The Ballan Brumbies returned to the hardwood for the opening round of the Ballarat Basketball Association 2022 Championship season over the weekend.
The Under 16E Boys (White) opened their season against Wildcats Gold, missing a pair of players in play maker Xavier Winter and defensive ace Laz Agius. Without a bench, a late Brumbies fade out was a real possibility, meaning a hot start was imperative.
The boys flew out of the gates in general play. Their swarming defense led by James Prosser who picked up two of his remarkable 10 steals on the night inside the opening 90 seconds. Unfortunately Ballan were unable to capitalise as they blew easy shot after easy shot on offense.
With the occasional offensive flourish from Barney Batiste - a game high 14 points on the night - and Joe Seketa (8) barely keeping the scoreboard ticking over, it was Ballan's defense that was keeping the game tight, the team on a string with Prosser wreaking havoc. That was enough for the Brumbies to lead 15-13 at the break.
The second half saw a familiar arm wrestle as Wildcats were unable to extract any joy from Ballan's defense, the Brumbies for their part still failing to consistently convert the excellent chances they were creating. With a little over eight minutes to play, Wildcats had eked out a 25-22 lead as the Brumibes looked leggy.
Finally Ballan started to get on track offensively; Prosser and Rhys Mitchell feeding Batiste for easy buckets, Prosser converting a driving laypup under pressure and Mitchell hitting a cute baseline jumper to cap a 8-0 run that restored Ballan's lead.
At a timeout with a just under five minutes remaining, coach Jason Handrek put a challenge to James Pace - to that point unusually anonymous - to put his stamp on the match. He responded with steals and fast break layups on consecutive possessions to effectively ice the game for Ballan, who shook off their early struggles to score 17 of the final 19 points if the contest, eventually running out 39-27 victors.
U10 Boys D (White) lost to Celtic Tigers 6: 9-30
U10 Boys D (Blue) lost to Phoenix Bullets: 22-26
U12 Boys E defeated Phoenix Kings: 20-0
U12 Boys C defeated Phoenix United: 34-17
U12 Girls C defeated Drummo Dragons Black: 16-8
U14 Boys F defeated Drummo Dragons Green: 26-14
U14 Girls C defeated Sovereign Knights: 36-12
U16 Boys E (White) defeated Wildcats Gold: 39-27
U16 Boys E (Blue) lost to Wildcats Blue: 27-30
U16 Girls C defeated defeated Sovereign Knights: 34-20
U19 Boys E defeated Drummo Dragons Green: 34-29
U19 Boys C lost to Celtic Tigers 2: 40-51
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