Sale Sonics had a busy weekend, hosting a doubleheader in Round 8 of Country Basketball League.
Sonics faced the wrath of Moe on Saturday night, and then Lakes Entrance on Sunday afternoon at Gippsland Regional Sports Complex.
The sun shone brightly through the windows of GRSC on Sunday afternoon as Sale Sonics Women took the court for their second game of the weekend.
Sitting one step above Lakes Entrance on the ladder, Sale entered the game complacent; failing to start off with a bang, which saw the Sonics trail the Pelicans 18 to 15 at the end of the first quarter.
A slightly more determined Sale returned to the court for the second quarter, regaining some control over the game, showcasing fast and fluid court movement as they transitioned from defence into offence.
Sale’s significant improvement in the second term emphasised the team’s dangerous potential, but while the Sonics dominated play, particularly in their defensive third, shooting accuracy was awry.
Although the Sonics missed more shots than they got in the second, Jemma Birss sunk an impressive three-pointer from the sideline, so impressive even Pelicans spectators nodded their heads in admiration.
Briss was the highest point scorer on the court, providing 27 points to the Sonics’ final score.
Young gun workhorses Tayli Dimarco and Ashley Centra joined Briss in stealing the show for the Sonics, demonstrating solid all-round abilities from strong defensive pressure to accurate shooting.
Centra amassed 17 points across the four quarters and Dimarco 16.
Sale Sonics retired to the change rooms at the end of the second quarter for a much-needed break, trailing the Pelicans 32 to 28.
Sonics shifted into gear as they returned to the court for the game’s second half, unaffected by their opponents’ physicality.
By the end of the third, Sale had stolen the lead in a high-scoring quarter, accumulating 25 points to Lakes Entrance’s 11, and headed into the fourth leading by 10 points, 53 to 43.
To spectators, the final quarter more resembled rugby league than basketball, as bodies hit the floor with such violent force vibrations rippled beneath the wooden floorboards, shaking spectator stands.
Lakes Entrance attacked hard; Sale Sonics’ defended harder. Teams fought tooth-and-nail as the clock ticked away, each second more precious than gold.
Sonics held on tight in the last quarter to claim a 10-point win, the final scoreboard reading 70 to 60.
Sale Sonic Men were to follow, taking the court for the second time over the weekend, with sights set on winning their first match of the season.
Warming up, the Sonics looked raring to go, almost frighteningly organised, as they moved fluidly around each other, running through their respective drills.
Despite the impressive-looking warm-up, Sale got off to a slow start, and while the Sonics looked like the dominant team, by the end of the first quarter, they trailed Lakes Entrance 13 to 11.
Jake Hutchins and Finn Boag carried Sale in the first, relentless in defence and offence, exhausting extensive efforts throughout the entire quarter.
Sale’s Josh Butcher also caught the eye; while his shooting accuracy was inconsistent, his speed and on-court collaboration with Hutchins and Boag was a force to be reckoned with.
The Sonics entered the game with a clear height advantage over Lakes Entrance, with the expectation of Elijah Berry, who was possibly the shortest man on court; it’s hard to tell exactly from the sidelines. But as the saying goes, it’s not about the size of a man but the size of his heart that matters, and Berry certainly showed a lot of heart on Sunday.
Minutes into the second, Butcher made a steal, breaking away and thundering down the court towards Sale’s basket. Lakes Entrance’s defensive third was barren, with no man in sight.
Butcher winds up for a layup, but instead of shooting a hoop, he fumbles the ball, hitting himself in the face. The Pelicans descended on Butcher, pounding their way back down the court. Sale’s Harper Fraser joined.
Frantically trying to regain control of the fumbling ball, Butcher managed to pass the ball to Fraser, who moved graciously through the Pelicans’ defence, effortlessly placing the ball in the hoop.
Lakes Entrance retaliated straight away; they were not going down without a fight.
Blood was drawn with five minutes left in the second quarter, as Lakes Entrance’s James Russell, whose nickname should be pogo stick with the height of that man’s jump, landed face first on the court’s wooden surface.
Despite another game of seriously questionable umpiring, Sale remained calm, at least the players on the court did, as red-faced spectators clenched their fists and bit their tongues, some walking away from the game before saying too much.
As Lakes Entrance’s Alex Jerkins swept his hair away from his face for what seemed like the millionth time, Boag put Sale back in the lead in the final minute of the second.
Sonics shot another basket before half-time, retiring to the change rooms with a four-point lead, 30 to 26.
Sale maintained the lead throughout the final two quarters, totalling 16 points to Lakes Entrance’s 14 in the third, and 13 to nine in the fourth.
After seven straight losses, Sale Sonics Men finally claimed a win, beating the Pelicans 59 to 49.
Sale Sonics were not as successful against Moe on Saturday night, with the women going down to the Meteors 79 to 49, and the men losing 103 to 90.
