By Jonty Ralphsmith
A 29-10 last quarter to Pakenham saw it motor away from Western Port on Saturday afternoon, with the 104-73 win seeing them maintain top spot on the Youth League Two Men ladder.
A trio of Hayden Melsen steals in the last period and a big three in the last quarter was significant in quickly extending Pakenham’s lead as the end of the game drew nearer.
Luke Rawiri shot 10 of 11 from the field throughout the evening to finish with a game-high 27 points as the fruits of a big preseason shone through, while Kaleb Beveridge was decisive in giving them repeat looks.
Cal McNiff’s class off the bench was also on show in the first half as he finished with 14 points including a buzzerbeater at quarter time to ram home the visitors’ momentum, before he took off for the senior men’s match.
Coach Braden Venning has been rapt with his side’s start to the season.
“There was a renewed focus on our defensive intensity in preseason and we’re the third rated defence in the league to go with number one offence,” Venning highlighted.
“We’re getting deflections and turnovers which is leading to open points for us.
“Our points from turnovers is a point of emphasis and huge source of scoring for us.”
Meanwhile, the women had their first win on Saturday evening on the road against Camberwell, with a 21-11 second quarter crucial in the 72-61 win.
Camberwell was within three with a tick under a minute to play before a patient Warriors build up allowed skipper Mel Prior to find space down low before Gemma Hancock’s strength prevented the hosts from getting a late look at the rim and snatching it.
After only briefly getting on the court in the Warriors’ first match, Hancock got more than 15 minutes of game time on Saturday and was a presence inside, finishing with a game-high 11 rebounds.
Threes to Hayley Letts and Briahna Whatman early in the fourth quarter were also important in keeping the hosts at arm’s length late in the game.
The women backed up the following day, going down 96-56 to Bulleen at Cardinia Life.
Playing catchup from the early stages of the match, the Warriors closed in the second quarter, but were unable to ever claim the lead.
Meanwhile, Stella O’Loughlin and Chelsea Schreuder powered the Warriors Youth Women to a 70-62 win against Hume in a match which raised the curtain for the senior women’s match.
Schreuder finished with 13 rebounds, while O’Loughlin continued her strong start to the season; backing up from the women’s game on Saturday night, she combined 18 points with four steals.
Next up, the women have another double header, facing McKinnon at Glen Eira on Saturday and Sherbrooke at Cardinia Life on Sunday, and the Youth Women face Geelong at Cardinia Life in a top-of-the-table clash.
The Youth Men face the 1-4 Bellarine at Cardinia Life on Sunday.
