Big V Division One Women Round 2, 2017: Werribee 86, Camberwell 52

Big V Division One Women Round 2 2017
Werribee 86 v Camberwell Dragons 52
Werribee       18        30        22        16        86
Camberwell  16        20        7          9          52

Sumar Leslie 29 points, 9 rebounds, 9 steals

Rohanee Cox 18 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals

Jessy Price 18 points, 4 rebounds

Kennedy Taylor 11 points, 7 rebounds

The Werribee Devils Division One Women returned home after their successful Mildura road trip to take on the Camberwell Dragons. The Dragons were looking for their first win of the season after falling to Hawthorn Magic 49-57 in the opening round.

First Quarter (Werribee 18 Camberwell 16)
Sumar Leslie 9 points, 3 rebounds
Rohanee Cox 4 points, 3 rebounds
Jessy Price 4 rebounds

Sumar Leslie gave an indication of what was to come when she scored inside the first five seconds of the match, but was immediately answered up the other end by a three-pointer from Nicole Swan. Jessy Price got her night off to a great start with a three-pointer soon after, but Camberwell held the ascendancy early, scoring nine of the next 11 points. Leslie and Rohanee Cox both added free throws and then combined for five unanswered points in quick time, taking the lead. More free throws from Leslie and then Kennedy Taylor inside the last minute extended the Devils lead, but a late field goal from Swan for the visitors brought them back within two points at quarter time.   

Second Quarter (Werribee 30 Camberwell 20) HT 48-36
Sumar Leslie 11 points, 4 steals
Jessy Price 9 points
Rohanee Cox 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals
Jackie Stephens 4 points
Kennedy Taylor 4 rebounds

Leslie came out fired up in the second quarter, scoring six points and making two steals inside the first minute, and the Dragons didn’t know what hit them. Both sides then went scoreless for a couple of minutes before Cox broke the drought with a free throw. Sarah Stone then went on a streak of her own with six unanswered points for the Dragons and they were back in the game. A Leslie three-pointer was answered by three free throws from Emily Fielding, then Cox backed up with a three-pointer of her own. Price added a couple of free throws for the home side and when Jackie Stephens joined the action the Devils lead was out to double digits. Stone fought back for the Dragons, but then Price put in seven points in under a minute. Stephens and Cox kept the Devils scoreline ticking over but the Dragons were kept in touch by Stone, Swan and Genevieve Abbott. Leslie extended the Devils lead to 12 with a basket inside the last ten seconds of the quarter. Altogether 50 points were scored in an enthralling ten minutes of basketball.

Third Quarter (Werribee 22 Camberwell 7) 3QT 70-43
Sumar Leslie 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals
Rohanee Cox 6 points, 4 rebounds
Jessy Price 4 points
Kennedy Taylor 4 points

The third term got off to a slow start for both teams. Cox and Charlotte Lord extended the Devils lead and Stone finally got the Dragons on the board after three minutes of play. Amy Nicholson played a lone hand for the Dragons through the middle stages of the quarter with five points, and they scored their last points for the quarter with 4.13 left to play. The Devils rattled off 14 unanswered points in that time, with Price, Cox, Leslie and Taylor all featuring heavily.   

Fourth Quarter (Werribee 16 Camberwell 9) FT 86-52
Kennedy Taylor 5 points
Seven individual scorers
Sumar Leslie 2 steals
Alesha Wilson 4 rebounds
Nicole Greene and Ashleigh Rozenfeld 3 rebounds

It was more of the same in the last quarter as the Devils scored the first ten points before a Stone free throw broke the drought for the Dragons. Nicole Greene and Alesha Wilson helped push the margin past 40. The Dragons outscored the Devils 8-1 in the final three minutes to help regain some respectability on the scoreboard. The Devils had several contributors in the final term, with seven individual scorers and Greene, Wilson and Ashleigh Rozenfeld grabbed ten rebounds between them for the quarter.

The Devils have a double-header in Round 3, at home against Western Port Steelers on Saturday night followed by an away game against the Geelong Supercats on Sunday.   

