By Justin Schwarze
Pakenham Warriors Youth League Men have well and truly made themselves heard, putting the league on notice by absolutely shredding their first two opponents to open season 2025.
On season-opener day, Pakenham made the long trek up to Bendigo to face the Braves.
A dominant defensive performance followed, as the visitors forced Bendigo into an egregious 31 turnovers.
Mason Fraser was electric, knocking down nine of his 15 shots on his way to a game-high 27 points.
Other Warriors players in double figures were Jye Horne, Cooper Lanting and Aaron and Ethan Small.
The final scoreline was a dominant 102-62 result on the road, a statement win to begin their campaign.
However, there was not much time to celebrate or even digest the performance, as it was straight on the road for a 2pm game the following day at Cardinia Life.
At the Warriors’ season launch, Pakenham welcomed Melbourne University for the Black Angels’ first game.
One word can be used to describe the defensive pressure implemented by head coach Braden Venning’s men; suffocating.
There was absolutely no room to move for Melbourne Uni, with the hosts repeatedly getting into the passing lanes and stripping drives, turning it into points on the other end.
At the end of the first, Pakenham led 31-18.
Venning instructed his players to execute a full-court press, making life increasingly difficult on the Black Angels ball handlers.
This forced Melbourne Uni to operate their sets late into the shot clock, and the scoring dried up.
The visitors couldn’t match the energy or intensity, still struggling to take care of the basketball.
At the other end, captain Kaleb Beveridge absolutely punished single coverage, navigating his way to a first half double-double of 13 points and 11 boards.
The Warriors were nearly doubling the visitors on the scoreboard at the half, with the margin ballooning to 57-29.
The third period was more of the same, but Lanting inserted himself into the game.
He was a spark plug off the bench, adding an ultra-efficient 27 points, going 9/13 from the field and 4/5 from deep.
Despite logging 426 kilometres the day before and on the second-leg of a double-header, Pakenham’s defence was just as stifling in the second half.
When the final buzzer was sounded, the Warriors had forced an unbelievable 40 Black Angels turnovers.
A 36-point final frame from the hosts left the final scoreline at 120-66.
Pakenham enjoyed a number of contributors, with Jake Meagher, Horne, Beveridge, Lanting, Fraser and Aaron Small all in double digits.
“One of the goals we set at the start of the year was to be the number one rated defence again,” Venning said.
“It’s good to see all the work we’ve been doing come to fruition over a weekend like that to create 71 turnovers.
“That’s 71 extra possessions for us, we put a heavy weight on defence because even if our offensive game isn’t on point if we’re stopping teams from scoring we’re in with a shot to win every game.
“We make sure we give up good shots for great shots, we move the ball and we find the best shot for each other.
“We learned a lot from our grand final loss last year, we took stock and we reviewed and we installed some things that will stand us in good stead going up and competing at higher levels.”
Fraser was one of the standouts for the weekend, going 8/16 from deep in the two games.
With some players out, he took the opportunity of being inserted into the starting lineup.
“I’m really proud of him,” Venning said of Fraser.
“To see him step up and step into a starting role with people out of the squad, it’s really good to see him have results like that.
“He’s really letting the game come to him, and the guys are finding him in the right spots, he’s not forcing anything, he’s just playing the right way.”
Beveridge was at his usual best against Melbourne Uni, finishing with 19 points and 15 rebounds.
He supplied the Warriors with energy and leadership, with two big dunks exciting the home crowd.
“He plays the game the right way, he’s happy to do all the little things for us and we find him,” Venning said.
“He’s going to log a lot of minutes in games where he really needs to but he’s also really happy to let others shine when the moment comes, so he’s a fantastic guy to be coaching and he really makes my job easier as a coach.”
