Werribee
|
17
|
8
|
17
|
10
|
52
|
Steelers
|
19
|
23
|
12
|
9
|
63
|
Bex Van Kuyk, 16 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists
Jessica Slade, 10 points, 12 rebounds
Adoniah Lewis, 7 points, 2 assists, 2 steals
Nicole Greene, 6 points, 7 rebounds
Jenna Conroy, 6 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals
Elise Swan, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
There were two people named “M. Jackson” at Eagle Stadium on Saturday night. Unfortunately for the Devils only one of them was out on the court and she was wearing a Steelers uniform.
Malika Jackson looked like she was on a different level and basically did what she wanted early on, scoring 13 points in the first quarter (20 points and 11 rebounds for the half) in what was shaping up to be a tough night for the Devils. Thankfully for the home side, Jackson was barely sighted in the second half as the Devils attempted to fight back from a 17-point half time deficit.
Despite Jackson’s dominant early form, the Devils never trailed by more than five points in the opening term, thanks largely to Bex Van Kuyk (six points) and the rebounding of Jessica Slade (five). The Devils had six players on the scoreboard as they went to the first break trailing 17-19.
The second quarter was the game-breaker and left the Devils playing catch-up for the rest of the contest. Steelers captain Lauren Cooper (five points) and Gabrielle Jansen (seven) stood up and supported their spearhead, while the Devils could only manage eight points at 3-of-15 shooting for the quarter. The Devils were also out-rebounded 15-7. Doni Lewis led the Devils scoring with four points for the quarter, while Nicole Greene grabbed three rebounds.
The third quarter started slowly: it took over two minutes for either team to get a score. The first score went to the Devils through Jenna Conroy, but with six minutes remaining the Devils still found themselves 16 points behind. A Greene basket was the catalyst for a mini-revival. Conroy scored again followed by four points from Van Kuyk and all of a sudden the margin was in single figures and there was genuine belief in the Devils camp. The Devils ended up winning the quarter 17-12, meaning the Steelers still had a 12-point cushion going into the final term.
Steeler Jenna McCormick nailed a three-pointer in the first play of the final term but that didn’t deter the Devils, who proceeded to go on an 8-0 run over the next three minutes, thanks to baskets from Conroy, Slade and Van Kuyk.
At the halfway mark of the quarter the score was 50-57 and it was anyone’s game. Unfortunately the last five minutes were too quiet on the scoreboard for both teams, with the Devils producing only two made free throws and six missed field goals while the Steelers managed to skip clear with three made baskets.
The final score was 63-52 and there were definitely some positive signs for the Devils, bouncing back after an ordinary opening game against Camberwell. The ball movement and teamwork was very good, evidenced by the assist count (16) and they refused to be intimidated by Malika Jackson’s early onslaught, fighting back and giving the Steelers a good challenging hit-out.
The Devils next match is against Keilor Thunder (5th, 1-1) at home on Saturday night.
Werribee v Western Port Box Score and Stats
Werribee v Western Port LiveStats and Play-by-Play
Werribee v Western Port Full Game on YouTube
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