Werribee v Camberwell LiveStats and Play-by-Play

Werribee v Camberwell Box Score and Stats

Big V Youth League Women Round 2 2017: Werribee 54, Chelsea 78

Big V 2017 Youth League Women Round 2
Werribee 54 v Chelsea Gulls 78
Werribee       13        16        21        4          54
Chelsea         13        19        18        28        78

Maeghan Ridder 20 points, 7 rebounds

Natasha Currao 10 points, 6 rebounds

Eliza Herne 8 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists

Rachel Miller 7 points, 2 rebounds

In Round 2, the Werribee Devils Youth League Women played their first home game for the season against the Chelsea Gulls. The two sides had met at the Big V preseasontournament in Dandenong, with the Devils taking out a close one, 31-29. Both sides were coming off a loss in Round 1, with the Gulls going down by a point to McKinnon, 52-53, while the Devils lost 38-63 against Camberwell.

First Quarter (Werribee 13, Chelsea 13)
Maeghan Ridder 7 points, 4 rebounds
Shae Beckworth 3 points, 2 assists
Natasha Currao & Rachel Miller 2 rebounds

The Gulls started better, racing to an 8-0 lead inside the first four minutes. Shae Beckworth finally got the Devils on the board with a couple of free throws, but that was all the Devils could manage for the first six minutes of the quarter. With 3.42 remaining the Devils called a timeout and then came the story of the night. Among the substitutions was first year player Maeghan Ridder, and no one could have predicted the impact she would have on the game.

After an early offensive rebound and missed jump shot, she knocked down a three pointer after receiving a sneaky pass from Rachel Miller. It seemed to spark the Devils, as the energy levels lifted, and when Miller hit a free throw and Hayley Jones knocked down a two-pointer, the Devils were back in the game. Ridder grabbed a couple more rebounds and then finished off a nice drive from a Beckworth assist. On the next possession the Gulls turned the ball over with a travel, Ridder passed the ball in in the backcourt, got it back and went all the way with a layup!

A Chelsea foul in the last five seconds sent Beckworth to the line and she made one, which levelled the scores at quarter time. Ridder finished with seven points and three rebounds in just under four minutes and the Devils were back in business after a slow start.

Second Quarter (Werribee 16, Chelsea 19) HT 29-32
Maeghan Ridder 5 points, 2 rebounds
Rachel Miller 4 points
Eliza Herne 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists
Tori Kalos 2 rebounds

Both teams found it hard to score early in the second quarter. Tamara Booth scored from close range and it was another two minutes before…guess who?...Ridder scored again after Steph Pyke grabbed a rebound and landed a nice pass over the top, allowing Ridder to finish the layup. Beckworth again found Ridder at the top of the key for a long-range jumpshot, and all of a sudden the Devils were in front. Natasha Currao finished off a drive soon after, extending the Devils lead, before the Gulls started a comeback. Free throws to Tara Bruno and four points to Booth put the Gulls back in front. Miller kept the Devils in the contest with four points of her own, and neither team could get any sort of scoring momentum. Eliza Herne finished the quarter off well with four late points as Chelsea maintained a single digit lead right up to half time, where the visitors went in with a three-point advantage.  

Third Quarter (Werribee 21 Chelsea 18) 3QT 50-50
Natasha Currao 8 points
Maeghan Ridder 8 points
Eliza Herne 5 rebounds, 3 assists

Christiana Lees got the Gulls off to a great start in the second half, before Currao and Herne levelled the scores. The Gulls got the lead back, then great vision from Herne found Ridder unattended under the basket for the layup. A well-timed block from Lauren Tipper caused a turnover and Ridder found herself with the ball on the wing. She did a nice little spin move and the finger roll bounced a couple of times on the rim and fell through the net. That would be the last Devils basket for over three minutes, as Booth and Kelsey Tranter put in six unanswered points for the Gulls. Fast transition and nice long passes were the key for the next Devils basket which was finished off by Ridder, and soon after Taylah Lea knocked down a three-pointer, tying the scores. A Tranter basket was answered with a Currao three-pointer and the Devils hit the front with two minutes left in the quarter. Tranter scored again for the Gulls but Ridder and Currao hit back before Chloe Breznjak scored as she was fouled and converted the bonus, leaving the scores tied at 50 at the last break.

