By Jonty Ralphsmith
Pakenham has locked in top spot on the Big V youth league two ladder with a clinical 113-44 win over Southern Peninsula.
A 13-2 finish to the second quarter effectively iced the game, extending the margin to 33 as Pakenham’s experience and strength shone through from the outset.
Steals and dunks were themes of a dominant third quarter, which contained a 20-point run.
An Ethan Small steal started it off, with Kaleb Beveridge the beneficiary after an 11-point first half.
Then it was Hayden Melsen, with the steal, fast break and first dunk of his Big V career.
Aaron Small followed that up with a steal and layup and then the uber-reliable Beveridge got his second dunk of the quarter.
Overall, the Warriors finished with 16 steals to four, relentlessly punishing their inexperienced opponents’ clumsy ball handling.
Kaleb Beveridge led the scoring with 21 points, while Luke Rawiri scored 13 off the bench in his return game.
The size of the Warriors was also too much to handle as they finished with 54 rebounds to 30, and gave themselves 10 more repeat looks than their opposition.
A pair of Ethan Small threes late in the game capped off the clinical win.
Undefeated 18 games into the season, Pakenham is set to face a sterner test against Western Port on Saturday, with Jarred Small likely to return from injury.
