By Hayley Wildes
In Round 7 Big V basketball action, the Pakenham Warriors recorded a pair of huge wins and a tough loss.
The Division 2 Men suffered a 72-85 defeat at the hands of the Wallan Panthers.
The Panthers were too good down the stretch, keeping the Warriors at bay as Wallan’s Luke Liesegang poured in 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and Kane Molloy produced a triple-double of 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
Pakenham were led by Joshua Bjelan (22 points, 7 rebounds), Hayden Davey (16 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) and Brad Szalek (13 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists).
The Warriors now sit fifth on the ladder with a 5-4 record.
The Youth League 2 Men torched the Mornington Breakers on Saturday evening at home.
The Warriors dominated on both ends of the court from start to finish, running out 105-55 winners. In what was a great team effort, there were some simply sublime individual performances too.
Lee Belton (31 points, 4 rebounds) was unstoppable from deep as he connected on 7/9 shots from beyond the arc. Matt Berkec was just as impressive and stamped his authority on the contest with a massive double-double of 28 points and 19 rebounds.
Thomas Greer (16 points, 7 rebounds) and Ned Weideman (14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals) also made the most of their chances.
The Warriors are currently on a five-game winning streak and boast a 6-2 record.
The Youth League 2 Women also recorded a monster win over the Breakers on Saturday night.
Fuelled by a 19-2 second quarter, the Warriors piled on the points and their defence stood firm as they cruised to an 89-41 win.
Ellie Coutts (12 points, rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals) put on a show as she has done all season long and was well supported by Georgia Hillard (17 points) and Chloe Maas (13 points).
The Warriors’ hot start to the season sees them boast a 6-1 record and they will be looking to make it four wins on the trot when they face the winless Sherbrooke Suns this weekend.
The Division 2 Men have a bye in round 8, whilst the Youth League 2 Women and Men play a double-header at Cardinia Life on Saturday night from 5pm.
