By RUSSELL BENNETT
LOCAL hoops fans couldn’t have scripted it better if they tried – the Pakenham Warriors Big V men must win their final game of the regular season to ensure they advance to the playoffs, and the side standing in their way is none other than their neighbouring rivals, the Casey Cavaliers.
After an 18-round regular season, it’s unbelievably come down to the last day on the schedule – this Sunday, 27 July at ‘The Fortress’ – otherwise known as the Casey Basketball Stadium.
The Warriors comfortably swept aside the Coburg Giants 71-53 in front of a strong crowd at ‘The Colosseum’ at Cardinia Life on the weekend but a buzzer-beating game-winner saved Keilor’s bacon against Mornington – meaning the battle between the Thunder and the Warriors for the final playoff spot is still to reach its gripping conclusion.
Pakenham’s game against the Giants was point guard Cam Luke’s 200th Big V contest and forward Jay Richardson’s 50th and a strong team performance ensured they celebrated it in style.
Andrew Savige proved far too much for the Coburg bigs to handle, finishing with 15 points, 12 boards and three steals; while Bill Winder (16 points, 7 boards) showed a great mid-range touch and Jim Viray (14 points, 7 boards) made a real impact despite an off game from the field. John Pilkington led Coburg’s charge with 12 points and 11 rebounds but had a horror afternoon from the charity stripe – shooting just 4-9.
“We wanted to come out and wear them down by applying some more pressure in the full court,” Rogers said after the Warriors’ win.
“We weren’t doing it at the start but our movement, defensively, was quite good.
“We just weren’t really going at the right times to double and different things like that but in the third quarter when we broke it open our timing was better defensively and we were far more active.”
The Warriors know that if they make it to the playoffs this season, in the wake of everything they’ve dealt with both on the court and off, they’ll have definitely earned their spot.
“We’ve still got to beat the top team in the league on their floor to get there,” Rogers said.
“Our defense hasn’t always been consistent but when it’s good, it’s really good.
“We just need to defend against a quality team next week now.”
Sounds simple, doesn’t it?
The Warriors will take on Casey this Sunday from 2pm.
