Several Wolfpack WABL teams had an opportunity to win a Semi Final game to punch their ticket into the Grand Finals. Here are some results!
The U12 Girls Champs team faced off against a balanced and talented Lakeside Lightning opponent. The opposition presented quite a few problems with shifty guards, and some interior players that were tough to handle in the rebounding game. It was the type of game where it felt like the game was in the balance of the result of each possession from the beginning to the end. It was a nervy start for both teams and it was the Joondalup side that seemed to have some momentum towards the back half of the 1st quarter. Alyssa Grosvenor seemed determined to have an impact and was not afraid of the moment whatsoever, scoring important baskets to end the 1st quarter and start the 2nd. Ava Turner put her imprint on the game with a terrific left handed finish in traffic. Nearing halftime the Wolves seemed to be doing well throughout the 2nd, nursing the small 2-4 point lead well when Lakeside took the lead in the blink of an eye, going into halftime up 24-20 on the Wolves. Lakeside built upon the advantage in the 3rd quarter and the lead swelled to 10 points with 3 minutes remaining in the 3rd. This time, it would be the Wolves that would close the quarter with an important run, with Aisling Fernandez and Aya Moustafa factoring into an 8-0 run to bring the deficit to just 2 points entering the 4th. Aya Moustafa was a menace, blocking shots in halfcourt and transition, marauding in transition with speed in critical moments in the 4th. Neither team led by more than 2 points until Aisling Fernandez put the Wolfpack up 46-42 in the final minute and the Wolves got to celebrate when the final buzzer went off. It was a terrific win and a credit to the team for showing resilience at the end of the 3rd quarter. Up next, Willetton in the Grand Final.
The U12 Boys had the Champs and the 2s advance into the Semi Finals. The U12-Champs Boys were able to build a handy 6-point lead by halftime but had that lead swiftly cut to just 1 point by Cockburn early in the 3rd quarter. While Andre Kallis and Kamron Makawa each had 16 points in the contest, the contributions throughout the team were really impactful. Sid Ramavarman and Heath Grinceri each had critical baskets in the 4th quarter to put the lead out to an insurmountable one. Micah Matacz and Blake Waycott-Alalid provided timely defense and rebounding while converting their interior chances as well. Ultimately it would the ballhandling of point guard duo Josh Epple and Kamron Makawa that kept the Wolves out of messy offensive possession and turnovers that proved to be decisive in the victory. The U12-2 Boys matched up with a quality side from Willetton. Despite an even 1st quarter, the Tigers took the lead in the 2nd quarter behind strong interior defense and transition offense. Raphael Munikah did his best to draw out the forwards of the Willetton side, putting down 5 made 3s in the contest, but it wasn’t enough for the Wolves as they were unable to equalize the game after the run they suffered in the 2nd quarter. It was a great season for Jed Veljacich and company and we look forward to their continued development in 2025.
The U14 Boys had the U14-2 boys square off against Willetton and unfortunately we were unable to win the possession battle based on turnovers and rebounds. Some early shooting by Griff Gardiner and Michael Van Blitterswyk kept the pace for the Wolves but we were still down double figures as the 2nd quarter came to a close. It was never a game that got all the way away from the Wolves but we were unable to bring it back to a 5-6 point deficit. Credit to Richard Watt on his teams performance throughout the year!
The U14-2 Girls relished a matchup with Warwick in the Semi-finals. Similar U12-2 Boys, it was an even game aside from the 2nd quarter where critical turnovers and rebounding provided a sore spot for the Wolves. Unfortunately, that tends to be the harsh reality of finals basketball, 1 run in the game can prove to be the difference.
The U16 Girls had each of the U16-2s and U16-champs enter Semi-Finals. The U16-2s had a nip-and-tuck game against Perry Lakes. In the middle of the 4th quarter, Lily Nimmo scored an and-1 and a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions to bring the Wolves from down 6, to level. A couple of baskets went down for the Hawks and trying to claw back in the game saw the Wolfpack lose by a 72-83 margin which doesn’t tell the tale of the truly close game that it was. Congratulations on a terrific season and we look forward to 2025. The U16-Champs girls jumped out a 15-5 lead over Warwick but saw that lead cut to just 4 points at the end of the 2nd quarter. The 2nd half stayed a back-and-forth contest with the game in the balance but down the stretch the Wolves just could seize a large enough lead and ended up losing 56-58 as they were unable to get possession in the last 15 seconds after first trying to trap and then trying to foul.
In the U16 Boys had the U16-3s and U16-4s qualify for the Semi Finals.The U16-4s matched up with the 1st seeded Eagles. In the season series, the Wolves won by 23 and lost by 17 setting up a big clash! As fate would have it the Wolves would lose the 2nd and 3rd quarters by 16 and 13 points respectively. We were unable to build any sort of momentum to make a comeback. The U16-3 Boys built a 15-point lead at halftime with the inside-outside combo of Oli Toms and Aiden Jones providing much of the scoring. Aiden Keily also came up big with tough buckets as the Wolves won going away 105-82. The Grand Final against Warwick Green is sure to be a nice spectator spectacle!
The U18 Men had the U18-4 Men remain unbeaten as they defeated the Slammers 91-66. They look to come out victorious over Warwick in the Grand Finals, facing a team that they have defeated by 2 points and 5 points in their two encounters this year. It’s sure to be a thrilling contest and we are excited to see our Wolves come out on top.
The U18 Women had our U18-Champs team qualify for the semi-finals. We had a tough time building momentum out of the gate but stabilized to a 6-7 deficit from the middle of the 1st quarter through the middle of t the 2nd. Our opponent caught a 7-0 run to extend our deficit to 13 heading to halftime. We closed the gap once again to just 7 points but gave up a 6-0 run to finish the 3rd quarter. Similar to our U14-2 girls, the one big run in the 2nd quarter proved to be too costly. Credit to Chris Bassett and his team on the work they did this season and we look forward to supporting them at Hoopsfest.
The U20 Men matched up with top-seeded Cockburn and had a nice stretch to end the 2nd quarter up 3 points. The 3rd quarter run by Cockburn was unmatched by the Wolves and the game came apart a bit. This team was a pleasure to watch all season as they competed with a great sense of team spirit and energy.
The U21 Women were able to amend their only loss of the season to the East Perth Eagles winning, 91-65. Each of Ananya Tushir and Keisha Chng knocked down 4 3-pointers in the game. With the win, the Wolves advance to Grand Finals against the 2nd seeded Southwest Slammers on Saturday night.
Best of luck to all our teams competing the in Grand Finals! We have games on Saturday night and throughout Sunday as we look to come out on top