Men grind out a win
Mixed weekend on the road for Bellarine Storm
BELLARINE Storm picked up mixed results in its Big V Division 1 double header weekend, going down 88-54 to the Bulleen Boomers on the road yesterday.
The defeat came on the back of a fighting 82-81 home victory over Collingwood on Saturday night.
Bellarine charged home late against the All Stars, trailing at every break before hitting the lead for the first time with 1:11 left in the final quarter.
Coach Luke Beauglehall said his side was behind by as much as 16 points with a slow start proving costly.
But once they were able to get the game back on their terms they were able to eat into that margin.
“The last quarter and a half we really started to execute and do what we needed to to get across the line. We just needed to lift our defence intensity, that’s where it started, and then finish on our offensive end,” Beauglehall said.
“We did a really good job of that in that last quarter and a bit. The guys worked really well and got us across the line.
“To grind out a win like that, after the game all of the boys were really, really up and about.”
Jason Reardon notched up a triple-double with 11 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, while Rob Harding shutdown All Stars import Manuel Hendrix.
Hendrix has averaged about 25 points per game this season but could only manage 11 against the Storm.
Jesse Burn (nine points from 15 minutes) and Rohan Jarvie (10 points from 17 minutes) had an impact off the bench.
MEANWHILE, the Storm’s women’s team also enjoyed a fruitful Saturday night with a 73-62 win over Camberwell.
With scores level after the first period, Bellarine shot away to record a comfortable victory.
Captain Bree Matthews top scored with 19 points, while Jess McDonald (17 points) and Olivia Fuller (14 points) also contributed.
CORIO Bay notched up its second win for the season with a 92-87 home Championship win over Blackburn on Saturday night. The Stingrays led at every change, but had to hold off a fast-finishing Vikings who ate away at the margin late.
Joseph Reid Jr was dominant with 29 points and 10 rebounds, while Ivory Young collected 19 points, four rebounds and five assists.