CPL Round 4
U16 Men Maitland Report
Coffs Harbour Suns Under 16’s Men’s Country Premier League team started their 4th Rd in fantastic form which set the platform and secured their finals birth, also including a position to play in the Waratah State Championships where they will compete against the best in NSW.
Game 1 against Maitland Mustangs saw the team dominate right from the start with Nowel Musa scoring in transition, combined with Luke Scott’s outstanding defensive and offensive rebounding proving too strong. Captain Mitch Mihai led the way top scoring with 19, Nowel 17 and Luke 17 for an easy win 90-45 to secure their finals berth.
Game 2 saw a physical encounter against the top team Newcastle Hunters. The boys lapse in concentration lost them the 1st quarter 11-23 which meant they had to dig deep to stay in contention. Cooper Patricks helped motivate his teammates defence along with Ethan Smith to maintain composure till the end. Newcastle was too strong on the day winning 74-43.
Game 3 …. The Coffs Suns were impressive right from the start and were competitive both ends of the court against a strong Illawarra Hawks outfit. They endured the physicality to only be down 4 points at half time 24-28. Cody Woods’s impressive shooting kept the boys in reach until late in the last quarter whilst Ben Griffiths helped put his team back on track with exciting scoring opportunities created by great defence from Luke Scott and Cody Woods; unfortunately the final result doesn’t reflect the quality of the team’s performance 54-69.
The boys entered game 4 battered and bruised as they were determined to try and even things up from Rd 2 against a dominant Western Reds side. Whilst the team’s game plan suffered a few setbacks Nick Markham kept them alive with his long range shooting alongside Mitch Mihai who also contributed valuable points. Noah Stevens worked hard on the boards with another outstanding performance from Luke Scott. In the end they went down 50-68 again proving the importance of maintaining focus for the whole game.
Coach Connie Woods was impressed with her team’s overall performance and is now expecting hard work from the boys in preparation for finals.
Photo: Cody Woods and Ben Griffiths on defence against Maitland
18 Women Maitland Report
The 18 women were faced with the tough task of having to win 4 from 4 games over the weekend to ensure a top 4 position to attend the finals in August. The first game up against Newcastle Hunter saw a great first quarter by the Suns with Ellie Hewitt asserting her leadership and controlling the tempo of the game from the get go. Piper Bourke was dominant under the boards whilst Emily Crampton ensured the 69-59 win was in the bag with yet another great offensive performance coming away with 31 points followed by Ellie with 28.
The second game was going to be the big one for the Suns coming up against Gosford Rebels who are at the top of the table, a team well known for their highly accurate shooting. Rachael McGinniskin found her range inside and Gosford were having trouble containing her, whilst Hannah Sambrook and Aysha Hardaker worked hard defensively containing the quick paced rebels. Unfortunately the girls went down 77-59 in the end with foul trouble hurting the Suns and unfortunately unable to contain the precise outside shooting of the rebels.
With a late 8.15pm game against the Maitland Mustangs to finish out a tough day for the girls, Sophie Lemin and Kyara Dickens proved invaluable coming off the bench to step up and put some spark back into a tired team. A great team effort saw all the girls dig deep and contribute to the solid 84-53 win.
Sunday saw the final game of the rounds against a tall Southern Blues outfit. The game began a bit to slow for the girls with some lapses in concentration, an injury to Piper Bourke and foul trouble for Rach Mcginniskin. Fortunately for the Suns Annalise Barnett and Bailey Garrells came in and filled some big shows pulling in rebounds and containing the Blues talls, whilst Emily Crampton again found her range and the girls pulled away for a 69-44 win.
The 18 women's league was close fought all season which can be seen by the fact the top position ended in 3 teams been tied with the same amount of competition points and the girls came in 5th position narrowly missing out on a place in the top 4 by a mere 3 competition points off top place. However the girls have guaranteed a fourth spot position into the State Championships been held in Hawkesbury the end of August due to a top 4 team been a composite.
Determined to make a mark at the state championships the girls will be training hard in the coming month to prepare as best they can. Coach Ash Markham and assistant Drew Williams have been extremely happy with the season so far, the team consists of 9 bottom age players with Ellie Hewitt leading the team as Captain in her last junior season and show great prospect for the competition in 2016.
Photo: Rachael McGinniskin, Piper Bourke, Sophie Lemin, Kyara Dickens, Emily Crampton, Ellie Hewitt, Aysha Hardaker, Bailey Garrels
16Women Newcastle Report
The opening game of the CPL weekend for the Coffs Harbour Suns under 16s women was against Newcastle. Newcastle while sitting at the top of the ladder with only one loss over the season, the Coffs team was the team which beat them in a previous round. The Suns approached the game with confidence and were playing well in the first half - the scores were locked at half time. Newcastle gradually wore the Suns down by sinking vital free throws and executing their offensive plays resulting in easy baskets. The end score 66 -51. Although Coffs came away with the loss, the competitive match-up between the two teams is promising for the Suns in the finals.
The second match up of the weekend was a crucial game for the Suns in making the final 4. This match up was against Gosford who were sitting in fifth position. The Suns were determined to get the win and came out firing in the first half. Strong team work, sharp shooting and an intense defensive effort saw the suns take the game convincingly 84-58. This win secured their ranking in the top four for the finals weekend in August.
The third match up for the day was against a tall side from Albury who had beaten the Suns in the previous round. Three games in a single day, is a tough ask for any team to compete to the best of their ability. The game was a battle of fitness and mental toughness with the Suns managing to edge ahead in the final minutes winning by 4 points - 53-49.
On Sunday the Suns had to back up and play a fourth game against Illawarra. After not much sleep, some injuries and a team full of sore bodies the Suns lost in what should have been a 3rd win for the girls. Coach Kate Harland hopes the girls will learn from this loss and remain 110% focused in all of the games when fighting for the winning title in August.
The suns will face Albury again in the semi final on August 15th in Gosford. Coach Kate Harland says “the team has plenty of preparation work to do in the lead up to finals. We need to work on game fitness, breaking down zone defences and maintaining our defensive intensity for the entire game”. “The girls have a really good shot at the title this year. We have beaten every team in the final four. The team has a lot of depth and talent, the girls need to step up and believe they can win it”.
Front - Isobel Martyn, Bre Hoy, Liv Hewitt, Bri Gee
Middle – Serena waters, Lily O’brien, Ash Fasala, Whitney Martin
Back – Alyssa Sambrook
U14 Women – Coaches Justin Baldwin, Troy Jeffriess. Players Jada Brunton, Shavannah Boota, Alana Hoy, Emily Pavey, Sarah Fahey and Brianna Malouf
