By RUSSELL BENNETT
THE Pakenham Warriors basketballers took to their Cardinia Life home floor on Saturday night with heavy hearts. They would no longer walk out next to star shooting guard, and this season’s MVP favourite, Jeff Reid, who was forced into retirement following a horrific knee injury sustained the week before.
It was the most bitter of pills to swallow for a side already missing floor general Jay Ferriere, yet they battled on like all true Warriors do.
For the second consecutive week, the boys from Pakenham were up against a top-two opponent hell-bent on cutting them back down to size, and for the second consecutive week, they showed real courage – this time pushing the Keilor Thunder to the brink in a 65-62 defeat.
Reid was leading Big V Division 2 in scoring with 18.2 points per game when he went down last week, but the Warriors still had James Topp (averaging 16.5) to try and counteract the scoring punch of Thunder big man Matthew Jukes.
The visitors packed the paint on the defensive end in the first quarter, and exploded on the fastbreak at any given opportunity. It was a tough combination for the Warriors to handle, as they were forced into taking early jumpshots.
With Pakenham down 0-9 to start the game, the deficit was fast becoming an ugly one.
But big man Jay Richardson displayed his impressive passing skills and superior court vision to find the speedy James Magrath on a cut to the hoop for the home side’s first points.
Both continued to have a real impact for the rest of the contest, combining for 30 points and 21 rebounds.
But the Thunder’s biggest weapons simply wouldn’t be denied, with Jukes, Peter Leppik (14 points and 10 rebounds), and Brent Radoslovic (10 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists) the stars of the show.
The Thunder led 31-25 at the half and opened the third with some impressive three-point shooting. But with the Warriors upping the ante with their defensive pressure, Keilor began to wilt – giving the home side the chance.
James Topp proved lethal on the fast break with his ability to finish around the rim, while Daniel Stow nailed a pair of huge three-pointers to keep the side well and truly into the contest into the final quarter.
The Warriors hit the lead with just over three minutes left in the game, to the raucous applause of the home crowd. But some crucial missed free throws down the stretch and more than the odd questionable call from the referees saw the Warriors fall just short.
Warriors coach Ryan Rogers was again thrilled with his side’s, albeit luckless, endeavour.
Pakenham, sitting in third on the Division 2 ladder, will next face local rivals the Casey Cavaliers in a huge derby this Saturday night from 8.30pm at Cranbourne Basketball Stadium.
