By Justin Schwarze
Pakenham Warriors Championship Men are back to all square at 5-5 after picking up two important scalps in its double-header fixture.
On Saturday night, Pakenham welcomed reigning champs Wyndham to Cardinia Life in a game that recognised a pair of significant milestones, with Josh Dow and Rob Roberts each celebrating 200 games at senior level (Dow as a player, Roberts as a coach).
In the spirit of the day, the Warriors rallied to an imposing defensive performance and rolled the visitors 102-69.
After trailing at quarter time 22-24, Pakenham outscored its opponents 80-45 over the next three quarters.
Ned Carr was superb as the recruit continues to flourish, posting an efficient 30 points on 52 percent shooting while also grabbing 12 boards.
Dow added 17 points and eight rebounds in his milestone game and Ned Weideman provided a solid 18 points on 7/12 shooting off the bench.
“We’ve been pretty good this season with our scoring spread,” coach Roberts said.
“That’s come from the depth we have and the squad we’ve put together.
“We knew we were going to be deep with our scoring; it wasn’t going to be like most teams where you’re relying on your main starters.”
Recent big man signing Elijah Tillman is still adjusting to the team, playing in just his second and third games for the squad.
Against Wyndham, he looked forceful on the interior, scoring 12 points while protecting the rim and blocking four shots.
“Elijah’s improved every single game,” Roberts said of the new recruit.
“Points-wise, rebounds-wise, his presence on the floor just adds another dimension to us.”
Tillman led the charge defensively, an area where the Warriors separated themselves.
Pakenham held the visitors to sub-30 percent shooting and forced 23 turnovers.
Roberts made a tactical decision to switch the defensive structure, which worked wonders for his side.
“We went into a zone which is something we don’t normally do,” he said.
“We thought we’d clog it up a bit and we realised by the end of the game we were still in it because it was working.
“Having the pressure on them inside and outside really made a big difference.
“From our point of view, keeping them to that score was really good.
“Our defensive stuff this weekend was just great again, especially the Wyndham game.
“To keep them under 70 was a big plus for us.”
Reflecting on his achievement of reaching 200 games coached was a tricky feeling to put words to.
For him, it was mostly about the people and the journey that have made it possible.
“I did take a bit of time to reflect and I realised all the people I’ve been involved with, including managers, coaches and players, it’s a lot of people to know and a lot of people have supported me over that time,” he remembered.
“It does make you realise you’ve been around, you’ve seen a few people and coached at a few courts.”
Sharing the moment with Dow was extra special, with the pair having previous connections before Pakenham.
Roberts also coached Dow when the two were involved at Sherbrooke a few years ago.
“It was nice to celebrate with him, considering all the stuff we’ve been through together on the court,” Roberts said of Dow.
However, the celebrations soon turned to focus for Sunday’s trip to Sunbury.
In a similar trajectory to the Wyndham game, the Warriors trailed after one before dominating the rest of the matchup.
Pakenham rode a 17-34 third period to post an 86-103 victory.
Carr scored 26, Dow contributed 25 and Steve Coffey flirted with a triple double, ending with figures of 14 points, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals.
Tillman was yet again productive off the bench, recording his first double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds on 7/8 shooting.
“The goal of the weekend was to come out and be 5-5,” Roberts said.
“We knew that we’d be able to, the pressure was on but we answered the call.
“It’s given the team more of a belief of what we’ve been working towards is right and we’re on the right track.
“We knew where we wanted to get to but it was just taking a little bit of time with so many changes this year to key personnel.
“It gave everybody belief and understanding that it’s working, it was just going to take a bit of time.”
The Championship Women followed suit, also going two-from-two across the weekend’s action.
An all-around performance got Pakenham past Wyndham 73-57 on Saturday, with four Warriors scoring in double-digits.
On Sunday, Pakenham visited Sunbury and battled in a matchup that went right down to the wire.
Grace Graham’s 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals uplifted the Warriors, while Eliza Hollingsworth posted yet another double-double effort with 12 points and 13 rebounds despite struggling from the field.
With the game knotted at 80 with under a minute to play, Skye Rees set a crunching screen and swiftly rolled to the basket.
Graham recognised the mismatch inside, feeding Rees who turned and scored to put Pakenham in front.
On the following possession, Abbey-Lee Wood fouled Abby Hildebrand on her drive to the rim and sent her to the line.
Hildebrand split her pair of free throws but the Warriors couldn’t convert on the other end.
As the clock wound down and the Jets had a chance to steal the game, Rees came up big, stripping Hildebrand of the ball and forcing a game-saving turnover.
The steal led to Bri Whatman free throws and an 81-84 victory for Pakenham.
The win pushes the Warriors to second on the table with a record of 8-2 ahead of the biggest test of the season as Pakenham visits first-placed Bellarine on Sunday.
The Youth Championship Women put up a courageous fight against a good McKinnon side, falling 105-77 on the road.
The Warriors led 46-47 at halftime before being overrun in the second half.
Ilma Hajdarovic scored 17 points while Chelsea Schreuder and Taleesha O’Kane both managed 15 points each.
The Youth Men travelled to Ballarat and took care of business against the Miners 73-107.
In a wire-to-wire result, Mitch Zeunert had numbers of 25 points and six rebounds.
Kaleb Beveridge scored 16 points and hauled in nine boards and Mason Fraser contributed 14 points.
