By RUSSELL BENNETT
THE Pakenham Warriors Big V Men’s Youth League 2 basketball side is on track to create its own slice of history and reach the playoffs in its inaugural season.
Simo Pajdic’s group currently sits fourth on the ladder but is locked in a three-way tie for the second spot behind a powerhouse Mornington outfit.
The Warriors’ latest win came on Sunday in a thrilling overtime battle with Western Port, which Pakenham ultimately on 84-78.
The Warriors were missing James Till (nose) and Tyler Hogg (glandular fever) but Aidan Jenkinson stepped up on both ends of the floor in just his second start – playing a whopping 39 minutes. He and Tom Greer were arguably the side’s two biggest difference-makers, with Greer battling through early foul trouble to nail two crucial jumpers late in regulation.
Tobie Dean led the Warriors with 24 points on 8-17 shooting, while Jimmy Magrath finished with 18 – including a clutch 10 of 13 from the charity stripe.
Though he has struggled at times with his free-throw shooting, Magrath showed nerves of steel on the weekend and Pajdic said that went a long way to securing Pakenham an all-important win. The Warriors still won despite Western Port making more field goals.
Not only did Pakenham make an impressive 80 per cent of its total free-throw attempts – including 10 of 12 in the decisive overtime period – the side also turned the ball over just 13 times to the Steelers’ 22.
Pajdic admitted that his side’s current ladder position was ahead of his pre-season expectations, with the group having developed at an impressive rate of knots in year one.
“We had an expectation to really challenge sides and maybe make the finals,” he said.
“It’s been a really successful season for us so far and it definitely holds us in good stead for next season.
“We thought we might make the finals but to sit equal second on head-to-head as a first year team – that’s almost unheard of.”
To make the Warriors’ situation even brighter, Pajdic also played two bottom-agers on Sunday – Cody Fredrickson and Dylan Jenkinson.
Pakenham will look to finish in the top three of the division with a series of particularly winnable games still to come.
But the news wasn’t all good for Pakenham’s elite sides on the weekend, with the Division 2 men suffering a bitterly disappointing loss at home to Oakleigh, 63-58.
Pakenham opened up on an 8-0 run and led by 10 at quarter-time before a five-minute cold streak to start the second brought the visitors back into the contest.
Jeff Reid’s group struggled to defend the mid-range and ultimately their paint defense broke down at key stages in the second half. Some key turnovers and ill-advised shot selection also let the Pakenham boys down.
Meanwhile, the Warriors’ Division 2 women’s side is still searching for its first ever win after going down by 41 points to the Casey Cavaliers, 85-44.
This week, Reid’s Division 2 men head to Altona to face the home side from 3pm on Sunday, while Darren Thomas’ women’s side hosts Melbourne University at Cardinia Life from 7pm on Saturday. Pajdic’s Youth Men’s group hosts Maccabi in the battle of the Warriors from 5pm on Saturday.