Fourth Quarter (Werribee 4 Chelsea 28) FT 54-78
Rachel Miller 2 points
Eliza Herne 2 points
Natasha Currao 2 rebounds

The stage was set for a big finish as both teams looked for their first win of the season, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be for the Devils. In a repeat of the first quarter, the Gulls started with eight unanswered points before Miller and Herne fought back for the Devils. In the last six minutes the Gulls piled on 20 points in a row thanks to Tranter, Booth and Bruno, to take a 54-78 win.

In Round 3 the Devils travel to take on the Corio Bay Stingrays on Saturday night.

Werribee v Chelsea LiveStats and Play-by-Play

Werribee v Chelsea Box Score and Stats

Big V Youth League One Men 2017 Round 1: Werribee 82 v Whittlesea 42

Big V Youth League One Men Round 1
Werribee 82 defeated Whittlesea 42
Werribee       23        23        14        22        82
Whittlesea     6          16        7          13        42

Josh Zamperoni 17 points, 4 rebounds
Mitch Alush 15 points, 3 assists, 3 steals
Cameron Hutton 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals
Paddy Daley 11 points, 5 rebounds
TJ Remy 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals
Jesse Harberger 9 rebounds, 2 blocks
Dylan Harberger 5 rebounds, 3 assists



After demolishing Warrandyte Venom on Saturday night, the Werribee Devils returned to Eagle Stadium for the first home game of the season against the Whittlesea Pacers. 

First Quarter (Werribee 23, Whittlesea 6)
Josh Zamperoni 11 points (3x3pts)
Paddy Daley 6 points
Jesse Harberger 3 rebounds
Bubby Luxford 2 assists
Cam Hutton 2 steals

Both teams took a while to get on the scoreboard and Nathan Freeman was first on the board for the Pacers. However after that it was all Devils, scoring 20 unanswered points to set up a match-winning lead. The big guys proved to be the headache for the Pacers early on, with Jesse Harberger scoring first, then Paddy Daley scored three times in 45 seconds and the early signs were not good for the visitors. Cam Hutton and Josh Tang scored next, then Josh Zamperoni jumped in with a couple of free throws and two three-pointers. Matthew Attard finally scored again for the Pacers and Rory Smith added a couple of free throws before Zamperoni found himself wide open and launched another three pointer before the buzzer to finish off a great quarter for the Devils.

Second Quarter (Werribee 23, Whittlesea 16) HT: 46-22
Cam Hutton 8 points (2x3p), 2 rebounds
Mitch Alush 6 points (2x3pts), 2 assists
TJ Remy 3 points, 2 rebounds
Josh Zamperoni 3 points, 2 rebounds

The second term was remarkable for one fact: the Devils scored 23 points but there were no two-point field goals for the whole quarter. Having so many perimeter shooters, the Devils passing was enjoyable to watch and they made 6/12 from the arc for the quarter. TJ Remy didn’t waste any time, landing a long one inside the first ten seconds of the quarter and was soon joined by Alush and Hutton. Beale Reindorf and Daniel Butera ensured that the Pacers offered a bit more resistance, but a late 3-pointer from Zamperoni and a couple of free throws from Oz Soylemez ensured that the Devils won the quarter and extended their lead at half time.

Third Quarter (Werribee 14, Whittlesea 7) 3QT: 62-29
TJ Remy 5 points
Josh Toniato 4 points
Paddy Daley 3 rebounds

The third quarter got off to a slow start, with neither team scoring for nearly the first three minutes. Daley finally got the Devils on the board and when Remy hit a jumpshot and a three-pointer the Devils lead was beyond 30. Josh Toniato chipped in with a couple of free throws and a two-pointer as the Devils maintained a commanding lead at the final break.

Fourth Quarter (Werribee 22, Whittlesea 13) FT: 82-42
Mitch Alush 9 pts, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
Josh Zamperoni 3 pts
Jesse Harberger 4 rebs, 2 blocks
Dylan Harberger 3 assists, 2 rebounds

Just like the previous night against Warrandyte, the Devils did not take their foot off the gas, scoring the first seven points of the quarter through Erwin Muharemovic and Alush. Reindorf and Butera continued to fight for the Pacers, who scored six unanswered points through the middle stages of the quarter. Hutton and Alush continued to keep the scoreboard ticking over, joined by Soylemez and Zamperoni late in the quarter. The Harberger boys combined right at the end and Dylan’s layup made the final margin 40 points in favour of the home side.

