Coach Luke Beard has hailed the maturity of his roster after the Navexa Geelong United men survived a thrilling elimination final to keep its Big V Youth League One Men’s championship hopes alive.
United held its nerve down the stretch to defeat Camberwell 100-99 in a high-octane clash at Geelong Arena on Saturday night to book a meeting with Hume City for a spot in the grand final series.
“I’m really proud of the mental side of our game,” Coach Beard said.’
“The fact that it was so close for the whole time, and they kept coming at us, and we held our nerve down the stretch.
“There were a couple of times in those periods late where structures could fall apart, and to the boys’ credit, they kept them and got some good looks.”
Geelong United’s ability to look after the ball proved crucial.
Beard’s men committed just ten turnovers – three fewer than their opponents.
“It’s something we’re looking to improve on,” he said
“We love playing with pace, but the pace has got to be balanced with poise – we’ve got to protect the ball once the pace isn’t there.
“Our first look is always going to be to push and get the defence on the back foot.
“But, if there’s no option there, we need to come out and get into our structure.
“I think the maturity of someone like Bailey Bruce at point guard to identify that during the game was elite.”
The impressive form of Marach Marach continued as he poured in a game-high 28 points on 72 per cent shooting.
Jack Moran’s impact off the bench was also telling. He scored 20 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished two assists.
Bruce (19 points, three assists, two steals), Jack Terrill (12 points, ten rebounds, six assists, two steals) and Jay Posterino (11 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals) were also crucial.
The win also guarantees Geelong United a spot in February’s Victorian Youth Championship qualification series.
“If you speak about the excitement of winning a final, it goes up another level because they now know they’ve got an opportunity to do something really special,” Beard said.
