Big V State Championship Men Round 3 2017: Werribee 112, Hume City 103

Big V State Championship Men - Round 3, Saturday April 1^st, 2017

Werribee Devils 112 defeated Hume City Broncos 103

Werribee       27        29        29        27        112
Hume City    23        31        19        30        103

Jeremy Smith 43 points, 16 rebounds, 7 assists (Big V Blue Carpet)

Jordan Hughes 25 points, 6 rebounds

Fred Hunter 14 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals
Nathan Wilson 13 points, 5 rebounds

Blake Allison 9 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists

The Werribee Devils State Champ Men have outlasted the Hume City Broncos in a gripping Round 3 contest at Eagle Stadium, 112-103. After opening their season with an 83-98 loss to Ringwood, the Devils bounced back last week with two home wins over the McKinnon Cougars and Diamond Valley Eagles. The Broncos posted a five point win over Hawthorn before also losing to Ringwood in Round 2.

In what turned out to be an amazing shootout, the highlight of the night was seeing Devil’s Jeremy Smith go head-to-head with Hume City’s Luke Egan, with both players scoring over 40 points for the night.



First Quarter (Werribee 27, Hume City 23)
Jordan Hughes 14 points, 3 rebounds
Jeremy Smith 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Nathan Wilson 3 rebounds
Fred Hunter 3 steals

It was the “Jeremy and Jordan Show” early on, with Jordan Hughes wasting no time finding his shooting range, including a couple of nice three pointers. The Broncos jumped to an 11-6 lead inside the first four minutes, but a 16-2 run by the Devils gave them control of the contest late in the first quarter. Shaun Prendergast and Trevon Clayton brought the visitors back within two points, and the two teams traded baskets for the last couple of minutes before the Devils took a four point lead into quarter time.

Second Quarter (Werribee 29, Hume City 31) HT 56-54
Nathan Wilson 13 points
Jeremy Smith 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Blake Allison 2 rebounds, 3 assists

It was more of the same in the second quarter. Phill Renteria started with a three for the Broncos, and was answered by Blake Allison. For the next seven minutes the two teams were like heavyweight boxers trading blows as the ball flew from end-to-end and the scorers were kept busy. Nathan Wilson stood up for the Devils and scored ten points in under three minutes, maintaining the Devils narrow lead. A Prendergast three-pointer got the lead back briefly for the Broncos but four quick points from Smith got the Devils back in front. The Broncos long range shooting was keeping them in the game, with five three-pointers in the last four minutes. Wilson and Nick Morda did the same up the other end and Smith scored on the buzzer, giving the Devils a two-point lead at the main break.

Third Quarter (Werribee 29, Hume City 19) 3QT 85-73
Jeremy Smith 11 points
Jordan Hughes 8 points
Fred Hunter 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Wilson Arob 5 rebounds

A couple of Luke Egan free throws tied the game up at the start of the third, but baskets to Fred Hunter and Hughes, and a couple of free throws to Smith gave the Devils some breathing space. Uncharacteristically for such a high-scoring game, there was a period of 90 seconds early in the term where neither team scored, and there was three and a half minutes between Egan’s free throws and the Broncos next basket. The scoring dried up completely for the Broncos in the middle stages of the quarter as Smith, Hughes and Wilson Arob combined to push the Devils advantage out to double figures. Egan, Prendergast and Mark Berezdecky worked hard to get the Broncos back in the game, reducing a 15 point deficit to nine with a minute to play, but the Devils had all the answers, taking a 12-point lead into the last quarter.

Fourth Quarter (Werribee 27, Hume City 30) FT 112-103
Jeremy Smith 17 points, 6 rebounds
Blake Allison 5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Fred Hunter 2 rebounds, 2 assists

Hunter opened the scoring for the Devils, but the Broncos scored eight unanswered points in a minute to make it a close contest. Blake Allison stemmed the flow for the Devils, then Trevon Clayton traded a couple of baskets with Smith and Sonda. Neither team had any success on the scoreboard over the next minute, before Egan nailed a couple of free throws.

In the last six minutes of the match, it wouldn’t be hyperbole to say that Jeremy Smith stood up and completely took over the contest. Just when the Devils were being challenged and couldn’t quite shake the Broncos, he scored 15 points in the space of three minutes, putting the game beyond the reach of their determined opponents. Luke Egan battled valiantly up the other end, scoring 13 in the same period, but when Blake Allison added a basket and converted the bonus free throw with 1.37 left, the difference was 14. The Broncos scored the last five points of the match to bring the final score to 112-103.

The Devils (3-1) are third on ladder have a couple of weeks off, with a bye in Round 4 and the Easter break, before a double header against Corio Bay Stingrays (12^th, 0-3) and Knox Raiders (1^st, 4-0).

Werribee v Hume City LiveStats and Play-by-Play

Werribee v Hume City Box Score and Stats