By Jonty Ralphsmith
In a nod to the region’s growing domestic basketball status, Pakenham Warriors home base Cardinia Life was selected to host Saturday night’s Country Basketball League Gippsland grand finals.
The women’s match kicked off at 5.15pm, with a 31-10 third quarter for Korumburra Wildcats seeing them pull away from the Wonthaggi Coasters in an 86-62 win.
The men’s match was a heart-stopper, with the fast-starting Moe Meteors getting up 91-89 in the dying stages.
It was an excellent spectacle for the region with the venue close to capacity.
Pakenham finished fifth in the women’s with a 6-4 record and the men finished sixth with a 5-5 record.
Hosting those matches follows the Pakenham District Basketball Association taking over the management of domestic basketball in the region and the Men’s Big V senior team’s promotion from division one to the state championship division.
The club is hopeful that the youth league teams will soon reach the championship division, with the men, in Youth League Two, to again be coached by Braden Venning, and Ben Gaze returns to lead the women in Youth League One.
It comes off the back of two years of hard work from the board, led by president Tanya Roberts.
“It’s been good to see the work we’re doing off the court come together,” basketball operations manager Rob Roberts said.
“We’re getting lots of support from the (Cardinia) Shire and Big V to let us push basketball in the region.
“The new board has taken it forward in leaps and bounds.”
Roberts, also the coach of the men’s team, is bullish that his team can immediately do damage in the higher division, having welcomed in Malik Seldon who has played college basketball at University of Cumberlands, and for Mexican side Jaibos Tampico.
The athletic 6’8 import was listed at Wyndham in the Covid-cancelled 2020 season.
The Warriors have also secured returning youngster Cody Fredrickson who has since played college basketball at the University of Ottawa, and Callum McNiff – still eligible to play Youth League.
The club has maintained their core from last season, with Matt Berkec, Josh Dow and Ned Weideman all recommitting.
