Warriors sent reeling

THE debut of Sean Armstrong was a rare shining light in what was a dismal Warriors loss to the Blackburn Vikings on Saturday night.
Aside from noted big man Vladimir Tankov, Armstrong, 16, led Pakenham in the rebounding department, reeling in six boards against the best side in Division Two.
With a chance to sneak into the top five, Pakenham were blown away by the Vikings 100-66 at Fairhills High School.
The game started with both sides struggling to score as the defences were intent on shutting each other down.
Scores were tight for the first five minutes before Blackburn’s constant pressure caused the Warriors to turn the ball over, allowing Blackburn to go on a scoring blitz, ending the first term 15 to 27.
The second quarter again saw the Vikings’ man-to-man defence cause headaches for Pakenham and they extended their lead to 19 points.
After the main break, the Warriors started to play good team basket ball and reduced the deficit to 13.
However, the last quarter was one the Warriors would choose to forget as the Vikings were able to run the ball at will. The Warriors also sent the Vikings to the line on 22 occasions in this term.
Best for Pakenham in a disappointing game were Bill Winder, yet again, with 14 points, Vlad Tankov with eight, 15 boards and 11 assists, and Armstrong, who proved he was more than capable at holding his own in experienced company.