By RUSSELL BENNETT
THE new-look Pakenham Warriors have made a strong start to 2015 following their first practice games of the year on Saturday night.
The Division-2 Big V men pushed the Division-1 Geelong Supercats to the brink, before falling short by the narrowest of margins 67-66.
The Warriors’ women, meanwhile went down to Frankston 38-29 in their first competitive hit out on the eve of their debut Big V season.
The men’s team, coached by former Pakenham star Jeff Reid, started strong to trail by just a point at half-time in a scrappy contest.
Athletic forward Hayden Davey and guards Craig Drew and Savin Lopez returned from last season’s team, while former Warriors’ point guard Jay Ferriere also returned to action. It’s not yet certain whether or not Ferriere will suit up for the Warriors in the season proper, but his performance on Saturday night was definitely an encouraging sign for both he, and the team’s fans alike. He played 30 minutes at the point guard position, while newcomers Paul Phillips and Simo Pajdic also impressed with 11 and 10 points respectively.
While the first practice game for the season is mostly about dusting off the cobwebs and logging on-court minutes, there were plenty of positive signs about Pakenham’s play.
The team is stacked with a combination of height and athleticism, and while fans will clearly see an up-tempo style of offense throughout the season, it was its defensive effort that would have pleased them most.
“I was just really happy with the intensity of the guys throughout the whole game,” Reid said soon after the final buzzer.
“They (the Supercats) were a bigger squad but we didn’t get monstered by them so I was really pleased with that as well.”
Reid said newcomer Mike Godfrey was particularly impressive in his first game for the club, while for the Warriors’ women Jamie Armstrong (9 points and 6 rebounds) and Kylie Thomson (9 points and 5 rebounds) were the standouts.
