By Justin Schwarze
After getting off to an absolutely flying start, Pakenham Warriors Youth Men were halted in their tracks, being handed their first loss of the season by a talented McKinnon side.
An extremely competitive first half saw Pakenham lead by just two as the away team, being led by Mason Fraser and Ethan Small, who both knocked down a pair of triples each.
The Cougars retook the lead in the third, as Liam Booth stamped his fingerprints all over the game.
Booth was a force on the interior, imposing himself by landing 9/15 shots from two point range while converting on 11/13 free throws.
Booth hauled in nine offensive rebounds on his way to 15 for the game and finished with 32 points.
Luke Lyngberg was excellent alongside Booth, posting 19 points on 63 percent shooting and 12 boards.
McKinnon bounced off the duo to rally to a 93-85 win, despite falling behind by eight points early in the fourth.
Riley Pollard scored 15 in his return to Pakenham’s lineup, while Aaron Small and Mason Fraser were also in double digits.
Kaleb Beveridge’s hot start carried on, posting 19 points and 17 rebounds in defeat.
The Youth League Men have a home double-header this weekend, with Ringwood in town on Saturday and Blackburn taking to the court at Cardinia Life on Sunday.
The absence of four starters due to senior call-ups hampered the Youth League Women as they were routed by championship contender Keilor, 44-123.
The Championship Men continued the trend of matchups against McKinnon, welcoming the Cougars to Cardinia Life on Saturday night for the season opener.
However, it was the visitors that got the best of the matchup, with smooth forward Remo Siman guiding McKinnon to victory.
Siman was fluid, using his size and athleticism to get to the rim and disrupt passes on the other end, shooting 10/15 for 26 points and swiping three steals.
Turnovers were costly for the Warriors, giving the ball away 19 times, while struggling from the field.
The Cougars shot well from three, knocking down 13 of their 35 attempts, putting the game well out of reach in the second half, taking home an 82-96 result.
New signing Ned Carr was fantastic for his first time in a Pakenham jersey with 22 points on 9/15 shooting and seven rebounds.
However, there was no time for the Warriors to dwell on the loss, as a road matchup with Hume City was on the fixture for the following day.
Once again, offensive issues made it hard for Pakenham to stay in the contest, shooting just 6/28 from deep as a team and being forced into 23 turnovers.
Kavione Green operated soundly for the Broncos offense, notching 31 points.
Ricardo Time was sensational and directed traffic perfectly as the Hume City lead guard, finishing with extraordinary numbers of 20 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and a highly-impressive eight steals.
The hosts won the fourth quarter 19-28 to reach a final scoreline of 87-110.
The biggest positive for the Warriors so far is the emergence of Carr, as he followed his superb performance against McKinnon with even better figures of 32 points and seven boards against the Broncos.
His fit in the frontcourt alongside big man Matt Berkec is seamless, as his use of perimeter skills and gentle touch for his frame has allowed him to space the floor and generate good looks for himself.
After an 0-2 start, Pakenham will enter its bye week with plenty of reflection and time for adjustment.
