By RUSSELL BENNETT
THE Pakenham Warriors men’s Big V basketballers couldn’t return to the playoffs this season despite finishing with the best win-loss record in their history.
But the youngsters in the Warriors’ Melbourne Metropolitan Basketball League (MMBL) side have taken their place in the spotlight for the time being as they prepare for their preliminary final tonight (Wednesday) against Collingwood.
The Warriors’ MMBL side is made up almost exclusively of teenagers – in fact everyone but coach Ryan Rogers is 18 or under.
They lack tall timber down low but have forged a reputation on their shooting prowess and tonight they’ll need it as they face Collingwood, which finished on top of the Winter Premier ladder with 15 wins from their 18 games.
Collingwood is set to enter a team into the Big V competition next season and it’s expected its inaugural squad will be made up largely of its current MMBL side, which will take far more experience into tonight’s clash against Pakenham.
The Warriors finished third on the ladder with 13 wins but Rogers, who also coaches Pakenham’s Big V men, said the last couple of weeks of the regular season “were a bit of a letdown”.
Still, Pakenham did win its Round 16 clash by two points against Collingwood, 44-42, which is sure to give them confidence heading into their big final. The winner will advance to the decider on 20 August.
The Warriors lost to Waverley 1 in a qualifying final shootout, 98-92, but fought back to defeat Warrandyte 2 by 11 points in the semis.
Pakenham’s own Big V men didn’t qualify for the MMBL finals – they had to play at least six games throughout the season.
While Pakenham takes on Collingwood in the second preliminary final tonight, Waverley 1 will face the Warrandyte Venom in the earlier game.
Rogers said Waverley was the team to beat, adding; “They’ve got a very unique game style and they shoot the ball particularly well from the perimeter.
“They put points on the board fast.”
Rogers said the Warriors had “a really good core of kids” coming through their ranks and it was crucial to invest as much time in their development as possible.
Pakenham will face Collingwood tonight at the Waverley Basketball Centre in Chadstone on Court 1 from 9pm.
