Werribee Devils Round 18 recap: July 25 & 26, 2015

With the finish of the Werribee Devils Youth League Men season in dramatic fashion last week, the three remaining teams played their final games on the weekend. The Senior teams both finished their seasons with wins in front of the home crowd, but unfortunately the Youth League Women were left out of the finals after losing their must-win game against Corio Bay.

State Championship Men: Werribee Devils (13^th) defeated Eltham Wildcats (7^th) 78-68
Saturday July 25th

The Werribee Devils State Championship men’s team have put aside a disappointing season to farewell outgoing coach Mark Hughes in the best possible way, snatching a 78-68 win against seventh-placed Eltham Wildcats. It was made even sweeter by the fact that even from the bottom of the ladder they were able to influence the make-up of the finals, since Eltham were still mathematically able to enter the postseason if they had won both their final round matches.

Darcy Harding scored the first basket of the match and put up a couple of others before a dodgy ankle played up again and ruled him out of the game after two minutes. This could have been a major blow for the Devil’s chances, however there are some days where even the loss of one of your star players doesn’t make any difference to a winning result. This was one of those days.

Eltham started stronger and jumped to a 13-7 lead after five minutes. From there, the Devils switched on and went on a 14-1 run, to lead 21-14 at quarter time. It was clearly going to be Jordan Hughes’s (36 points, nine rebounds) day. He was doing everything, and started with 11 points in the first quarter, while Jonathan Sonda (10 points, 13 rebounds) had four.

The first two minutes of the second quarter were a flurry of missed shots and offensive rebounds at both ends before Anthony Luxford (five points, three rebounds, two assists) sunk one to extend the Devils lead. The home side controlled the game, leading by double figures for the whole quarter, before a Wildcat freethrow made the margin nine points at half time, 36-27 in favour of the Devils. Remarkably, Eltham only scored two field goals, but ended up with 13 points for the quarter thanks to 9-10 free throw shooting. Big man David Cobb (10 points, 13 rebounds) led the way with five points for the quarter, while Jesse Harberger (nine points, four rebounds), enjoying increased court time in the absence of Darcy Harding, chipped in with three.

Jordan Hughes, who had a quieter second term, started the Devils off well, then the game went scoreless for the next two minutes. The Devils continued to maintain control of the game. Eltham got within six, but baskets to Harberger, Andrew Johnston (four points, eight rebounds) and four points in quick time to Hughes meant that the lead was comfortable and they led by 13 at the last break, 55-42. Harberger and Hughes top scored for the quarter with six points each, while Nick Morda (four rebounds, four assists, five steals) was having an impact on the defensive end.

Although the Devils held on for the win, the final quarter did not go as they had hoped it would. Eltham started with a 9-1 run and crept within five points before a Hughes three-pointer gave the Devils some relief. However it was only temporary, as Eltham kept coming, thanks to 10 fouls and eight Werribee turnovers for the quarter. As the final five minutes ticked over, Jonathan Sonda scored two quick baskets to take the lead back out to nine, but then Simon Grant replied in kind for the Wildcats and all of a sudden it was 63-61 with three minutes to play.

Hughes once again hit a big three to buy some time but Eltham again got within two points thanks to some good free throw shooting. Andrew Johnston nailed a jump shot and then Jordan Hughes scored another three pointer thanks to an Anthony Luxford steal, which pushed the margin out to seven. Hughes kept on delivering when it mattered. Another two-pointer plus two free throws, as well as three of four free throws from Luxford resulted in a 78-68 victory to end the season on a high.  

The Devils finished the season in 13^th position, with 5 wins and 19 losses.

Division One Women: Werribee Devils (10^th) defeated Craigieburn Eagles (9^th) 60-54
Sunday July 26th

The Werribee Devils Division One Women have finished their disappointing season in the best possible way over the Craigieburn Eagles, although they did it the hard way, almost blowing a 20-point quarter time lead before holding on to triumph 60-54. The game was far from a spectacle, with a combined 49 fouls and 50 turnovers, but there’s no doubt the Devils will take a final round win on their home court, regardless of how it occurred.

In an incredible first quarter, the Devils led 16-1 after seven minutes and 26-6 at quarter time to set up the win. The Eagles could not even manage a field goal for the quarter, with all their points coming from free throws. The Devils also pinched nine steals and affected 12 turnovers. They had seven players hit the scoreboard for the quarter, led by Georgia Tauschke (13 points, five rebounds) with eight points and four each for Suzie Ashford (six points, four rebounds), Brittany Klaman (15 points, five rebounds, four steals) and Katrina Vogelezang (seven points, one rebound).

