By Justin Schwarze
That winning feeling was in the air at Cardinia Life as all Pakenham Warriors outfits were victorious in the same weekend for the first time this season.
Most significantly, the Youth Championship Women won its second game for the year in impressive fashion, controlling its matchup with Bendigo at home.
The Warriors outscored the Braves in every quarter and never trailed after midway through the first, rolling to a 93-76 win.
It’s been a steep learning curve for Pakenham as it continues its journey in the top flight of Youth League basketball, but there has been plenty of improvement over the season.
Being more competitive and the development of the lineup have been highlights for head coach Dave Barry in 2025.
“It’s good that the work that they’re putting in is paying off, which is pleasing,” he said of the win and the season so far.
“Even a few games prior, we’ve been in games longer, yes we’ve had losses but we’ve been good for most quarters.
“Our scoring output was better, we rebounded well and finished quite well under the basket.
“There’s still lots of improvement to go, but they’re going in the right direction.”
Kailey Neave came back down for Youth action from her time with the Champ Women and made the absolute most of her opportunity.
Neave poured in 33 points and hauled in 11 rebounds in a masterful display of skill and confidence.
She was also a game-high plus-16, indicating her on-court impact and influence in the matchup.
“She played nice and free which was nice,” Barry said of Neave’s performance.
“She was really good, she got better as the game went on and as she got more time on the floor.
“She was very big, got lots of rebounds, was good inside and out in the offensive set and I’m very happy for her.
“For her to come down and just play and get some minutes, it’ll be good for her in Champ as well.”
The rest of the team followed suit, shooting 45 percent from the floor but also applying significant pressure on the rim and in the lane, drawing plenty of fouls and earning 32 free throws.
The team has averaged just over 63 points per game on the year, so to put 93 on the board was evidence of the flowing offence and efficient shooting.
“They moved the ball better than they have in previous games for longer periods and were better at finding the open player,” Barry said.
“There was more team basketball in the way they finished off that game.
“Hopefully it’s given them a little bit of relief to prove that the stuff they’re doing is holding them in good stead.
“Learning to win again was pleasing, it’s good to see them get the win for their hard work and it’s a little bit of reward for effort.”
Pakenham’s versatility also shone through, with Stella O’Loughlin scoring 19 but also swiping an outstanding nine steals, while Chelsea Schreuder came close to a triple-double with 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Ilma Hajdarovic notched her third straight game with 17 points, rapidly ascending herself into one of Barry’s most important scorers.
“Ilma’s probably been my most improved this year, which is pleasing for her,” he said proudly.
“She’s been around the system for a while at other clubs and just behind other people, so she’s getting a good run at it now and she’s showing what she can do.”
The Youth Men routed Bendigo 123-68 in one of the most explosive offensive outputs of the season from Braden Venning’s side.
Mason Fraser lit up Cardinia Life from beyond the arc, knocking down 10 threes on an absurd 66 percent clip.
He also recorded four rebounds, three assists and five steals.
Aaron Small, Kaleb Beveridge and Mitch Zeunert were all also in double-figure scoring wise, with the team shooting nearly 61 percent from the field and blazing the nets with 15/27 from three.
Pakenham also forced 29 turnovers, 24 of which were live-ball steals, rounding out a complete and imposing performance from the Warriors.
The result cemented their position in third, two games clear of fourth but two games behind second.
A sluggish start did nothing to slow down the Championship Women as the team picked up yet another noteworthy win 63-88 away at McKinnon.
In another intriguing test for Pakenham, the Cougars are the number-two scoring team in the competition, behind only the Warriors.
After one, Pakenham trailed 22-16 before getting the rest of the game on its own terms.
From there, the visitors put on a defensive clinic, holding McKinnon to just seven points in the second term and 63 points on 33 percent shooting for the game.
Grace Graham’s three-level scoring was superb, going 6/11 from downtown on her way to 24 points.
Eliza Hollingsworth once again provided a double-double down low, with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Bri Whatman was a fantastic floor general, directing traffic well to dish out nine assists to just one turnover.
The Championship Men picked up arguably its best win of the season, knocking off championship-contender McKinnon 87-100 at GESAC.
Head coach Rob Roberts was forced to shorten his rotation, playing just seven guys, but all had immense impact.
Ned Weideman entered the starting unit and flourished, contributing a highly-efficient 16 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Elijah Tillman made sure his presence was felt on the interior, logging 12 points and 12 boards before fouling out.
Cody Fredrickson had a team-high 24 points, Ned Carr scored 22, Steve Coffey added 14 and Dylan Larkin posted 12 points off the bench.
The Warriors withstood 28 points from Remo Siman, a player Pakenham has had no answer for this season.
The result gives the squad a massive boost as they continue to battle for a postseason spot at the midway mark of the season.
All Pakenham sides will enjoy a week off before preparing for the home stretch of the campaign on the other side of the King’s Birthday weekend.
