AN ALL-OUT long-range assault from beyond the arc was the difference in Wyndham’s high-scoring win over Western Port in the Big V Men’s Championship Round 16 clash. One of only three matches to take place over the weekend, Wyndham scored 18 triples to six, having a massive 88 opportunities from the field across the match as they notched up a 110-87 victory in Somerville.

WESTERN PORT 19 | 29 | 17 | 22 (87)
WYNDHAM 28 | 25 | 23 | 34 (110)

Coming into the match, the second placed Wyndham was a strong favourite up against a Western Port side that sat sixth in the eight-team competition, notching up seven wins in 19 games, compared to Wyndham’s 14 in 18. Though taking place at Somerville Recreation Centre, it was the favourites who came out strong, piling on 28 points to 19 in the opening term to take a nine-point lead at the first break. Western Port had done well from inside the paint, but Wyndham was running at 100 per cent from inside the arc and 40 per cent out side of it.

Getting more of their groove going in the second term, the Steelers came out firing to scored 29-25 in a high-scoring second term. They kept up their strength in close, also going on a run of seven consecutive points at one stage. It took until the third term for the visitors to get back on top, as they started to click against from across the court, and were ale to double the Steelers’ points in the paint in the quarter (16-8), whilst punishing their opposition from turnovers. Though Western Port had battled hard, the Wyndham offence won out, scoring 34-22 in the final stanza to come away with the huge 110-87 victory,.

Maurice Howard lead the scoring with 24 points – including six of 11 from long-range – and collected four rebounds, four steals and three assists. He teamed up well with Kavione Green (20 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals) on the offensive end, while Abram Tong (14 points, three rebounds) and Manel Ayol (11 points, three rebounds) also hit double-figure points from the starters. Troyce Manassa was the dominant scorer in the match, putting up 29 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals for the Steelers. Jack Gaze (19 points, six rebounds and three assists) and Matt Turner (13 points, 13 rebounds) were also strong in victory.

In the other matches, top of the table Sunbury Jets took care of Camberwell Dragons by 32 points, dominating the opening term 30-5 to effectively snare the victory. Though the home side did win every quarter, it was much closer after quarter time to only outscore the visitors by seven points. Ismael Sanders poured on 30 points in a standout shooting performance for the Jets, while Luke Shelley managed 26 for the losers. In the bottom two clash, Blackburn Vikings kept Chelsea Gulls winless with a narrow three-point victory thanks to a couple of superb individual efforts. D’Monte Evans scored 26 points, while Edward Bourke picked up a double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds.