By RUSSELL BENNETT
REMEMBER the weekend of 14 and 15 June. It could turn out to be a season-defining one for the Pakenham Warriors after the Big V basketball Division 2 side somehow found a way to eke out back-to-back wins by a combined margin of just five points.
Ryan Rogers’ men displayed a real steely resolve in each game, and it’s a trait that could yet prove vital come the business end of the season as the team fights for a playoff spot.
The Warriors’ weekend got off to a stellar start on Saturday night at The Colosseum at Cardinia Life, leading the Mornington Breakers 38-25 at the half.
But the peninsula-based side wouldn’t lie down without a fight and pushed the Warriors to the brink in the dying stages.
Pakenham was comprehensively beaten by the Breakers to the tune of 30 points in Round 6 and that margin could well have given the visitors a real psychological edge on Saturday night as the home side faltered down the stretch.
But swingman Jim Viray was nothing short of sensational as a couple of contentious calls by the referees could have proven costly for the home side.
He finished with 24 points on a super-efficient 10 of 15 from the field, including two of his three attempts from the three-point line. He was well backed up by big man Andrew Savige who finished with a double-double – 12 points and 11 rebounds to go along with three blocks and three assists as the Warriors scraped home 73-69. Breakers’ star Demarcus Berry was his side’s leading scorer with 16, but he was well-held by a Warriors’ defence brilliantly led by Hayden Davey. Pakenham was outscored in both the third and fourth quarters and gave their home crowd plenty of anxious moments late in the game but the key word for Rogers and his charges over the weekend was ‘resilience’.
They displayed it again on Sunday afternoon as they toppled the highly-fancied Keysborough Cougars on their home court in overtime, 81-80.
Two huge three-pointers in the extra period by Warriors point guard Cam Luke and a pair of clutch free-throws at the death from Jimmy Magrath saw the visitors home, but Savige and Viray were once again outstanding.
The Cougars’ defence had no answer for the big Warriors’ centre, who exploded for 25 points and 11 rebounds while also restricting opponent Kevin Benn to just 11 points at the other end of the floor.
The Warriors had to rally from two significant deficits – 13 points at the end of the first, and six with just 1:30 left on the clock in the fourth – and Rogers credited his men with playing with “a real sense of belief” and a refusal to panic in the big moments.
“That second win was a bit of a game-changer for us,” he said.
“We’re starting to have that real winning feeling and the guys have confidence that they can overcome anything.”
The Warriors will this week host local rivals Casey in a clash fans of both sides have been waiting for all season.
Rogers can’t wait, with his men excited for the challenge of taking on the second-placed Cavaliers.
“The rivalry is a fantastic thing and we expect the Colosseum to be packed,” he said.
“We need to beat teams above us if we want to prove we’re a legitimate chance of winning this thing.”
The Warriors, who have won five of their last six and are on the verge of the top four, will face off against the Cavaliers from 6pm this Saturday at Cardinia Life.
