It was the final round for our Youth League teams while our Stingrays Men and Women fight for ladder position heading into the final 2 rounds of the regular season. Check out how our teams went below.
NAVEXA DIVISION 1 MEN
Our Men have lost an absolute heartbreaker at the Geelong Arena on Sunday, going down to RMIT by 3 points. A back-and-forth game in the first 10 minutes saw the Rays hold a 3-point lead before the hot shooting of the Redbacks saw them take command as the half ended, leading by 10. In a 3rd quarter to forget the Rays offensive woes continued as the hole grew, falling behind by 18 heading into the 4th quarter. Heading to some extreme small ball, the full court pressure and fast-paced offence of Geelong put the pedal to the max as they drew within just 3 points with 5 seconds left on the clock. Going the length of the court Marc Goodwin pump-faked his way into an open top of the key 3 that unfortunately just missed sending the Rays home 3-point losers. With 2 rounds to go and plenty to play for, the team will look to regroup and take on the Bulleen Boomers in a must-win if the team wants to sniff a home final. Get down to the Geelong Arena on Sunday to support the team!
TOP PERFORMERS
Cohen Blythe 19 points 5 rebounds 3 assists 6 steals
Jack Moran 13 points 5 rebounds 2 assists 2 steals
Michael Rebula 12 points 4 rebounds 6 assists 5 steals
NAVEXA DIVISION 2 WOMEN
Our Division 2 Women have gone down by 21 to Mornington Breakers on Sunday afternoon after a rough first half from the field. Managing just 13 points through the first 20 minutes of play, it felt like there was a cap on the ring as nothing was falling for the Rays early in this one. The Women found the offensive spark in the second half to keep the game somewhat close, however, it was not meant to be as the 19-point margin was too much to overcome, with the team ultimately falling by 21.
The team will look to next week where they take on Wallan at the Geelong Arena.
TOP PERFORMERS
Abby Loughhead 14 points 9 rebounds 2 assists 2 steals
Carly Remmos 17 points 7 rebounds 4 steals
NAVEXA YOUTH LEAGUE 1 MEN
Our Youth League Men have completed their season with a tough doubleheader against two quality finals-bound opponents. Lining up at home for the last time in 2022, the team stared down the barrel of the Collingwood All-Stars. A close first half saw the team head to the changeroom down 9 after facing the tough full-court press of the All-Stars. The second half saw much of the same, Geelong were able to make a run late in the third to cut the deficit to single digits, however, some timely threes and stifling defence ultimately saw Collingwood come away 14-point winners, 61-75.
Sunday saw the team travel to Altona for the final game of the season against the 2nd placed Gators. After taking it to the Gators earlier in the season, the team was looking to cause an upset in their final outing. Finding themselves in a 12-point hole through the first 10 minutes of action, United looked to claw their way back into the game, managing to not let the score blow out. The final quarter saw the team gain a 6-point advantage on the Gators, however, it was not enough as they fell 105-97.
This now completes the teamβs season. Finishing the season in 8th place on the ladder with a record of 7-15. Throughout the season the team had many great patches and absolutely kept themselves in contention for finals, pushing the top 4 teams to the brink on multiple occasions. While it wasnβt the finale that the team may of wanted, we would like to congratulate the team on a great inaugural full season in Big V.
TOP PERFORMERS
Jack Terrill 24 points 15 rebounds 3 assists
Mitchell Donovan 13 points 3 rebounds 4 assists
Patrick Johnstone 11 points 14 rebounds
Matthew Jennings 12 points 8 rebounds 3 assists
NAVEXA YOUTH LEAGUE 1 WOMEN
Our Youth League Women have finished out their season with a heartbreaking loss by just 2 points to the Camberwell Dragons on Saturday night. Lining up on the Geelong Arena court for the final time, the girls were not going down without a fight as they clawed back a 7-point deficit in the final quarter to take the lead heading into the final 3 minutes. Going back and forth it was ultimately the Dragons who got the better of the United girls who were unable to convert a go-ahead basket to win the game, going down 48-50.
This was the final game of the season for the team who certainly showed some brilliant fight throughout the season, finishing with a 9-13 record and sitting 9th on the ladder. The girls while not always being on the right side of the result rarely were to far on the wrong side of the scoreboard, always taking the top teams to the task regardless of the result. While there will be no finals campaign for the team this season, we would like to congratulate the team on a great first full year in the Big V competition.
TOP PERFORMERS
Grace Spehar 13 points 12 rebounds 1 steal 1 block
Casidhe Green 10 points 10 rebounds 4 assists 3 steals
