Sydney Uni 77 Bulleen 57 game report

Saturday 28 January 2006

Not as "wow, fucking wow" as last week (mainly due to a lacklustre first quarter) but close enough.

The first quarter looked like a typical Boomer/Flames encounter where the former wins - Bulleen were moving the ball around well, finding the open player and knocking down the open shot. Sydney were flat-footed on D and their offence was a bit spotty. They did set the tone for the rest of the game by constantly making strong moves in the paint and getting repeatedly to the line.

The second quarter is where things started to turn around for Sydney. The key sequence of this quarter is a 13-0 run from Sydney where they went from a six point deficit to a seven point lead. One of the highlights of the game was during this run with one of Veal's trademark three quarter court passes on the break, which found a streaking Fallon who then applied the clinical finish. Bulleen fought back well at the end of this quarter to end up trailing by 1 at the half.

The third quarter saw both teams' offences go a bit cold but the Flames asserted themselves on the boards, including several possessions with multiple offensive boards. Belinda Snell nailed two key treys in this quarter and Sydney gradually pulled away at the end of the third quarter, opening up a 57-49 lead at the final change. The fourth quarter saw baskets being traded early but Bulleen seemed to lose focus as the quarter went on and Sydney tightened their grip on the game. Sydney continued to patiently execute on offence, while Bulleen started to jack up jumpers wildly and three consecutive Natalie Porter perimeter shots (her jumper's been absent ALL season) sunk Bulleen and the Flames ended up comfortable 20 point winners.

I think Sydney's initial rustiness can be attributed to a rather dull AIS game on a Wednesday night (which I *may* put a game report for later) but they got better as the game went on (rather like the Dandenong game). They exploited Bulleen's lack of D well: the free throw disparity was well earned by the Flames and they may have even deserved more, except for some dubious reffing. They also jammed the passing lanes well against in the second quarter onwards and their pressure seems to be effective at putting opposing perimeter shooters off.

Bulleen's usually efficient offence looked a bit dysfunctional tonight; the first quarter was great but it broke down afterwards. The Flames had problems with Sharin Milner's speed but the rest of the Boomers weren't particularly troubling and Hibbert was shut down big time by Belinda Snell.

Speaking of Snelly, she easily gets the game ball. She did everything in this game - points (especially in the third quarter), rebounds, assists and some great D. As mentioned by me numerous times before, Snelly is the glue that holds the Flames together and without her, they struggle (see Perth game earlier on in the year). It was also great to see her show some emotion with *two* fist pumps seen from her after key treys during the game. She rarely shows emotion on court.

Several other players deserve special mention. Firstly, Kristen Veal's return has been instrumental in the Flames' unbeaten streak since the new year. She has returned to top form and the way she was finding the open player repeatedly last night was simply sublime. Vealy is not a vocal leader off the court but she has a strong on-court presence and is not afraid to assert herself on court. I can't wait to see her next season in better match shape, leading the Flames. Vealy and Narelle Lindsay make a fine point guard combo and I'd even go as far to say I don't really care if Poto returns next year if these two return. As a sidenote, both of them did a great job rebounding in the backcourt last night.

I think Vealy is in the right form to make a run at the WNBA but maybe she should wait to play another full WNBL season first, just to confirm her body can handle it.

Trish Fallon has also stepped it up in the last couple of weeks. Besides her steady offence returning, she's also been seen hustling for balls on the ground and going after boards. I hope she'll be back for one more season at least.

Larissa Cavanagh led Bulleen in scoring but it was a rather quiet 17 points and like Dalts did in the post-game function, I'd have to give the Bulleen MVP to Sharin Milner. Milner terrorised the Sydney D off the dribble. However, she does have to work on her jumper as sagging off her is an effecctive tactic and her jumper is inconsistent at best. Hibbert knocked down some tough shots but was generally ineffective for most of the game. Alison Tranquilli had a shocker (several BAD bricks) and in no shape or form does she deserve a spot on any of Australia's international teams in the upcoming year. Hollie Grima continues to look worse and worse. I think she has to leave Bulleen if she wants to improve her game because it appears Chambers has no idea on what to do with posts.

Unless Bulleen find some perimeter form and their D improves significantly, I'd say they're one and done next week, especially against a Canberra team with height and good perimeter D.

Sydney has missed out on a finals spot, due to Canberra's win against Dandenong tonight and while I am a bit disappointed, the team should be proud of their form since the new year (9-0, with wins over every single team in the comp). I am really looking forward to next season and I think if we can retain most of our roster and make a key addition or two (especially in the post department), we'll challenge strongly for the title next season.

Other notes

* Officiating was CRAP. Hack-A-Snell is valid tactic because refs don't call it unless she falls or stumbles in an obvious manner. Also, slapping people over the shoulder is not a foul.

* Cheryl Chambers' whinging at the refs was a bit annoying. Yes Cheryl, your team is slow defensively.

* Vealy had a bit of a scary moment where she seemed to tweak something in the 4th quarter, after stumbling over what seemed to be a sweat patch on the floor. Fortunately, it only seemed to be a minor ankle tweak and she returned a couple of minutes later.

* Sydney Kings C.J Bruton, Rolan Roberts and Ian Crosswhite were in attendance.

* The scorepeople continue to suck but what's new? Resetting the whole scoreboard again - well done!

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