With just five players, the Alpine Hotel Penguins held out a late fight back from Spics n’ Specs in their semi-final match on Tuesday.
Spics n’ Specs went into the second quarter trailing by one point in what was shaping up to be an evenly contested match. By the end of the third term Alpine Penguins had surged ahead to lead by 12 points despite having no subs on the bench. The Penguins were working the ball well as a team and sinking their shots.
Sam Gubicak had a great game with 23 points and really made an impact in the final quarter shooting five consecutive baskets giving the Penguins the upper hand. Vo Tran was dangerous each time he had the ball in open space scoring 19 points including three, three pointers. Ben Rolfe made an impact under the hoop for Spics n’ Specs securing rebounds at both ends as did Mark Adams for Alpine Penguins. Pat Swain scored 12 points and was strong driving the ball to the ring as was Corey Tucker who scored 10 points with solid lay up plays and break aways.
In the second half Spics n’ Specs’ Simon Clear came out firing with 12 points for the half, including two, three pointers.
A late surge by Spics n’ Specs with Swain and Clear sinking a couple of three pointers lifted the team and brought the score back to within five points with two minutes lefts on the clock. But the Penguins were able to hold out Spics n’ Specs and take the game 64-55.
Fat Cutz and Biga Boys
Fatz Cutz came out on top in a nail biting finish against Biga Boys in their semi-final match up on Tuesday. After trailing for the majority of the match, Biga Boys’ Daniel Pevere tied the match in the final minutes of the game with a perfectly placed three pointer.
With scores locked at 40 all and just a minute left on the clock, Fatz Cutz responded with a couple of quick baskets putting them ahead by four points. Spectators were on the edge of their seats as the Biga Boys had the opportunity to close the gap when sent to the free throw line on two occasions.
But as the final buzzer sounded it was Fatz Cutz who claimed the victory and secured their spot in the grand final next week against the Alpine Hotel Penguins.
The semi-final was hard fought with the Biga Boys stepping up their game. Biga Boys came out firing from the start of the game with Martin Stockl putting the first points on the board. Stockl went on to score 22 points in a fantastic team effort. Stockl was not only solid at the hoop he was formidable in defence with a number of critical steals and rebounds. Damian Boyes and Louis Hoskinson were also strong under the ring backing up and contesting the rebounds.
Ben Dowton’s height proved to be a critical factor in the Fatz Cutz win, with Dowton rejecting a number of shots, securing the rebounds and scoring 12 points. Damien Assanovski was once again strong under the ring while Creedance Bartlett and Blake Barrett combined well to put points on the board for Fatz Cutz.