The Devils have a bye in Round 2, but have another double header in Round 3. On Saturday April 1^st they will host the Hume City Broncos and the next day will travel to take on the Coburg Giants.

Werribee v Whittlesea LiveStats and Play-By-Play

Werribee v Whittlesea Box Score and Stats

Big V Youth League One Men 2017 Round 1: Werribee 84 v Warrandyte 54

Big V Youth League One Men 2017, Round 1
Werribee 84 defeated Warrandyte 54
Werribee       21        16        25        22        84
Warrandyte   12        12        20        10        54

Mitch Alush 18 points, 4 assists
Josh Zamperoni 15 points, 5 rebounds
Jesse Harberger 11 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks
Patrick Daley 9 points, 4 rebounds
Dylan Harberger 9 points, 6 rebounds

In the opening Round of the Big V 2017 season the Werribee Devils Youth League Men travelled to Warrandyte to take on the Venom.

First Quarter (Werribee 21, Warrandyte 12)
Mitch Alush 8 points
Josh Zamperoni 6 points, 2 rebounds
Patrick Daley 5 points, 2 rebounds
Dylan Harberger 3 rebounds, Jesse Harberger 2 rebounds

Mitch Alush showed he meant business, scoring eight points in the first two minutes. Paddy Daley got on the board early as well as the Devils opened an early 10-1 lead. The Venom didn’t take long to bridge the gap, getting back to 9-11 thanks to Nick Feller and Casey de Wacht. Josh Zamperoni built on the start Alush had given the visitors, making three free throws followed by a three-pointer. Daley and Dylan Harberger added baskets late in the quarter which gave the Devils a 21-12 lead at the first break.

Second Quarter (Werribee 16, Warrandyte 12) HT: 37-24
Jesse Harberger 6 points, 6 rebounds
Josh Tang 3 points
Oz Soylemez 4 rebounds,
TJ Remy & Dylan Harberger 3 rebounds

The first half of the second quarter belonged to the Devils, with another 9-1 run opening up a double digit lead. Oz Soylemez landed a free throw and was followed by six points from Jesse Harberger and another score from Alush. Down 13-30, the Venom did what they could to bridge the gap, scoring six unanswered points before Josh Tang nailed a three-pointer. The Devils maintained their double digit lead for the rest of the quarter thanks to baskets from Dylan Harberger and Zamperoni.

Third Quarter (Werribee 25, Warrandyte 20) 3QT: 62-44
Josh Zamperoni 7 points, 2 rebounds
TJ Remy 5 points
Josh Tang 4 points
Jesse Harberger 5 rebounds
Mitch Alush 2 assists

The Devils continued the pattern of the game, controlling the first four minutes as Zamperoni and Jesse Harberger combined for eight points. When Alush and Dylan Harberger added baskets for the visitors, the margin was out beyond 20 and looking ominous for the Venom. The home side went on a handy 7-2 run over the next two minutes before TJ Remy hit five quick points to restore control for the Devils. Feller spearheaded another eight unanswered points as the Venom got back within 15 late in the term but Tang and Erwin Muharemovic replied quickly for the Devils as they won the quarter and maintained an 18-point lead at the final break.

Fourth Quarter (Werribee 22, Warrandyte 10) FT: 84-54
Mitch Alush 6 points
Cam Hutton 5 points
Patrick Daley 4 points
Jesse Harberger 3 rebounds
Josh Tang 4 assists

The Devils didn’t let the foot off the gas in the last quarter, going on a 20-4 run over the first eight minutes. The Harberger boys kicked things off for the visitors and were joined by Alush and Cam Hutton. Daley chipped in with four late points before the Venom finally warmed up, scoring six unanswered points. However, it was too little too late as a Remy basket made it a 30-point victory to the Devils.

