By Hayley Wildes
With the Pakenham Warriors Youth League 2 men kicking off their grand final series against Frankston and the women also taking on Frankston for a grand final berth, it was all on the line on Saturday night.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be for the gallant Big V Warriors, who both fell in tough losses to the Blues.
The Youth League 2 men entered grand final game one riding an 11-game winning streak and in front of a vocal home crowd at Cardinia Life, got off to a stirring start.
The Warriors brought the energy they’ve become known for and Lee Belton got off to a hot start with 10 first-quarter points, including two corner triples.
At the first break, Pakenham led 25-22.
The second quarter was intense, but a 9-2 run to end the quarter gave Frankston a 45-42 lead at the main break.
The third quarter was when Frankston made their move as they outscored Pakenham 27-15.
At every Pakenham comeback attempt, Frankston answered with big buckets of their own to run away 99-78 winners.
Lee Belton (18 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists), Tom Greer (16 rebounds, 11 points) and Ned Weideman (14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals) competed hard all night.
The Warriors head to Frankston on Saturday night for game two. A win will force a game three on Sunday from 2pm, also at Frankston, while a loss will be season over.
The Youth League 2 women also endured a tough night.
At Frankston Basketball Stadium, in a do-or-die clash, the Warriors came out on fire as they hit three triples in the first 2:30 of the game to force an early time-out from the Blues.
Frankston quickly turned things around out of the time-out and Pakenham held a slender three-point lead at quarter time, 17-14.
Leading by six points with six minutes to play in the half, Pakenham looked in control as they were hitting their triples and playing great defence.
Their good work was quickly undone through as the Blues went on a stunning 18-4 run to end the second quarter and head into half time with a 36-28 lead.
With 2:23 to play in the game, the Warriors trimmed the deficit to just four points, 58-54.
Unfortunately, the Blues responded with a 6-0 run to end the game and Pakenham’s season, winning 64-54.
Sarah Thomson (14 points, 7 rebounds) top-scored for the Warriors, while Sam Neil (15 rebounds, 6 steals, 5 points, 5 assists) played an inspired game. Pakenham’s 41 turnovers ultimately proved to be the difference; allowing Frankston easy transition points and stifling their own offence.
Despite the disappointing ending, it was an incredible season for the Warriors who finished with a regular season record of 13-5. Ellie Coutts’ season was sublime, leading the team in points (12.7), rebounds (9.2) and assists (4.2).
