GAME ONE NBL GRAND FINAL SERIES –PERTH V WOLLONGONG
PRE-GAME
It’s Friday night basketball at ‘The Jungle’ in Perth, what better way to spend the night than catching the action on Fox Sports. The series should be closer than what many pundits are predicting it to be. It’s too hard to work out who is going to win the matchups on the floor; they are all of superb quality. My key matchup for the series is the Tragardh/Redhage battle in the paint. They are both prolific scorers who can turn any match on its head. Perth should win this series because of their home court record but Wollongong will be no easy beat. I’m known to be a bit of a punter and if I was having my money on this one, I’d be all over the Perth 1-10 winning margin. Bet responsibly!
GAME TIME
The NBL couldn’t be more pleased with the crowd that has turned out. It looked even better all dressed in red, as Gaze put it, “it looks like a sea of red, BT”. The game started out at a frantic pace with Saville, Campbell and Redhage all opening their final series accounts with a three. Early in the first quarter it was Redhage being aggressive on the offensive end and Damian Martin hassling the living hell out of Rhys Martin. Damo’s aggressive defense forced a substitution and the Wildcats looked to have won a mini battle early. However the Hawks lost nothing with Luke Martin coming on the floor and doing a good job. Both coaches looked to mix up their lineups with all benches being emptied to get everyone some finals action. With Gordie and Bevo both choosing not to use a timeout in the first, the quarter was done in no time. Hawks trailed by five at the break, 20-15.
The Wildcats started the second quarter with a bang; Galen Young exploited the Hawks big guys with his speed getting to the hoop with ease. A Wagstaff three ball capped off a 9-0 run in 1:34. This forced McLeod to call a time out and talk things over. Rhys Martin hit a three to stop the bleeding, not only did the Hawks need that, so did Rhys. The Hawks were ripe for the taking, only scoring five points in the first five minutes, but with Perth being careless on offence it actually allowed the ‘Gong back in the match. Luke Martin was extraordinary in the first half finishing with 10 points; he played with so much confidence and poise. On the other side Luke Schenscher was a waste of space on offence finishing the half with no points or rebounds and three turnovers. A hair cut may help ‘Big Red’.
Gordie was full of praise for his side at half time when he spoke with Gaze about the second quarter comeback, “we got a better handle of the atmosphere and intensity”. When asked about what the Hawks have to do in the second half he said “we have got to stay aggressive, knock down shots and value the basketball.”
KEY MATCHUP: Redhage 10 – Tragardh 0
The third quarter started just as the first had done, Lisch hitting a three and than Davidson responding with one of his own. The Hawks finally hit the lead with 6:26 on the back of a pair of free throws by ‘The Saviour’. However Lisch, the man with ice in his veins, nailed a three to put Perth back up by two. Lisch is a playoff baller, he plays with so much passion and intensity and hits big shots when his team needs him most. Cattalini also looked comfortable out on the floor in a big match hitting a jumper and playing hard on both ends of the floor. The shining light for the ‘Gong in a lackluster third quarter was rookie Tim Coenraad who hit his fourth three of the night. The quarter ended with the Wildcats leading 57-53.
The crowd needed to be woken up after a dismal third quarter, and what better way to do that than a couple of early baskets from Young and Campbell. Young (11 points, 7 rebounds) really showed his inside/outside game tonight, muscling his way into the paint from the post and driving his way in from the perimeter. Brad Robbins played some great minutes during the third and fourth coming up with some big defensive and energy plays. He looked absolutely spent when he got subbed and really a coach can’t ask for more than that. With Tragardh and Davidson struggling all night, Glen Saville’s fourth foul with 7:40 remaining felt like the white flag was rising. Instead of sitting up and cheering on his teammates, Saville sat on the bench like he was at Bondi Beach. The Hawks need guys like Sav and Tragardh to give the younger guys a boost, not look like you’re cut because you’re on the bench.
The fourth quarter went on much like the third. The Wildcats were very sloppy on offence allowing the Hawks to stay in the match. But with 1:21 to play and the Cats up by five, Galen Young found a wide open Damien Martin behind the three point line, who made no mistake in finding the bottom of the net. That would have to be one of the biggest shots Marto has ever made. The game was out of reach for the ‘Gong who finished the last four minutes with only two points. There were so many stupid plays made by the boys from the Illawarra. The Wildcats took out the match and a one game lead in the NBL Final Series 75-64.
After the match Gaze got a hold of Redhage who was extremely happy to take out game one, “I have to take my hat off to the ‘Gong, we had to battle for that one.” Bevo was over the moon and told Gaze that “we have nothing to lose in game two; we are going to go for it.”
KEY MATCHUP: Redhage 15pts, eight rebounds - Tragardh five pts, nine rebounds.
How is Wollongong going to play away from home? Will the Wildcats’ lack of experience in a final series catch up with them? These questions will be answered over the next three games and will eventually decide who the 2010 NBL Champion will be.
