By Hayley Wildes and Russell Bennett
Sometimes, just sometimes, basketball is more than a game – it’s an avenue to bring a whole community together for some of the most important of causes.
On Sunday at Pakenham’s Cardinia Life stadium, that cause was raising vital funds for the fight against Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Leah Bryant’s son Zach plays in the Warriors’ under-12.2 side. They lost a husband and a father when Leah’s partner Craig lost his battle with MND in 2011.
Since then, she has worked tirelessly to campaign and raise crucial funds for the battle against what MND sufferer Neale Daniher calls ‘the beast’. As of Tuesday this week, ‘Craig’s Crew’ had staggeringly raised around $20,000.
On Sunday for a MND ‘Big Freeze’ double-header, the wider Warrior family banded together with ‘Craig’s Crew’ to help their own – for a cause close to their hearts.
Those who attended the clashes bought Big Freeze socks, beanies, and even warm-up tops – while a variety of other items were also available by way of a silent auction.
In a busy weekend on-court for the Warriors, there were mixed results across the board.
The Division 2 Men hit the road to take on Sherbrooke at Belgrave Heights on Saturday night. A dominant first half by the Warriors yielded them a 25-point half-time lead.
It was a determined Pakenham group that refused to let any costly second-half fadeouts surface as it ran away with a ruthless 95-63 victory. Hayden Davey (19 points, 10 rebounds), Ash Szalek (17 points, 6 rebounds) and Tim Mulhall (9 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists) led the Warriors home in a great team effort. One of the clear standouts of the show on the Saturday was young wing Liam Jones, who finished with 14 points in less than 15 minutes of action courtesy of a perfect 4-4 from beyond the arc.
Unfortunately, the Warriors couldn’t follow up their fine work as they fell to the Southern Peninsula Sharks at home on Sunday afternoon. The Warriors fell behind early and couldn’t fight their way back from a 15-point quarter-time deficit, eventually falling 95-84 in a highly entertaining, physical contest. Ben Gaze (26 points) and Brad Szalek (16 points, 7 rebounds) led the way for the Warriors, who sit seventh on the ladder with a 7-7 record. Each time they made a run throughout the contest, the Sharks seemed to have the answers just when they needed them most – despite a stellar offensive display from Gaze, who scored 24 of his points in the second half.
The Youth League 2 men, meanwhile, took over in the final quarter against Chelsea at home on Saturday afternoon to claim an important 92-75 win.
In a thrilling battle for the first three quarters, the Warriors led by two points at the final break, before outscoring the Gulls 27-12 in the final period.
Lee Belton (18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) and Ned Weideman (16 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals) were outstanding for Pakenham. The win sees the Warriors solidify fifth position with a 10-6 record.
The Youth League 2 women had a disappointing outing against the struggling Werribee Devils. In a game that, on paper at least, loomed as a straightforward win, the Warriors were outplayed and struggled to get their offence going, falling to the Devils, 75-59. Despite the loss, Ellie Coutts (13 rebounds, 11 points, 5 steals, 3 assists, 3 blocks) was her usual dominant self.
Round 13 Big V action sees the Division 2 Men travel to Mildura to face the Heat and the Youth League 2 Men also hit the road to face Keysborough, both on Saturday night. Meanwhile, the Youth League 2 Women welcome the Mornington Breakers to Cardinia Life at 6pm on Saturday night.
