By David Nagel
Sporting teams in Pakenham are performing quite admirably this year as we take a lockdown look at the current situation in basketball, soccer and baseball in 2021.
The Pakenham Warriors have four elite teams that compete in Big V Basketball, a massive organisation that has 12 competitions running on a weekly basis.
The Warriors highest-ranked team is Division One Women’s – the second-highest level of competition in Big V behind Championship Women.
The Pakenham team has done wonderfully well this year, building from a middle-of-the-road 2-2 start to the season to now sit in third place on the ladder with a 7-3 record after winning five of its last six matches.
The Warriors have a nice spread of scoring options with Keeley Patterson (11.1 points per game), Taylor Jones (10.5), Sarah Slater (9.4) and Tarryn Wilkin (9.2) all having a big say in their team’s recent run of form.
Slater (7.9 rebounds), Wilkin (6.8) and Steph Pal (5.9) have been crunching the boards this season while Jacinta Maxwell (2.5 assists) and Slater (2.2) have great pleasure in assisting their teammates.
In Men’s, the Warriors compete in the third-rung of competition – Division Two – and currently sit in ninth place with a 4-7 start to the season.
The Warriors started poorly, winning only one of their first six games, but have bounced back with three wins from their last five outings.
Alistair Parker (18.2 points per game). Josh Dow (16.5), Nathan Dodgson (14) and Hayden Davey (13.6) have dominated the scoring this year, while Parker (9.1 rebounds), Jake Spruhan (8.1), Dodgson (7.4) and Davey 6.8) have hit the boards at either end of the court hard.
And the Warriors have one of the best distributors in the competition, with Trent Lee offering 4.9 assists per game to sit in third place in the league.
The Pakenham men’s and women’s youth teams compete in the secondary division two competition, with both teams currently sitting in fourth position.
The youth men’s team has built a strong platform with a 6-4 start to the season, while the youth women’s team has been outstanding – having an 8-2 record to be one of four genuine title contenders.
Lauchlan Mark (19.9) and Josh Norton (10.1) have averaged double figures in scoring for the men, while Norton (8.7) and Dylan Jenkinson (7) have been the best rebounders in the team.
Jenkinson (3.4 assists), Norton (2.8) and Michael Johns (2.6) have also dished out plenty of love to their teammates.
For the youth women, Alahna Arnason (15.4) and Tyla Scorah (10) have led scoring, and also dominate the rebounding efforts with Arnason (12.3) and Scorah (6.8) joined by Louise Karajic-Powell (6.7) and Beth Quadara (6) as the main contributors in that department.
In soccer, Pakenham United is the in-form team in the Men’s State League 5 South competition, winning its last four games in impressive fashion to move to third-place on the table.
The Cougars, who only won three games for the entire season in 2019, started with two wins from their opening five games but have fought back with a combination of hard-fought victories and devastating performances.
Consecutive triumphs over Mt Martha (3-0) and Rosebud (4-1) – in rounds seven and eight – showed the Cougars have the strike-power to trouble any opposition this year.
The Cougars don’t rely on any one striker to get the job done with Dusko Erkalovic 4, Dallas McNeill 3, Samuel Adeyinka 3, Albert Mambo 2, Cameron Sayce 1, Lado Suliman 1, Micah McGill 1 and Zain Ahmad 1 all hitting the back of the net this year.
And the Pakenham Pumas have been more than competitive in the Dandenong Baseball Association (DBA) this season, with both the B1 and B2 teams currently sitting in the top four.
The B1 team, who play in the third level of competition behind A1 and A2, have shown some great signs this season, highlighted by a 22-5 victory over bottom-side Boneo.
The Pumas are currently on a loss-win-loss-win rollercoaster ride and will be desperate for back-to-back wins when they finally emerge from lockdown.
The B2 team has won five of its six matches with its only loss coming against top-of-the-table Cheltenham in round five.
The Pumas showed enough that day to be confident they can turn around that 8-2 defeat and lift their already lofty ranking of third place on the ladder.
The Pumas were dominant in their most recent game, holding Chelsea scoreless in an impressive 12-0 victory.
PAKENHAM WARRIORS – BASKETBALL
RESULTS
DIVISION ONE WOMEN
Rd1 March 14 Western Port 61 v Pakenham 71 Win
Rd2 March 20 Pakenham 66 v Craigieburn 54 Win
Rd3 March 27 Chelsea 61 v Pakenham 44 Loss
Rd4 March 28 Pakenham 76 v Mildura 87 Loss
Rd5 April 17 Bellarine 56 v Pakenham 70 Win
Rd6 April 25 Pakenham 66 v Warrnambool 58 Win
Rd7 May 1 Pakenham 74 v Western Port 64 Win
Rd8 May8 Pakenham 57 v Warrandyte 52 Win
Rd9 May15 Craigieburn 62 v Pakenham 45 Loss
Rd10 May22 Pakenham 63 v Camberwell 51 Win
DIVISON TWO MEN
Rd1 Wallan 86 v Pakenham 68 Loss
Rd2 Maccabi 78 v Pakenham 66 Loss
Rd3 Pakenham 66 v Craigieburn 64 Win
Rd4 Pakenham 70 v RMIT 112 Loss
Rd5 Altona 77 v Pakenham 72 Loss
Rd6 Pakenham 81 v Wangaratta-North East 95 Loss
Rd7 Mornington 67 v Pakenham 79 Win
Rd8 Pakenham 69 v Whittlesea 78 Loss
Rd9 Pakenham 92 v Altona 76 Win
Rd10 Craigieburn 85 v Pakenham 58 Loss
Rd10 Pakenham 93 v Melton 88 Win
YOUTH LEAGUE TWO MEN
Rd1 Wallan 79 v Pakenham 81 Win
Rd2 Maccabi 74 v Pakenham 55 Loss
Rd3 Pakenham 100 v Melton 91 Win
Rd4 Keysborough 116 v Pakenham 88 Loss
Rd5 Pakenham 91 v Sunbury 61 Win
Rd6 Pakenham 79 v Albury/Wodonga 62 Win
Rd7 Mornington 94 v Pakenham 82 Loss
Rd8 Pakenham 91 v Whittlesea 71 Win
Rd9 Sunbury 70 v Pakenham 72 Win
Rd10 Coburg 82 v Pakenham 73 Loss
YOUTH LEAGUE TWO WOMEN
Rd1 Western Port 51 v Pakenham 81 Win
Rd2 Pakenham 70 v Blackburn 38 Win
Rd3 Pakenham 71 v Albury/Wodonga 60 Win
Rd4 Collingwood 84 v Pakenham 74 Loss
Rd5 Pakenham 76 v Southern Pen 65 Win
Rd6 Pakenham 61 v Wallan 45 Win
Rd7 Pakenham 75 v Western Port 63 Win
Rd8 Melton 50 v Pakenham 80 Win
Rd9 Coburg 75 v Pakenham 70 Loss
Rd10 Pakenham 85 v Mornington 60 Win
