The trend continued this week when the Championship Men headed down the Freeway to meet the newbies to the league, Corio Bay. The Stingrays were coming off a strong win last week on the back of standout import Eric Williams and have become known for their parochial home atmosphere. The Falcons came in with a business like attitude however and everyone was in on the act as they poured in 103 points en route to a 16 point win. Ivan Platenik was the man about town once again with 28 points, Bennie Lewis was up to his usual tricks with 23 and the Falcons had six players register double figure points. Sedale Threatt was at his floor-general best with 11 points and 12 assists as the Falcon train starts to gain momentum in 2012.

The State Championship Women met their old friends from McKinnon in a game which had garnered plenty of attention during the week. If the podcast was anything to go buy, Callum Chambers has some jokes, also both coaches had their minds focused solely on coming away with the win rather than the storylines others were focusing on. Both teams certainly looked purposeful early as the Cougars got to know the midrange jump shot well, while the Falcons showed their superior speed in getting to the rim. The first half was a chess game, move for move all the way, with the Cougars taking a slim three point lead to the main break. The third quarter saw the Cougars use their physicality and experience to full advantage as they established what turned out to be a match winning lead. The Falcons hinted at a run during the fourth, but the Cougars held all the cards down the stretch, inflicting a 27 point loss on the Falcons.

Despite the score line, the Falcons showed plenty of positives on a day when their normally reliable outside shooting couldn’t seem to get on track. Georgia Stirton was electrifying in the point spot, Caitlin Hindle found some range early and Taylor Dickinson battled valiantly against Alex Lough in the paint.

Before the Falcons and Cougars reacquainted themselves however the Youth Men took on the Hawthorn Magic in a ripper game. With the lead bouncing back and forth in the final period, the Falcons found themselves six points behind with just two minutes remaining. Some big shots and some cold blood from the free throw line helped the Falcons reclaim the lead and finish the game off at the defensive end. Joseph Acuil was a force inside, complimenting his double-double with a massive seven blocked shots.

Across Waverley Road at Oakleigh Rec Centre on Sunday the Youth Women faced the Melbourne Tigers. Although these teams battled out last season’s Grand Final, across the two teams only one player who took part in game two of that series was on hand in this one*.The Falcons were looking to make it two in a row after their win in Geelong last week, and the early signs were encouraging as they took a four point lead after the first quarter. Things got a bit tougher for the Falcons after that, surrendering the lead at the half and scoring just six points in the third quarter, before eventually going down by 33. While no Falcon managed double figures, young guard Maria Nomikoudis was a bright spark with nine points and nine rebounds.

Everyone plays Diamond Valley this Saturday Night. The Men have a double header at home while both Women’s teams are on the road.

*Fun Fact #2: The only player from last season’s Grand Final to play on the rematch on Sunday was Melanie Ioannidis, who played just over a minute in game two.