Werribee v Warrandyte LiveStats and Play-by-Play

Werribee v Warrandyte Box Score & Stats

Big V Youth League Women Round 1 2017: Werribee 38 v Camberwell 63

Big V Youth League One Women, Round 1
Werribee 38 lost to Camberwell 63
Werribee      15       2         7         14       38
Camberwell 21       12       20       10       63

Natasha Currao 10 points, 2 rebounds
Eliza Herne 7 points
Rachel Miller 7 points, 5 rebounds
Jenna Thomas 5 points, 3 rebounds
Taylah Lea 7 rebounds, 2 steals

In Round 1, the Werribee Devils Youth League Women travelled to Camberwell to face off against the Dragons.

First Quarter (Werribee 15, Camberwell 21)
Natasha Currao 7 points
Eliza Herne 5 points
Rachel Miller 2 rebounds

Natasha Currao and Eliza Herne spearheaded the Devils in the early stages. It was close all quarter, with the lead changing several times. With the Devils leading 12-10 late in the quarter, Elisha Purcell put her stamp on the game with seven unanswered points. Rachel Miller hit back for the Devils but two baskets to captain Rachel Bett gave the home side a six point lead at quarter time.

Second Quarter (Werribee 2, Camberwell 12) HT: 17-33
Shae Beckworth 2 FT
Taylah Lea & Jenna Thomas 2 rebounds

New Devil Shae Beckworth hit two free throws in the opening 30 seconds of the quarter, then the Devils scoring stopped completely. The Dragons managed to add 12 points for the quarter with five individual scorers, and took a comfortable lead into half time.

Third Quarter (Werribee 7, Camberwell 20) 3QT: 24-53
Natasha Currao 3 points
Eliza Herne & Tori Kalos 2 FT each
Taylah Lea 3 rebounds

Grace Ramsden and Bett extended the Dragons lead early in the third term, and Currao finally got the Devils on the board after three minutes with a shot from beyond the arc. Herne and Tori Kalos both added free throws, but the Dragons heated up from long range, with Holly Bowman and Kaitlyn Wallace each landing three-pointers followed by baskets from Meaghan Wilson and Purcell, and all of a sudden the margin was out to 30.

Fourth Quarter (Werribee 14, Camberwell 10) FT: 38-63
Rachel Miller 5 points, 2 rebounds
Jenna Thomas 5 points
Hayley Jones 2 rebounds 4 assists
Steph Pyke 3 rebounds, 1 assist 1 steal

There were some positive signs for the Devils in the last quarter, with several different contributors popping up. The visitors won the quarter and outscored the Dragons 9-2 in the last six minutes. They were led by Miller and Jenna Thomas with five points each, while Steph Pyke and Darcy Alfred got on the scoreboard as well. Hayley Jones was busy with a couple of rebounds and four assists.

In Round 2 the Devils host the Chelsea Gulls as the first game of a triple header at Eagle Stadium on Saturday.

Werribee v Camberwell LiveStats and Play-by-Play

Werribee v Camberwell Stats and Box Score  

Big V 2017 State Champ Men: Werribee Devils 83 v Ringwood Hawks 98

Big V State Champ Men, Round 1 2017
Werribee 83 lost to Ringwood 98
Werribee                 22       11       23       27       83
Ringwood                24       24       26       24       98

Jeremy Smith 28 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists (Big V Blue Carpet)
Fred Hunter    16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Nick Morda       8 points
Nathan Wilson  8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks
Jonathan Sonda 7 points, 5 rebounds

In Round 1 of the Big V 2017 season, the Werribee Devils State Champ Men travelled to Ringwood to take on the 2016 champs the Hawks.

First Quarter (Werribee 22, Ringwood 24)
Fred Hunter 9 points
Jeremy Smith 8 points, 6 rebounds
Nathan Wilson 2 rebounds

Returning imports Fred Hunter and Jeremy Smith made a good start for the Devils, each scoring within the first minute of the game. They were matched for the Hawks by Shaun Clarke, who replied with five points of his own. New Hawks import Jacob Gibson then chipped in with six points in 20 seconds and the home side established an early lead. New Devil Wilson Arob got on the scoreboard and then Clarke was fouled as he scored and converted the bonus free throw, putting the Hawks up 14-7. From there Smith and Hunter led the Devils on an 11-0 run and when Jonathan Sonda landed a three-pointer the Devils found themselves up by four. The Hawks fought their way back in front and the lead changed several times in the last couple of minutes. Hunter put the Devils in front with 57 seconds left, but another basket and converted free throw from Clarke gave the Hawks a 24-22 quarter time lead.

