First
Elimination Final – Youth League Men 91 defeated Sunbury 74
Werribee
|
20
|
16
|
23
|
32
|
91
|
Sunbury
|
23
|
10
|
16
|
25
|
74
|
Jesse Harberger - 23 points, 15 rebounds
Josh Zamperoni - 19 points, 8
rebounds, 4 assists
TJ Remy - 17 points, 6
rebounds, 3 assists
Mitch Alush - 15 points, 8
rebounds
Mangar Manyang - 10 points, 10
rebounds
Zac Latham - 6 points
Bubby Luxford - 5 rebounds, 4
assists
The Werribee Devils Youth League Men finished the regular season in 4th place on 14 wins and 8 losses, which was the same win-loss record as the Warrandyte Venom (3rd) and the Sunbury Jets (5th). As a result they played a sudden-death Elimination Final against the Sunbury Jets.
The two teams met twice during the regular season. In Round 6 the Devils travelled to Sunbury at the irregular time of 10am on Sunday morning and came away with a 95-84 win. In Round 14 the Devils hosted the Jets and looked to have the game sewn up late, but four missed free throws in the final minutes allowed the Jets to snatch a one-point win, 85-84.
Josh Zamperoni (nine points, three rebounds) got the Devils off to a great start with a three-pointer, and was immediately answered for the Jets by Luke and Kyle Collins. Jesse Harberger (nine points, four rebounds) and Mitch Alush (two rebounds) were soon on the board for the Devils, but were being matched up the other end as Bulluss and Witmitz replied for the visitors. Harberger hit a purple patch late in the quarter, scoring seven points in under two minutes and briefly giving the Devils back the lead. The Devils were outscored 10-5 in the last two minutes, with those five points coming from the hands of Zamperoni. His late three-pointer got the Devils within three points at quarter time. Bubby Luxford contributed two assists and three rebounds.
The Devils delighted the home crowd with their start to the second quarter. A 12-2 run in under three minutes gave them an early seven point lead and all the momentum. Zamperoni (three points, two assists) continued his excellent form with a three-pointer and he was joined by two threes from TJ Remy (nine points, two rebounds) and a bucket from Zac Latham. Unfortunately Remy’s long bomb with 8.16 remaining would be the last Devils field goal until he scored another one with 38 seconds left in the quarter. Despite the only other Devils scores for the quarter being free throws to Manyang and Dale (three rebounds), the Devils never fell behind and Remy’s late three gave them a narrow lead at half time. Alush and Harberger each grabbed three rebounds.
After conceding the first score of the quarter to Luke Collins, Harberger (four points, four rebounds), Alush (six points) and Remy (six points, two assists) combined for seven points to open up a handy lead for the Devils. Connor Hand and Diquan Williams fought back for the Jets, but when Alush and Remy scored again, the margin was out to double-digits. The Jets were not going to be walked over; a 9-3 run got them back within four points with under three minutes remaining, but the Devils scored the last six points of the quarter through Latham (three points), Harberger and Manyang (two rebounds), to restore a 10-point lead at three-quarter time. Zamperoni contributed three points and two rebounds, while Luxford dished out a couple of assists.
Remy, Latham and Manyang (eight points, six rebounds) all scored inside the first minute of the final term to increase the Devils lead. Williams and Bulluss fought back for the Jets with a 9-2 run which brought the margin back to seven, but Harberger (10 points, four rebounds), Zamperoni (four points, three rebounds), Alush (seven points, two assists, two rebounds) and Manyang replied and ensured there would be no repeat of their Round 14 contest, which the Jets won by a point. A further 12-2 Devils streak featuring Manyang, Harberger, Zamperoni and Alush pushed the margin past 20 but the Jets didn’t go down without a fight, finishing with seven points in the last minute, meaning the Devils left with a 91-74 victory.
In the other Elimination Final, the Coburg Giants (6th) upset the Warrandyte Venom (3rd) meaning that as the highest placed winner, the Devils now face the Whittlesea Pacers (2nd) in a best-of-three Semi-Final series. The first game is at Eagle Stadium on Saturday August 6th at 7.30pm.
Werribee v Sunbury - Box Score and Stats
Werribee v Sunbury - LiveStats and Play-by-Play
Werribee v Sunbury - Full Game on YouTube
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