WAVERLEY FALCONS 66 dft HUME CITY BRONCOS 56
WAVERLEY Basketball Centre hosted an absolute thriller on Saturday night – a testament to grand final basketball.
It was a game of two halves with Hume City controlling the first and the brand belonging to the Falcons in the second.
It was all Bronco from the tip-off with a respectable shooting percentage of 46 compared to Waverley’s 23 in the first quarter testament to the 20-14 score.
The theme continues into the second quarter, as the visitors continued to lift to hold a comfortable 13-point lead at the major break.
It was Hume City bountiful supply of options in the first two terms which enabled the half-time blow-out – a factor the Falcons were determined to change for the remainder of the game.
It was different Falcons outfit which took to the hardwood in the second half - this was thanks largely to Lill Kean’s eight points and six boards for the quarter, the momentum reducing the buffer to just four points.
As the two sides entered the final quarter, the contest became tight – the relentless Falcons continued to surge.
The Broncos, under pressure, made some crucial errors with Waverley making the most of the opportunities at hand.
With only three lead changes and two tied situations, the Falcons managed to come up with the goods despite holding the lead for only five minutes of game time.
The Falcons finished off strongly, keeping their opponent to just 10 points, more than doubling their score to hit 24 points for the term to take a 10-point victory and game one of the grand final series.
Sharin Milner was Hume City’s best, hitting a team-high 13 points and giving away seven dimes with swift hands puling in four steals.
She was supported well by Naomi Pedro who showed her presence with 12 points and six boards, with Lauren Bennet hitting 10 points and Elyse Penaluna adding nine points and eight boards.
For the Falcons, the turn-around was helped by Suzi Porter’s game-high 20 points, with Julie Brookhouse hitting seven from seven from the bonus line on her way to 13 points.
Lill Keane was dapper to hit 10 points and pull-in eight boards, with Kathleen MacLeod hitting none points.
Action moves to the Broadmeadows Basketball Stadium Saturday night (August 16) when the Falcons try to repeat Saturday night’s outcome. Tip-off 7.30pm
Hume City's Sharin Milner takes it down the court with Waverley's Julie Brookhouse in tow. (PIC: John Noonan)
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