Second Quarter (Werribee 11, Ringwood 24) HT: 33-48
Fred Hunter 3 points
Blake Allison, Jeremy Smith, Jonathan Sonda, Deng Majok 2 points
Jeremy Smith 4 rebounds, Jonathan Sonda 3 rebounds, Jordan Hughes 2 rebounds

Neither team scored in the first minute of the second term, and a Nathan Truman three-pointer was quickly answered by Hunter and Blake Allison in his first game for the Devils. Max Sutton and Sonda traded baskets and from there the Devils scoring dried up. Smith, Hunter and Deng Majok were the only Devils scorers in the last seven minutes of the quarter while the Hawks added 19 points to open up a 15-point lead at the main break.

Third Quarter (Werribee 23, Ringwood 26) 3QT: 56-74
Jeremy Smith 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Wilson Arob 4 points, 2 rebounds
Jordan Hughes 3 assists

Michael McCahey extended the Hawks lead early in the third quarter but the Devils, determined to put their disappointing second quarter behind them, fought back. Five points from Smith and three points from Hughes, followed by a basket from Arob got the Devils back within seven points only two minutes in. Clarke and Gibson went to work for the home side, pushing the margin back out to double figures. Scores from Smith, Hunter, Sonda and Nathan Wilson brought the Devils back within five points with 3.36 remaining in the term. Completing the rollercoaster, eight points from McCahey spearheaded a 15-2 Hawks run to finish the quarter, meaning that for all their hard work, the Devils finished up further behind than they were at half time.

Fourth Quarter (Werribee 27, Ringwood 24) FT: 83-98
Jeremy Smith 8 points, 2 assists
Nick Morda 8 points
Nathan Wilson 2 rebounds 2 blocks
Fred Hunter 3 rebounds

Once again both teams failed to score in the first 90 seconds, before Smith found the basket in between two Gibson three pointers. Wilson landed a couple of three-pointers for the Devils and Nick Morda came to life with eight points for the quarter. Ultimately whatever the Devils offered, the Hawks had the answer, at one stage leading by 23 before the Devils managed to win the quarter and walk away with a 15-point defeat. In the end, their 11-point second quarter proved costly.

In Round 2 the Devils have back-to-back home games, facing the McKinnon Cougars on Saturday night before fronting up against the Diamond Valley Eagles on Sunday afternoon.

Werribee v Ringwood LiveStats and Play-by-Play

Werribee v Ringwood Box Score and Stats

Big V Division One Women Round 1: Werribee Devils 88 d Mildura 79

                          
Big V Division One Women 2017: Werribee 88 defeated Mildura 79
Werribee       26       22       25       15       88
Mildura          22       12       21       24       79

Rohanee Cox 28 points, 13 rebounds (Big V Blue Carpet)
Jessy Price     25 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals (Big V Blue Carpet)
Sumar Leslie   22 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists
Charlotte Vincent-Lord 5 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists

The new-look Werribee Devils Division One Women opened their 2017 with a road trip to Mildura to take on the Heat. The 2016 season (3 wins, 17 losses) was one to forget and, having retained just three players from their 2016 roster, the Devils were keen to get 2017 off to the best possible start.

Notable inclusions for the Devils this season include Nicholls State University import Sumar Leslie, former Olympian and WNBL player Rohanee ‘Roey’ Cox and Jessy Price, who has come from the Launceston Tornadoes in the SEABL.

First Quarter: Werribee 26, Mildura 22
Jessy Price 12 points (3x3-pointers), two steals
Rohanee Cox 8 points (2x3-pointers), four rebounds
Jackie Stephens & Sumar Leslie two assists,
Kennedy Taylor two rebounds

Cox and Price wasted no time making their presence felt for their new club, combining for 20 points in the opening term, including five three-pointers. The first quarter was an arm wrestle, with neither team leading by more than four points. Vanessa Power and Mikayla Delcastegne fired up for the Heat early on, keeping them in the game despite the dangerous form of Cox and Price. Scores were tied at 22-22 with a minute to play, but a three-pointer from Price and a free-throw from Kennedy Taylor gave the Devils a four point lead at quarter time. Jackie Stephens and Sumar Leslie had two assists each for the Devils and Taylor helped Cox out with the rebounds.

