By Justin Schwarze
With some early bumps in the road, Casey Youth League Men are now travelling smoothly after four games of Championship action.
The Cavaliers have opened their season 3-1, claiming wins over Melbourne in round 1, Waverley in round 2 and Dandenong in round 3.
In the round 3 double header, Casey went down in its trip to Keilor, but bounced back perfectly the next day to knock off the Rangers at home, 109-87.
The scoreline may read a 22-point and an assumed comfortable win for the Cavaliers, but the game was all square at three quarter time.
An offensive explosion in the final frame lifted the hosts as they dropped 43 in the term with Dandenong’s defenders having no answer.
Blake Shankland was exceptional, recording a dominant statline of 29 points, 15 rebounds, two steals and three blocks.
He was one of the initiators in Casey’s monster fourth, scoring seven points and grabbing six rebounds in the final term.
Superstar guard Justin Ochaya contributed 16 points and Joel Robinson provided an efficient double-double of 24 points and 12 rebounds on 8/14 shooting.
“Right now, it’s been a really positive start to the year,” head coach Paul Mellett said.
“With a new group and a new style of play, to be 3-1 at this stage in the season is really positive.
“We’ve got a lot of depth on our roster, the team balance with offensive firepower, we certainly have that.
“We scored 43 points in the last quarter, so that’s the potential of the group, we’ve got a lot of guys that can score, we just need to keep trying to figure out ways to share the basketball, get good shots and rebound.”
The Cavaliers were enforcing on the glass in the result over the Rangers, hauling in 60 rebounds as a team, including 27 of those being offensive.
It was a focus of Mellett’s side to be active on the boards as they were out-rebounded in their previous three games.
“That was a point of emphasis in the pregame, and the players were able to carry it out which was a real positive,” he said.
“To get second and third opportunities, it gives us a real chance of having a competitive score and that was shown at the end on the weekend with 109.
“Rebounding isn’t all about size, it’s about attitude and effort and there’s definitely been a shift in that on the weekend.”
Mellett has been clear with his side to bring energy and pressure to every game, with lots of strategies that include picking up players from full court.
The DNA for Casey is a fast tempo on both ends, with the synergy brought from defensive stops being translated into offensive sets.
“We play fast both ends, full court, 40 minutes,” Mellett said of the Cavaliers’ style.
“Three of the four games, that’s what got us across the line, because we were able to increase our energy in the fourth quarter and run away with the win.
“The constant pressure that we apply and the fact that I’ve got a little bit of depth holds us in good stead that makes us able to run over the top of teams in the fourth quarter.
“Our offense is race and space, we race it down there and have good spacing in the half court with lots of movement to open areas to try and create an advantage.
“We’re trying to create an advantage as early as possible in the possession, to open up space, whether that’s cutting or a two-man game, dribble handoffs, whatever we like which opens up good shots at the basket.
“We definitely played a fast tempo, and we’re always trying to apply pressure to both ends of the floor.”
Shankland and Ochaya have been one of the league’s best duos so far this season, with Shankland second in scoring at 23 points per game to go along with an average of eight rebounds.
Ochaya is averaging 18.5 points per game on an impressive 60 percent two point shooting.
The pair is supported by a fantastic supporting cast, making Casey a real threat in Championship.
Most importantly, the team showed outstanding toughness after being beaten by Keilor.
“We did struggle in the fourth quarter against Keilor, kind of lost our way a little bit, so we’re still trying to figure out combinations on the floor,” Mellett admitted.
“That’s going to take a little bit of time, so the focus at the moment is on just on us, and in time that will shift to our opponents but we’ve still got a lot of things we need to get better at.”
The impressive start comes at an exciting time for Cavaliers basketball, as the NBL1 South season tipped off on the weekend at Casey Stadium.
The NBL1 Women were overrun by a well-equipped Dandenong side, being outscored in every quarter to end in a result of 56-98 in favour of the visitors.
Esra McGoldrick and captain Jaden Owens and were the only two Cavaliers players in double figures as the team connected on just 28 percent of their shots from the floor.
Following that, the NBL1 Men charged to a spectacular victory against the Rangers.
Led by Tyler Robertson’s 21 points and eight rebounds, Casey did the damage in the first half and was able to withstand a resistance from Dandenong, winning 87-80.
Handy buckets and clutch shot making from Nate Roberts and Trendon Hankerson staved off Dandenong, as Hankerson managed 21 points himself, knocking down 3/6 of his attempts from beyond the arc.
2024 Youth League Championship MVP Ben Waller looked comfortable at the next level, providing eight points on 3/4 shooting off the bench.
The hosts were able to keep their opponents to 38 percent shooting, with the Rangers going just 8/32 from deep.
In round 2, the Men and Women squads will make a long interstate journey to play Mount Gambier.
