford (7 points, four rebounds) and Tyrone Remy.
The Devils blew the game open in the second quarter, scoring 16 points in the first five minutes to open up a handy lead. Both defences switched on in the final minutes, with the Devils only allowing Keysborough 10 field goals for the whole quarter. The Werribee lead at half time was a comfortable 23, 52-29, with Travis Dale stepping up with seven points and Dylan Harberger was good on the defensive end, snatching three steals.
The Devils continued scoring freely, increasing their lead to 28. However, Keysborough mounted a mini-comeback, managing to avoid a blow-out and getting within 14 points late in the game. Cam Hutton had a big third quarter with eight points and Dylan Harberger finished the game strongly with seven points in the third quarter. In the end, the Devils finished with their highest score of the season so far, completing a 96-75 win.
The Devils had six players in double figures. Captain Mark Luxford had a great game, with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists, Josh Zamperoni chipped in with 15 points and six rebounds, while Tyrone Remy had 16 points, four steals and three assists.
Like the Youth League Women, the Men’s team sits half a game outside the finals and has four games remaining. Unlike the women, their run home is slightly easier on paper, as they are facing three teams below them on the ladder. Their next game is at home against the Geelong Supercats.