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Thursday, 13 July, 2017 Page 33
Sport
�� Connecting people with the local sport they love.
Pink Day for Warriors By Russell Bennett
PDBA president Alan Lee got into the spirit of the Pink Sports Day.
James Magrath lined up for his 100th Big V basketball game on Saturday.
James Topp was the star of the show for Pakenham on Saturday night. Pictures: SUPPLIED BY PAUL MAARTENS AT JUMPSTOP PHOTOGRAPHY particularly Topp who was outstanding with 29 points on 8-13 shooting and 13-17 from the charity stripe to go along with 13 boards. But at half-time the Warriors lamented the offensive boards and second chance points they’d given up, and that proved to make a real difference. With just a quarter left to play in regulation, the Warriors led by seven and Russell spoke about the importance of not trading buckets down the stretch - but through an entertaining fourth and overtime period that’s exactly what transpired. Despite leading by 10 at one stage in the fourth, the Warriors trailed late by three before a free-throw, offensive board, and layup forced overtime. In the last, the Panthers found just enough on both ends to edge ahead by the narrowest of margins. Big man Josh Bjelan finished with 17 points and 6 boards in the absence of Brad Bridgewater, while shooter Rob Maartens finished with 15 points including three treys. Funds raised from the Pink Sports Day will go directly to BCNA to support its work ensuring Australians diagnosed with breast cancer receive the very best support, information, treatment, and care appropriate to their individual needs.
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QUIZ NUMBER 1566 1. WHO is the coach of the Australian soccer team? 2. WHICH great Australian sporting all-rounder competed in three sports - swimming, diving and boxing - at the 1908 Olympics? 3. WHO was ‘The General’ of Australian basketball? 4. WHAT medal is awarded to the best player in the AFL grand final every year? 5. IN golf, how many shots above par is a bogey? 6. WHICH horse did Mick Dittman ride to victory in the 1983 Melbourne Cup? 7. WHO was the last amateur to win the Australian Open golf title? 8. WHICH identical twins were key figures in English cricket in the 1940s and 1950s? 9. WHICH two great Olympians provided the basis for the movie ‘Chariots of Fire’? 10. WHICH Australian squash player won the first World Open Men’s title in 1976? 11. WHICH three countries did Australia play in the 2014 World Cup soccer finals? 12. WHICH American tennis player was dubbed ‘the unmade bed’ early in his career by critics because of his untidy appearance? 13. IN what year did the People’s Republic of China first compete at the Olympic Games? 14. WHICH major golf title did Australian Wayne Grady capture in 1990? 15. WHY were tie breakers introduced in tennis? 16. WHO trained Olympic champion Betty Cuthbert for much of her career? 17. WHICH renowned ABC sports radio commentator was suspended for a racist remark in 2013? 18. WHICH disgraced South African cricket captain died in a plane crash? 19. IN which jet powered boat did Ken Warby set his world water-speed record in 1978? 20. HOW many points is a snooker player penalised if he sinks the white ball while shooting at the blue ball?
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tables to win a tight one of their own - by just two points against the visiting Wallan, 65-63. Though the two teams entered the clash on contrasting ends of the ladder - Pakenham leading and Wallan winless through their first 19 games of the season - the Panthers took the game right down to the wire, before Warriors point guard James Magrath - in his milestone 100th Big V game - picked up a crucial steal and assist that led to a layup for the home side. Big men Lewis Newman (15 points and 8 boards) and Matt Berkec (17 points, 10 boards, and 3 steals) led the way for the home side while Lee Belton also had 14 points. Fittingly, the showpiece game of the night also went right down to the wire - capping off a great night of basketball for the vocal home crowd. This time the Panthers prevailed, 99-98 in overtime. Just before the opening tip, Warriors coach Brent Russell spoke about the importance of executing both offensively and defensively and his side had its struggles on both ends at stages throughout the contest. Pakenham welcomed back a pair of star forwards for the contest - skipper and new dad Ben Gaze, and Warriors favourite son James Topp - and they both had a genuine impact,
ANSWERS: 1. Ange Postecoglou 2. Reg ‘Snowy’ Baker 3. Phil Smyth 4. The Norm Smith Medal 5. One 6. Gurner’s Lane 7. Aaron Baddeley 8. Alec and Eric Bedser 9. Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell 10. Geoff Hunt 11. Spain, Holland and Chile 12. Andre Agassi 13. 1984 14. The US PGA 15 To allow the game to fit into television time slots 16. Percy Cerutty 17. David Morrow 18. Hansie Cronje 19. Spirit of Australia 20. Five
The Pakenham Warriors hardly needed any reminding that there’s more to life than just basketball, but on Saturday at ‘The Colosseum’ at Cardinia Life they showed just what was possible when the local area’s biggest sporting association banded together behand a cause much larger than their own. For their latest triple-header - games featuring all three of their Big V representative teams; the Division 2 senior men, the Division 2 Youth League men; and the Division 2 Youth League women - they were all decked out in pink for a night to raise some muchneeded funds for Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA). All told, the Warriors raised a grand total of $2,934.05 through donations and fundraising activities and pink was the colour of the day for players, coaches, support staff, and fans alike. Pakenham and District Basketball Association president Alan Lee said it was touching to see the community embrace the event with such enthusiasm. “Pink Sports Day is an amazing show of support for locals affected by breast cancer,” he said. “One of the reasons we participated in Pink Sports Day was to ensure local women and their families know that they don’t have to go through breast cancer alone, and that our community is right behind them.” Nearly 50 Australian women every day will be told they have breast cancer. According to Cancer Australia, this year it’s estimated that the risk of an individual being diagnosed with breast cancer by their 85th birthday will be one in 14 - one in 715 males, and one in eight females. On Saturday, the Warriors held their first ever Pink Sports Day following the news that Lisa Pollard, the 33-year-old sister of Warriors Youth League men’s coach Darren Thomas had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. The day kicked off at 4pm with Thomas leading his side up against the Western Port Steelers and the clash went right down to the wire with the Steelers stealing a one-point victory - 60-59 - with a banked three-pointer in the dying stages from Brittney Suarjaya. She led the way for her team with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks while Ellie Coutts finished with a 12-point, 16-rebound double-double to go along with four blocks for the Warriors. In the second game of the triple-header, Simo Pajdic’s Youth League men turned the