Wolfpack WABL teams had their first taste of finals action with the Quarter Finals playing out throughout Perth.
The U12 Girls had 4 matchups in the Quarterfinals which is great to see! Our U12 Champs Girls were able to prevail over Warwick by a score line of 50-24. Impressive defense allowed the Wolves to hold their opponent to 8 points or less in every quarter. Next up for the Pack is a matchup with Lakeside, who we split the season series 1-1 against. Our 12-2 squad got off to a poor start, trailing 3-16 at quarter time. We mounted a substantial comeback in the 2nd half but were unable to get the game closer than 7 points, finally being defeated 36-45. That concludes a great season in division 2 for our girls! Our U12-3 Girls fell behind 6-18 at the end of the first quarter and used the 3rd quarter run to claw their way back into the game. We were able to trim the margin all the way down to 3 points early in the 4th quarter but were unable to breakthrough, taking a 44-50 loss. A bright road is ahead for this team of quality young players! Our 12-4 Girls had the early start down in Rockingham and played a close first half against Mandurah but saw the deficit balloon to 18 points midway through the 3rd quarter. The Wolves fought valiantly to close the final score to just 5 points. Unfortunately, we ran out of time to complete the comeback.
The U12 Boys saw our Champs team prevail 90-48 over the Flames. That sets up the team to play Cockburn in the Semi Finals. In the first game of the regular season, we were defeated by 15 points, and in the midseason clash, we took a narrow defeat of 6 points. They’ve handed us 2 of our 3 losses on the year so we will be looking for revenge on Sunday. The U12-2 Boys dispatched of their Slammers 1s opponent 69-40 with a trio of Angus Mills, Harrison Dytlewski and Damon Veljacich scoring in double figures. Our next opponent is Willetton 2s who we defeated by 12 and 13 points but also have lost to by 9 points this season. That should be a great game! The U12-3 Boys had their season come to close with a 61-74 loss at the hands of the Flames 2s. It was a great year of development for this team and we are very proud of them! The U12-4 boys took a 48-75 loss in the quarterfinals. They did a great job of competing in division 4 this year and we look forward to seeing their growth in the years to come.
In the U14 Girls our U14-Champs were defeated by Lakeside 46-66 to bring their season to a close. Our U14-2 Girls earned a win over Willetton Blue who they had lost the season series to 0-2. Next up in the semifinals is Senators Blue and we are looking to have the same result against the minor premiers. Our U14-3 Girls lost by just 2 points to the Lightning to bring to an end a very competitive year for the squad. The U14-4 Girls held a 28-23 lead entering the 4th quarter but couldn’t get the breaks of the game to go their way in the 4th quarter and down the stretch, succumbing to the Redbacks 32-39 in the end.
The U14 Boys had our U14-Champs team defeated by the Cougars to bring to a close a quality 2024 season. The U14-2 Boys are set to face-off for a 3rd time with Willetton Blue in the Semi-Finals on the back of a decisive quarterfinal victory 81-70 over Slammers 1s. The U14-3 Boys took a defeat at the hands of Redbacks 47-57 which leaves a bit of a bitter taste after a 11-5 season, good for 3rd during the regular season. The U14-4 Boys played an extraordinarily close game against Lakeside 3s that didn’t see either team lead by more than 6 points throughout the first half. Unfortunately, the 3rd quarter didn’t go our way and our comeback effort in the 4th quarter came up agonizingly close, losing 33-34. Well done on the season boys! We look forward to your season yet to come.
The U16 Girls Champs team had their work cut out for them with a 4-5 matchup against the Redbacks. We were able to hold onto a 56-54 win setting up an exciting semifinals game. The U16-2 Girls used a 21-9 3rd quarter to put some distance between themselves and Willetton to lay claim to a 46-40 upset win in the 3-6 quarterfinals. The Wolfpack will get a crack at making the grand final with a win over the Hawks in the semis. The U16-3 Girls were defeated in the quarterfinals, despite a consistently good season in 2024.
In the U16 Boys age group, the U16-Champ Wolfpack boys were defeated 77-92 despite 21 points from Owen Baker and 17 from Joseph Lolham. The U16-2 Boys were defeated 67-90 at the hands of Lightning 1s. The team did a great job throughout the year of competing in a very strong and deep Division 2 competition. The U16-3 Boys move on to play the East Perth Eagles in a semi final contest at Wally Hagan. The quarterfinal win was never in doubt with a 42-18 lead at halftime, working towards a 92-56 victory. The U16-4 Boys did it the hard way after building a 16 point lead at halftime, their counterparts in the Hawks, came back to tie the game at 80 in the final minutes. James Arnatt would score the decisive basket to give the Wolfpack the win and the opportunity to matchup with the top-seeded Eagles in the Semi Finals.
The U18 Women suffered a pair of difficult losses. Our U18-2 Women Green saw their season come to a close with a loss to Hills Raiders. Our U18-4 Girls were ousted by the 3s of Hawks. The U18-Champs Women looked to really be in for a tough game, trailing 0-11 after the first 5 minutes of play. Credit to the team’s resilience as they were able to end the 1st quarter down just 3 points. They were able to flip the script and establish a 12-point lead headed to halftime and never looked back, cruising to a 89-54 win. The semi finals will see a familiar foe in the Warwick Senators
The U18 Men took on some tough opponents in the quarterfinals. The U18 Champs Men came up against an in-form Suns team and were eliminated from finals contention. The U16-2 Boys had a rollercoaster of a game against Redbacks. In the waning moments were able to cause a critical turnover but we were unable to convert in transition as the final horn went off, giving a 62-64 final score to the Wolves in a game that seemed destined for overtime. The U18-3 Boys were defeated by Redbacks 80-100 even though there was no margin in the 1st, 2nd and 4th quarters of the game. The 16-36 3rd quarter proved decisive in the demise of our U18-3 Men. The U18-4 Boys had their hands full with the Raiders 2s. Leading by just 4 points entering the 4th quarter, the Wolves mustered a 34-14 run in the 4th quarter to provide the final margin of 97-73. That sets up a semi finals clash against Slammers 3s for a chance in the Grand Finals.
The U20 Men triumphed in the Champs Division with a spirited performance against Suns. The energy that this team defended with and the unselfishness throughout the team was great to see. Liam Young and Keegan Schrick were chief among those that were loud and intimidating in the front court. Max Bennett made big plays including steals, blocked 3s, and tough finishes through contact. The win puts the Wolves on a collision course with the Cockburn Cougars as each team is looking to punch their ticket into a Grand Final.
The U21 Women took a bit of time to get started, trailing 11-12 early in the 1st quarter. Then it all started to click for the Wolves who were able to manage a 53-19 halftime lead and win going away, 100-42. Next up for the Wolves is the only team to defeat them this season, the East Perth Eagles.
Best of luck to all our teams competing in the Semi Finals! We will have many Wolves teams in action at Bendat, Wally Hagan, and Willetton on Sunday. It should be a very exciting day of hoops!!