Roles were reversed in the second quarter. The Devils could only manage two field goals and six points for the quarter, while foul trouble and nine turnovers gave the Eagles plenty of scoring opportunities. Fortunately for the Devils, they did not make the most of these opportunities, only making four of ten free throws. A 14-point quarter from the Eagles cut the margin to 12 at the half, 32-20 in favour of the home side. Lauren Conroy (seven rebounds, four assists), Lydia Brooks (13 rebounds, four steals) and Suzie Ashford managed one basket each for the Devils.

Things continued to swing the Eagles way in the third quarter as they cut the deficit back to single figures within two minutes, and even drew within two points halfway through the quarter. Once again, Devils turnovers and foul trouble proved a significant factor in the pattern of play. A pair of three-pointers from Klaman and Vogelezang with less than four minutes remaining gave the Devils some breathing space, but they didn’t score again until a Lydia Brooks jump shot with seven seconds to go, resulting in a far-from-convincing 45-39 three-quarter-time lead. Brittany Klaman again led the Devils scorers with six points.

The Devils knew they would have to produce a big final quarter, given that the momentum had been completely with the Eagles in the previous two quarters. It took 90 seconds for either team to get a score, with Kelly Richardson (six points, eight rebounds) sinking a free throw and Brittany Klaman nailing another three-pointer. Richardson had a big impact with four points and four rebounds. The Devils maintained their lead before the Eagles went on an 8-0 run to get within one point with 2:20 remaining in the game. Richardson and Brooks both made the most of Craigieburn turnovers, extending the Devils lead and they held on to get up 60-54.

Rebounds proved a crucial stat in the final quarter, with the Devils winning the boards 13-6 and more notably offensive rebounds 8-1, giving themselves many second-chance scoring opportunities. The Devils had six rebounders in the final term, led by Richardson (four) and Conroy (three). 

The Devils finished the season in 9^th position, with 6 wins and 14 losses.  

 Youth League One Women: Werribee Devils (5^th) lost to Corio Bay Stingrays (4^th) 71-62
Sunday July 26^th

After a rollercoaster of a season, the Werribee Devils Youth League Women found themselves in a “do-or-die” final round clash with the Corio Bay Stingrays at home on Sunday.

The first quarter was a tight affair, with the margin not exceeding four points. The Devils held the lead early through contributions from Teaghan Doyle (six points, five rebounds, three assists) and Tegan Hindle (11 points, five assists, six steals), but Corio Bay got on top later on. Olivia Klaman (six points, three rebounds) and Rachel Miller (two points, two rebounds) helped wrestle the lead back, and the Devils led 18-16 at the first break.

There wasn’t much action on the scoreboard from either team early in the second quarter, but the Stingrays were more effective and once again reclaimed the lead, before Taylah Lea (three points, two assists) scored the Devils first points three minutes in. The two teams continued to trade blows, and six points for the quarter from Britney Epperson (12 points, eight rebounds) and a couple of clutch free throws from Kirsty Neeves proved vital in keeping the Devils in the game. Ultimately the Stingrays shot marginally better, resulting in a 19-14 win for the quarter and a 35-32 lead at half time.

Tegan Hindle struck early in the third quarter for the Devils, but the next three minutes saw nine missed shots before Olivia Klaman broke the ice with a free throw. Despite this, the Devils never trailed by more than five points. Along the way, Teaghan Doyle converted an “and-one”, Kennedy Taylor (two assists) nailed a couple of free throws and Charlotte Vincent-Lord (15 points, six rebounds, four steals) scored four points in 20 seconds to tie the game with two minutes to go. However, they soon found themselves trailing again thanks to five points in quick time from Stingray Abby Loughhead. A successful jump shot from Hayley Jones with nine seconds remaining brought the margin back to four points, setting up a huge final quarter which would decide the ultimate 2015 season fate of both teams.

A foul on Tegan Hindle at the very start of the quarter resulted in two free throws to Abby Loughhead, which she duly converted to extend the Stingray lead. Hindle made up for it soon after with a jump shot and a steal. Charlotte Vincent-Lord scored four points in 15 seconds to once again tie the game and a Britney Epperson basket put the Devils back in front for the first time since late in the second quarter. When Epperson scored again with 4:21 to go, the Devils found themselves with a 61-56 lead.

What happened next was inexplicable. With a lead and a finals spot for the taking, everything just stopped for the Devils in the final four minutes. The Stingrays went on a 14-0 run, thanks to nine points from Abby Loughhead. Seven missed shots, four fouls and a couple of turnovers later, the game, and the season was over for the Devils, with a 71-62 final scoreline.

The Devils finished the season in 5^th position, with 10 wins and 11 losses.