Second Quarter: Werribee 22, Mildura 12 (HT: 48-34)
Rohanee Cox 9 points, 4 rebounds
Jessy Price 5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
Sumar Leslie 2 rebounds

Alesha Wilson and Tayla Brunato got on the board early in the second quarter and helped the Devils extend their lead, but were quickly answered by Georgia Mayne and Siobhan Beslow. Cox and Price fired up again, and Leslie’s first points of the regular season pushed the margin out to double figures. The Heat’s scoring dried up completely, scoring once in seven minutes, and when Devils vice-captain Jackie Stephens scored her first points for the Devils with 30 seconds remaining in the half, the visitors lead was out to 17. A three-pointer to Delcastegne in the final seconds made it a 48-34 buffer to the Devils.

Third Quarter: Werribee 25, Mildura 21 (3QT: 73-55)
Rohanee Cox 8 points, 2 rebounds
Jessy Price 8 points
Sumar Leslie 7 points, 2 rebounds
Charlotte Vincent-Lord 2 assists

Charlotte Vincent-Lord, in her first game in D1 after playing for the Youth League in 2016, scored in the first ten seconds of the third term and was followed soon after by another Price three-pointer. Cox and Delcastegne traded long bombs before Leslie went to work again, scoring four quick points and pushing the lead out beyond 20. Cox gave the Devils a 63-38 lead with 6.12 remaining in the term and that was as far ahead as the Devils got. Power and Bronte Clark combined for six unanswered points and the rest of the quarter was pretty much even-stevens. Price and Leslie fired in late three-pointers and the Devils lead was 18 at the final break.

Fourth Quarter: Werribee 15, Mildura 24 (FT: 88-79)
Sumar Leslie 10 points
Jessy Price 3 rebounds 3 assists
Charlotte Vincent-Lord & Roey Cox 2 rebounds

Power and Leslie went on a two-minute shootout to begin the final quarter, with Power scoring six points and Leslie five. The new Devils point-guard continued dominating, scoring five more points and giving her 10 for the quarter. Cox and Nicole Greene were the only other scoring contributors for the Devils as the Heat had a great last five minutes, scoring the last eight points and bringing the final margin back to single-digits.

Getting a win on the road at any time is great for a basketball team, but the Werribee Devils Division One Women were out to make a statement and achieved the perfect start. In Round 2 the Devils host the Camberwell Dragons at 6.30 on Saturday night.

Werribee v Mildura Box Score and Play-by-Play (Livestats)

Werribee v Mildura Box Score and Stats (Big V site)

Werribee Devils Youth League Women 2017 season preview

The Werribee Devils Youth League Women fell just short of the top-of-the-tree in 2016, losing the Grand Final to Altona by nine points, 66-57.

Over the off-season they lost four players, all of whom were big contributors in the 2016 campaign: Tegan Hindle, Teaghan Doyle (Hume City), Charlotte Lord (Werribee D1W) and Alex Moss (injury), who is staying on as an assistant coach. Jacinta Paul will also be returning as an assistant coach.

Filling the gaps are new players Maeghan Ridder, Darcy Alfred, Tori Kalos and Shae Beckworth.

2017 Youth League One Women roster:

#4 Maeghan Ridder

#7 Steph Pyke

#9 Taylah Lea (captain)

#10 Hayley Jones

#11 Darcy Alfred

#14 Eliza Herne

#20 Tori Kalos

#21 Natasha Curraro

#24 Jenna Thomas

#25 Rachel Miller

#43 Shae Beckworth

#54 Lauren Tipper

As part of their 2017 preparation, the Youth League Women competed in the Big V preseason tournament. They walked away with losses against Corio Bay and McKinnon, and finished with a win against Chelsea.

On March 15th the Werribee Devils held their season launch which gave all four coaches the opportunity to introduce their players and talk about the season ahead. This is what head coach Elisha Hogan had to say:

The preseason hasn’t quite gone to plan as much as we wanted it to. We’ve played six games together, we’ve got four new girls into the team who are still trying to find their feet in the team. So we’re learning some adjustments at the moment. Considering we’ve come up against some Champ teams and some Youth Champ teams, we’ve had some really good basketball that we’ve played.

