Sunday, 19th June, 2011

The WheelKings faced the Razorbacks for the second time this weekend but were unable to repeat the win, losing 80-57. Sydney Uni were without star forward Koen Jansens who dominated yesterday's match with 41 points. His absence due to Dutch national team commitments was too much to overcome although several of the younger players stepped up.

 

The game opened with both teams playing tentatively and missing easy shots around the basket. The WheelKings pressed up the court on defense causing a number of turnovers but couldn't capitalise at the other end. They still held a 13-12 lead with 2 minutes left in the quarter but a 7-0 run saw the Razorbacks go into the firsrt break up 19-13.

Sydney Uni hung in there for much of the second quarter but were losing the battle of the boards against their much bigger opponents. The Razorbacks were dominating in the paint and extended their lead at the half to 36-24. 

16 points was the margin with 4 minutes left in the third quarter before a 10-2 run courtesy of CJ Grogan and Kylie Gauci made the game competitive again. CJ Grogan in particular was playing out of his skin hitting baskets from all around the court. However, costly turnovers by the WheelKings allowed the Razorbacks to again assert control and retain a comfortable 56-44 lead going into the final term, ultimately winning the match 80-57.

Coach Hewson was pleased with the effort his team gave today although he conceded, “at times we lacked the intensity to contain their bigger players.”

For the WheelKings, Grogan led all scorers with an impressive 30 points along with 10 rebounds and 4 steals. For the Razorbacks, they dominated with their big three of Andrew Tarrant (23 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists), Nick Taylor (20 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists) and John McPhail (15 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists).

 

Click here for FULL MATCH STATS

 

Photo: CJ Grogan on his way to a game-high 30 points (photo courtesy of Maxwell Illingworth)