By Russell Bennett
For Brent Russell’s Pakenham Warriors Division 2 men’s basketball team, there are two key words that have the potential to define their season – championship mentality.
It’s a term they’re building their season around, and it’s a term they keep coming back to during games. It’s what drives them and keeps them on track.
On Sunday – after having dropped a close one the night before away to the Sherbrooke Suns 84-82, and their Round 9 home clash on 20 May to Craigieburn, 85-78 – the Warriors were in a hole.
The Mornington Breakers had endured an out-of-sorts start to their season, but the proud club sensed the opportunity to move forward by claiming a big scalp – with the Warriors one of the ladder-leading sides.
Leading 14-4 halfway through the first, and with the Warriors playing without star skipper Ben Gaze and lights-out shooter Rob Maartens, the Breakers could smell the blood in the water as they went in for the kill.
They seemed far too strong for the Warriors in transition on the offensive end, while praying on the home side’s turnovers.
But the Warriors came to life in the second – getting the contest back on their terms through a combination of pure grit and toughness, and smarter offensive execution.
After trailing 23-18 at the end of the first, Pakenham led 37-35 at the half on a buzzer-beating layup off an offensive board from big man Josh Bjelan.
In the rooms at the main break, Warriors coach Russell implored his men to keep crashing the glass and keep pushing the ball in transition while keeping their cool defensively in the at-times chippy affair.
Physical Warriors guard Mike Godfrey has long had a reputation of willing to put his body on the line for the cause, and the weekend was no different. Entering the contest with a bump below his eye already, Godfrey suffered a nasty cut to the head during the third term. He’d already drained two big-time threes for the quarter, and refused to be down and out – instead coming to the bench only to be taped up so he could return to the action. It’s the type of toughness that coincides with the Warriors’ championship mentality.
Pakenham led 60-48 with just a quarter left to play and ultimately ran away with a commanding 32-point win, 86-54 after holding the Breakers to a staggering six points in the final term.
While Bjelan finished with a near double-double with 17 points and 9 boards, stand-in skipper Brad Bridgewater pulled down 9 boards of his own, and Brad Szalek (12 points and 4 boards) had a huge impact on both sides of the ball as did Trent Lee, Craig Drew, and Lee Belton (playing in his second game of the day). But it was offensive-minded guard Nick Ross who proved the game-winner, finishing with 24 points on 57 per cent from the field and 44 per cent beyond the arc.
Earlier on Sunday, Belton played the role of a flame thrower on the offensive side of the ball for the Warriors’ Division 2 Youth League men’s team – lighting Mornington up for 33 points on 12 of 19 shooting and five of 10 from deep in 40 breathtaking minutes on court.
The Warriors led by just one point, 39-38, at half time and the two sides continued to go back and forth through the third.
Some outstanding ball pressure throughout the last kept Pakenham ahead in the physical game before the Warriors ultimately closed it out 77-61.
Matt Berkec was a strong presence on the glass for the home side, picking up 10 rebounds, while Tyrone Tonkin finished with 12 points and 8 boards, and big Lewis Newman 8 points and 8 boards.
In the first game of Sunday’s triple-header at The Colosseum, Pakenham’s Youth League Division 2 women’s team lost to the Breakers by just eight points, 65-57. Ellie Coutts had her struggles from the field but continued her outstanding season to date, recording yet another stat sheet-stuffing triple-double with 13 points, 11 boards, 10 steals, 3 assists, and 2 blocks.
The Youth League women’s side, which currently sits third in the standings behind the Casey Cavaliers and Sunbury Jets, will this Saturday host Sherbrooke at Cardinia Life from 5pm. Simo Pajdic’s Youth League Men’s side has the weekend off, while Russell’s senior men’s side hosts Camberwell – also on Saturday – from 7pm.
