By Jonty Ralphsmith
One down, one to go.
The Pakenham Warriors senior men have secured a 1-0 lead in its semi-final series against Altona with a tight 82-72 win.
There were momentum swings throughout the men’s game, but a big finish got it done for the Warriors.
The big guns for Pakenham all stood up, with Joe Davis, Joshua Dow and Trent Lee all playing more than 30 minutes of game time.
Davis (22 points, six rebounds) and Dow (22 and five, and a plus-minus of 14) were particularly influential for the Warriors.
Pakenham went into quarter time trailing by 12 points but made it an arm-wrestle after that.
They won the second and third quarters and after the men claimed the lead halfway through the final stanza, they did not give it up.
The visitors were back within a point at three-quarter-time and it was close for most of the final quarter, but Pakenham always had the slight edge.
Eleven points in the last 70 seconds for Pakenham, as Altona scrambled, beefed up the final margin to 10 points.
Pakenham is now in prime position to make the grand final series with the second game – and third, if required – to be played at its home fortress in front of a big crowd.
Get down this Saturday night to support the Warriors.