We went into the preseason tournament and our first game did not go to plan. To the girls credit they got a little bit better against McKinnon. Then the last game we played, we won. So we see that as a very good stepping stone leading into Game 1 on Saturday night against Camberwell. And you know, that’s when it all really matters, is the start of the season. So we’re going to work hard at training tomorrow night and we’re going to fix some things. And we will get them fixed. And I’m excited to see how we go.    

The Youth League One Women division has expanded from eight to ten teams in 2017. Altona has moved up to Victorian Youth Champ Women, and three other teams have joined the YLW1 action: Chelsea Gulls, Keilor Thunder (both up from YL2) and Geelong Supercats (down from VYCW). The other teams remaining from 2016 are: Camberwell Dragons, Coburg Giants, Corio Bay Stingrays, Craigieburn Eagles, McKinnon Cougars and Warrandyte Venom.

Werribee Devils Division One Women 2017 Season Preview

The Werribee Devils held their season launch on March 15th, 2017. Each of the four coaches presented their 2017 rosters and spoke of the season ahead. This is what Division One Women coach Mahaela Jackson had to say:

There have been some big changes for the Div One Women this season. We’ve basically kept three players from last season….we had a couple of players who were promoted to a higher league…you never stand in the way of someone who’s looking to achieve higher, so we just say good luck to them and move on.

So we’ve brought in eight new players, and from early indications we’re very happy with how we’ve ended up. It started…we were a little bit nervous, we didn’t have a lot of numbers….between the two players moving on and basically clearing the roster.

The three players who remain are Nicole Greene, Jasmine Silcock and Jackie Stephens. My assistant coach Tim (Devlin), I wouldn’t have made it through last season without you, and I’m glad to have you back.

Moving forward, I will make a couple of mentions. It is an absolute pleasure to welcome Rohanee Cox onto the roster and into the club this season. We are looking to move the women’s program forward in a positive way, and what better way to do it than bringing in an Olympian…so, I think that’s a huge step forward for our program and our club.

I’d also like to welcome Sumar Leslie into our roster. She’s fitted in very well…it’s great to have her leadership in the point. On the court, absolutely wonderful player and off the court, even better person.

Our captain this year is Rohanee Cox and vice captain is Jackie Stephens.

2017 Division One Women roster

4 Charlotte Lord

5 Jasmine Silcock

6 Jackie Stephens

7 Sumar Leslie

9 Nicole Greene

11 Tayla Brunato

12 Ashleigh Rozenfeld

14 Kennedy Taylor

22 Jessy Price

23 Rohanee Cox

32 Alesha Wilson

Ins and outs over the preseason

Ins: Charlotte Lord, Sumar Leslie, Tayla Brunato, Ashleigh Rozenfeld, Kennedy Taylor, Jessy Price, Rohanee Cox, Alesha Wilson

Outs: Gabby Eaton, Lauren Conroy, Adoniah Lewis, Bex Van Kuyk, Jessica Slade, Elise Swan, Jenna Conroy

Preseason results

Practice Match # 1 v Altona Division 2 Women (won by 95)

Purpose of this game: Get a game into the girls legs and build the on court team work.

Practice Match #2 v Hume State Championship Women (lost by 30)

Purpose of this game: Challenge the team on playing under intense pressure.

Practice Match #3 v Western Port Division 1 Women (won by 20)

Purpose of this game: Take and use what we learnt out of the first two games against a team that we will be facing throughout the season.

The Big V Division One Women is an 11-team competition consisting of the following teams: Camberwell Dragons, Casey Cavaliers (up from D2W), Chelsea Gulls, Geelong Supercats, Hawthorn Magic, Keilor Thunder, Latrobe City Energy, Mildura Heat, Werribee Devils, Western Port Steelers, Whittlesea Pacers (down from SCW).

After a disappointing 2016 season, we are looking forward to a more positive and successful year for the senior women.

A substantial change to the roster with seven out and eight in, which presents a challenge, however, the girls have come together well, they are committed, they have made themselves accountable and have accepted responsibility for their role in the success of the team and program.

The team is looking forward to getting the season started and can't wait to show you what we can do!