If there was one word to describe the Pakenham Warriors Youth Men it would be deep.
The squad’s well-rounded lineup was dominant and difficult to guard on the weekend, rolling Melbourne University at Nona Lee Sports Centre.
The Warriors jumped out of the gates and got on the front foot early, getting hot from the floor and firing their way to a 12-35 lead at the first break.
With a big lead on the scoreboard, Braden Venning and the coaching staff decided to fully unleash their biggest strength – their high-powered second unit.
From there, scoring came efficiently and the offence rarely faltered.
Pakenham sourced 12 of its 26 second quarter points from the bench, with the team shooting above 60 percent from two-point range and connecting on 40 percent of its threes in the term.
At halftime, the lead ballooned to have the Warriors take a 38-65 advantage into the main intermission.
The second half was more of the same, with Pakenham’s offensive barrage and production never regressing to cruise to a 78-115 victory.
The Warriors shot over 50 percent from the field for the game, while knocking down nearly 40 percent of their triples.
Pakenham has had the Black Angels’ number this season, finishing plus-91 across its two matchups.
“When you put up 115 points in a game, it’s pretty good signs that the offence is working and flowing and we’re getting guys in the right spots,” head coach Venning said.
“One of the things we preach is giving up a good shot for a great shot.
“It’s good to see us move the ball, find the open guy and have the ability to knock the shot down.”
A variety of players contributed to the big result, with seven Warriors scoring in double-figures.
Kaleb Beveridge led the way with 26, supported by Aaron Small, Mitch Zeunert, Hayden Melsen, Jarred Small, Angus Murdoch and Jye Horne who all scored between 10 and 13 points.
“That’s the strength of our squad, we know that anyone at any stage can step up and deliver for us,” Venning reflected on the depth he’s got.
“To have seven guys in double digits is always promising and it shows the strength in the depth in our team.
“We always have that next man up mentality.
“Everyone can be a leader, everyone can be successful and everyone has a part to play so to have that confidence to go to anyone at any stage and know they’re going to deliver for us is really good.
“It makes coaching very easy, we’ve got a very high collective IQ within the group so I can throw lots of different structures and strategies on the fly at them, and they’re able to pick it up pretty quickly.
“While we have our starters who do a great job, the bench guys and the confidence we have in the bench unit to come on and hold leads or even extend leads is really promising.”
Alongside the depth, other key areas have had Pakenham rise to a new standard this season.
With seven games remaining in the regular season, the Warriors are firmly placed in third and look a real threat to charge to a deep finals run.
It’s a fantastic effort, made even more impressive when considering this is the first season that Venning’s men have appeared in Youth League One.
“I’m just really proud of the boys and what they’ve been able to do stepping up a division,” he said.
“It’s really promising from a coaching perspective to see the things that we’re pushing and emphasising and the changes we’ve made have really paid off.
“Really proud of the boys, really proud to see guys continually step up and go to another level as we progress up divisions.
“I’ve got fantastic leaders, even Ethan Small who did his ACL and hasn’t been able to take part since round 3, he’s been at all of our games and he’s been a really good voice in timeouts and the locker room.
“Also, a guy like Mitch Zeunert who was a development player last year, got elevated to a roster spot after a couple of injuries and he’s solidified a starting spot and he’s really going up to another level every time we need him.”
There’s been many storylines highlighted by success already this season, starting with being promoted leagues to more recently the rise of Zeunert and the bench.
But with finals six weeks away, there’s one more storyline Pakenham is chasing; to redeem last year’s heartbreak.
SENIOR MEN
The Championship Men also had a positive weekend with the recruits inspiring back-to-back wins.
It started with Steve Coffey having his best performance to date in a Warriors jersey against Blackburn, catching fire from beyond the arc on his way to an ultra-efficient 29 points, five rebounds and eight assists.
Pakenham did a great job of feeding the hot hand as Coffey blazed the nets for 8/9 from deep and 9/12 shooting for the game.
The ever-so reliable Ned Carr was a smooth operator offensively, contributing figures of 24 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks on 52 percent shooting.
Cody Fredrickson added 22 points while Elijah Tillman continues to be the Warriors’ new interior anchor, recording 19 points and 12 boards.
Pakenham rode the free-flowing offence to handle business 117-98 over the Vikings.
On Sunday, Bellarine visited Cardinia Life in a game where scoring was a little harder to come by.
A solid first half saw the Warriors hold a 46-39 halftime buffer.
The Storm outscored the hosts by one in the third to draw within six at the final break before a breakthrough offensive final frame guided Pakenham home.
Carr struggled with his shot but still managed 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Tillman was forceful down low as he scored 21, hauled in 12 boards and swatted two shots.
The Warriors used the fourth quarter momentum to grind out the 89-79 triumph.
A perfect weekend saw the side move into fifth on the ladder with a much-needed stretch of form at the right time.
YOUTH WOMEN
The Youth Championship Women had a tough weekend, with Waverley and Altona proving too strong across the double-header fixture.
Gemma Hancock returned to the youth outfield and secured a double-double in Saturday’s 52-74 loss to the Falcons, as she had numbers of 14 points and 14 rebounds.
Sunday’s 107-61 defeat at the hands of the Gators was due to the Warriors having absolutely no answer for Alicia Sciberras.
Sciberras put in one of the performances of the season at any level of Big V basketball, dropping an unbelievable 58 points on 23/32 shooting from the field.
She also collected 10 rebounds and went 6/9 from downtown, nearly outscoring Pakenham herself.
SENIOR WOMEN
In the top flight of senior Women, the Warriors split their double-header against Warrandyte and Bellarine.
Pakenham imposed itself early on Saturday to secure a wire-to-wire 40-101 victory against the Venom.
Abbey-Lee Wood was outstanding, scoring 26 points on 9/11 shooting in just 12-and-a-half minutes on court.
Eliza Hollingsworth, Grace Graham, Beth Quadara and Kailey Neave were all also in double-figure scoring.
The Warriors were then handed just their third loss of the season on Sunday against the Storm, as Bellarine leapfrogged Pakenham to first in the table after the 63-76 result.
The Warriors couldn’t get going offensively, shooting just 5/27 from three as a team and 30 percent overall.
The Storm took care of the basketball and dished out 22 assists, generating better looks than their opponent and taking advantage.
Hollingsworth provided 16 points and 12 rebounds in the loss, while Grace Graham toughed through an off-shooting day to finish with 25 points.
Next up for the Youth Men is an important clash with finals contender Bulleen.
The Youth Women have a chance to rebound also against Bulleen, who are placed 13th in the women’s competition.
The Champ Women have a long trip down the western-Victorian coast to face Warrnambool and the Champ Men have a key matchup away at Camberwell.
