Grand Final – Game One 16 August 2008
Sherbrooke Suns 102 dft Waverley Falcons 76
THE Sherbrooke Suns dominated every facet of Saturday night’s game, led for 45 minutes and secured a critical away-win in game one of the best-of-three grand-final series.
The final result, a 102-76 win to the Suns, allows them the luxury of returning to their home floor with a win in the bag. With an unrivalled commitment to defence and a balanced offensive attack, the Sherbrooke Suns seem to have all the ingredients to back up a game-one win with one more at Monbulk Secondary College next Saturday night.
Game one began just the way Sherbrooke intended Saturday night as the away side established an early lead and forced the Waverley Falcons into 22 per cent shooting in the first quarter and a miserable 17 per cent in the second. With David Black, James Denton and Dale Rohrmann all chipping in offensively, the Suns ran out to a 55-34 half-time lead.
In the third, with game one slipping away, Waverley came out with a renewed fire. Holding the Suns to just 20 points for the quarter, the Falcons were able to narrow the gap and be within 18 at the start of the fourth.
With the home crowd fuelling the Falcons’ third-quarter run, Sherbrooke came out in the fourth and blew the game wide open. With Jake Spruhan knocking down three’s and David Black getting to the line, the Suns had enough offense to carry them to victory.
With the win, not only did Sherbrooke prove they have what it takes to claim the title, they also proved they have well and truly bought into coach Jason Manton’s defensive philosophy.
David Black led the Suns charge with 19 points and 10 rebounds and Dale Rohrmann continued his strong rookie season with 17 points and 11 boards. James Denton, Sherbrooke’s perennial leader, shot 60 per cent from the floor on his way to a controlled 18 points and four boards.
For Waverley, shooting percentages and turnovers amounted to too few points. Re-building before game two is now a must.
Dejan Kostur’s 11 points and 10 rebounds and Andrew Kelly’s nine points and 18 rebounds led a Waverley side with only three players reaching double-figures. Elias Polioyiannis, who averaged 19 points per game this season, continued his struggle against the Suns this year and failed to score in double figures for the first time all season.
With plenty of heat between these sides and a championship on the line, Sherbrooke can be assured that Waverley will put up a fight in game two next Saturday night.
Game MVP: David Black and Dale Rohrmann (Sherbrooke Suns)
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