Wow! After 20 weeks of matchups and storylines, the championship games for both the Men and Women came to a head on Tuesday night as all 4 teams looked to take home the Winter 2022 crown and etch their names into the trophy for immortalization. With a big crowd forming for both games and plenty of support for all the clubs involved, it was great to see that championship basketball is well and truly back at Geelong United! Check out how the two games unfolded below in the final review for 2022!
Championship Women
PIVOT v WILDCATS
Coming in major underdogs, the Wildcats knew that they would need to pounce early to have a shot at taking down the very well-rounded Pivot side. The first quarter saw both teams struggle to open up the scoring as shots were not falling consistently for either side.
Through the first quarter, it was the Wildcats who held the 4-point advantage, 11-7, as an uncharacteristic scoring slump extended into the half-time break for Pivot, who found themselves in a 7-point hole, down 31-24.
A halftime speech from coach Brendan Matthews sparked Pivotβs interest in the game somewhat as they locked in defensively but were unable to get the scoring going on the other end, only managing to reduce the deficit by 2.
With 10 to play Wildcats were looking like they might cause a 3rd upset in a row to take home the trophy in 2022, however, Pivot had other plans as they finally broke the drought in a dominant quarter to outpace the Wildcats by 12 with an 18-6 quarter.
As the final buzzer sounded it was Pivot in front who were able to take the win from behind 52-45, claiming their spot on the trophy this season!
Despite the somewhat low-scoring affair, it was a great battle from both teams, with Sarah Elsworthy leading the way with 15 for the Wildcats, while Eve Braslis and Raini Matthews both poured in 14 for Pivot.
Congratulations to both teams on a terrific season, we cannot wait to see them all back on the court for the Summer season!
Championship Men
WILDCATS v CC EAGLES
In a rematch of the qualifying final, Christian College was out for revenge after a tough final second steal saw them lose in OT, forcing them to compete with YMCA for their chance at redemption. Taking care of business they came into this one knowing what they had to do to win, and boy did this game exceed expectations.
A battle through the first 10 minutes saw both teams take swings at each other, with the scoring coming early and often, through 10 the Wildcats had gained a 1-point advantage with the Eagles right behind them looking to pounce.
A second-quarter slip saw the Wildcats create a 10-point lead heading into half-time behind some hot shooting from the Wildcats backcourt, while the Eagleβs star shooter Nathan Freind struggled to get going in this one.
The Eagles closed the gap to 7 through the 3rd quarter however were unable to get on a roll offensively enough to close the deficit any further than that.
With 10 to play it was looking like it was going all the Wildcats way before a late push saw the Eagles tie the game up with just minutes to play.
The cool and calmed collection of Wildcats Veterans however were more than capable of handling the pressure as they were able to forge ahead in the final 5 to take the 7-point win 76-69.
Gatlin was impressive as ever in this one with 24 points while big man Liam McInerney led his squad with 23 of his own.
Congratulations to both teams on an extremely entertaining finals series and regular season, we look forward to seeing them on court for Summer 2023!
