BASKETBALL
CHELSEA Gulls have kept the pressure on first place Shepparton Gators with a victory over the Bulleen Boomers in Men’s Division One Basketball on Saturday.
Travelling to East Doncaster Secondary College to take on the eight placed outfit, the Gulls went in as strong favourites for the clash.
Chelsea started off the contest on the right foot, taking a five point lead into the half time break.
Although the Boomers remained in touch with the Gulls, Chelsea quickly killed the game with a dominant third quarter, as they ran out victors (85) to (96).
Chelsea captain Corey Standerfer had another brilliant game for the Gulls, as he bucketed a whopping 37 points, shooting at 76 percent accuracy and at 80 percent accuracy from the three point line.
Matt Brasser also contributed with an impressive 22 points, which helped the Gulls get over the line.
Chelsea currently sit equal on wins with Shepparton, however the Gators have the added advantage of a game in hand.
At David Collings Indoor Leisure Centre, Western Port Steelers hosted Warrandyte Venom as they looked to continue their good run of form.
Warrandyte came into the contest looking to present a challenge, and proved no easy task for the Steelers in the first stages of the game.
The seventh placed Venom got the game underway with an impressive first quarter, as they took an 11 point lead into the first break.
Despite their early domination, the Venom were quickly put on the back foot by Western Port, who bounced back and looked comfortable. An incredible third quarter in which the Steelers outscored the Venom 22 to 6 was the final nail in the coffin, as Western Port eventually claimed the win (85) to (61).
The win cements the Steelers comfortably in fourth place and sets them up well for the rest of the season.
It was an impressive all around team performance by Western Port, who had four players register point tallies in the double digits. To nobody’s surprise, Dylan Travis was again the star for the Steelers, as he dropped 27 points and won an impressive 13 rebounds.
Western Port will face a tough task next weekend as they take on fifth place Warrnambool Seahawks.
In Men’s Division Two action, the Southern Peninsula Sharks claimed a vital over Sherbrooke Suns to keep their season alive.
With just two wins separating second place from sixth place, any loss from this point on could prove a death blow for the Sharks, but they worked hard to gain a victory over the Suns.
The Suns sit just above last place on the table, and the Sharks had little trouble dealing with them. Southern Peninsula went into the half time break with a commanding 21 point lead, and Sherbrooke Suns could do little to stem the flow of points.
Sharks superstar Colin Voss had an unusually quiet game, but his teammates made up for it with impressive displays, with Ben James leading from the front with 25 points.
Dave Smith also had a big game for the Sharks, as he won 13 rebounds in an impressive display.
In Division Two Women’s Basketball, the Mornington Breakers overran the Sherbrooke Suns to stretch their run of wins to three consecutive games and steady their shaky start to the season.
Last placed Sherbrooke went into the clash with just one win to their name, but looked competitive in the first quarter.
Mornington were shocked to go into the first break one point down, and responded brilliantly with a stunning second quarter in which they outscored the Suns 27-11.
Although the Suns continued to fight, the damage had already been done, and the Breakers ran out with a comprehensive (67) to (77) win.
Ashleigh Wright again top scored for Mornington with 22 points, while Erin Ludwick was also impressive with 21 points of her own.
