By Jonty Ralphsmith
Pakenham’s men set up a victory over Southern Peninsula on Saturday with a big first quarter.
A 31-15 first quarter set the tone and they kept the foot to the throttle in the second, extending the lead to as much as 24 which never looked seriously threatened.
The final 10-point margin in the 100-90 win was as close as the visitors got after quarter time.
Josh Dow and Joe Davis were productive on the scoreboard as usual, combining for 57 points.
Pakenham got out of the blocks just as quickly the following day in a 121-78 smashing of Bulleen.
Dow and Davis combined for 55 points the following day.
Rob Dielemans’ women’s side, meanwhile, got a 73-58 win over Camberwell.
They won the middle two quarters 41-15 which gave them a massive lead heading into the last quarter, before Camberwell got some consolation points.
The following day was the inverse for Pakenham against second-placed Bulleen as they scored just 11 points in the middle two quarters, putting the margin at 33 points going into the final break.
70-36 was the final score.
The youth league women proved far too strong for Geelong United on Saturday, winning 99-73.
They backed up the following day but were narrowly edged 66-60 by Bulleen, unable to overcome a three-quarter-time deficit due to a poor start in the last.
Hayley Letts’ 13 points and 12 rebounds were important in the first game of the weekend, before Tyla Scorah’s 21 points the following day.
A big last quarter propelled the youth men to an 82-73 win over Sunbury.
The Warriors went into three-quarter-time two points down after a tense tussle in the third quarter put the fancied Sunbury back in the contest after Pakenham had got on top in the second quarter.
Scores were level with four minutes remaining, before Pakenham scored 16-7 thereafter.
Cooper Lanting sunk 18 points to go with four important steals, including three in the last stanza.
His strong game follows the announcement last week that he had been accepted into Dawson University in Montana.
To read the Gazette’s feature on his journey, turn to page 82.
