Basketball News | Year 7 Trials & Blitz
Year 7 Trials
The Year 7s finished off their trials and the Coaching staff are excited to see how they compete in their opening CAS game this coming Saturday. I must stress to all the boys and their parents, if your son didn’t gain selection in the team, he must be patient, continue to work on improving his game, and have a positive attitude. We have graded 118 boys into ten teams in a week and the team is far from finalised. The boys must continue to work hard at training and make the most of their opportunities in the trial games on the following five Saturdays. There will be constant movement amongst teams when the coaches feel it is warranted.
CAS Blitz
The Blitz format is an exciting, fast-paced way for our Firsts, Seconds and A Teams to get ready for the second half of the season. Each school plays four half-games against all CAS Schools except the School they met first game back in Term 1.
1sts Blitz @ Barker
In the opening game of the Blitz, Trinity jumped out to a great start against Waverley through some strong play at both ends from Jayden Woods (12Ar) and good finishing by James Arthur (12WH). The Greens held their lead to take the game by seven points (26-19). The next opponent was another south harbour School in Cranbrook, and the Greens again took an early lead with Liam Isaako (10WJ) controlling the middle. Trinity went to the bench to give the second unit some extended time, but the boys turned the ball over and allowed Cranbrook to get momentum which saw them finish just in front at the final buzzer (25-27). This proved a valuable lesson for the role players to be ready and focused when given an opportunity. Against perennial CAS rival Knox Grammar, Trinity were locked in from the start with James Andrews (12La) and Cristian Farr (12Mu) working well to see the Greens take an earlier eight-point lead after ten minutes. Jesse Edwards (10WH) also looked dangerous in transition and in the half court. Unfortunately, Trinity lost focus at the defensive end which saw Knox roll off successive quick baskets to take the match by six points (19-25). Trinity dominated the final game (31-10) against a depleted St. Aloysius’ team.
2022 First V Team
The following boys have been chosen to represent the 1st V for the opening game of the 2022 CAS season against Barker at Trinity this coming Saturday:
James Andrews (12La), Jayden Woods (12Ar), James Arthur (12WH), Cristian Farr (12Mu), Nelson McEnallay-Mino (12Ke), Oliver Smith (11Ar), Jesse Edwards (10WH), Liam Isaako (10WJ), Noah Herden (10He), Ollie Orr (10Ho), Myles Buvac (9WJ).
The coaching staff would like to congratulate both Jayden Woods and James Andrews on their selection as Co-Captains of Basketball for 2022. Both these boys have been great servants of Trinity Basketball since Year 7, they were selected in CAS Teams last season and this will be their third season with the 1st V. Also, part of the leadership group and team Vice Captain will be James Arthur who is playing his second season with the First V and also began his stellar career at Trinity in Year 7. James form and leadership over the pre-season has been high level and we look forward to seeing this trio drive the Trinity standards for the 2022 CAS season.
2nds Blitz @ Knox
With a slightly shorthanded 2nds squad, it was the last opportunity for Trinity to prepare against solid opposition heading into opening game of the CAS season. To start the Blitz, it was a low scoring affair against Cranbrook with only a couple of points separating the two Schools. In the final minute Anson Zhou (12Ke) was able to convert on a crunch free throws to give Trinity a 13-9 win to start the day. The Greens then went on to play Waverley, in a game where defence proved the difference. Experienced team players Matthew DeBelle (12Sc), Rory Clunas (12Yo) and Alisi Leao (12Mu) led the way at both ends to propel Trinity to a comfortable 21-10 win. St. Aloysius’ were down on troops which gave the Seconds bench players a great opportunity to contribute. Eden Taouk (12WJ) and Sami Nasr (11Mu) made a strong impact, as Trinity dominated to a 20-6 victory. The final game against CAS rivals, Knox, was always due to be a tough one. After starting slow, the Greens came back to take a slight lead, which went back and forth for a third of the match. Down the stretch, in what could have been anyone’s game, Trinity were awarded two free throws while down one, with one second left to tie or win the game. Both free throws took multiple unfortunate bounces as Trinity fell short by a point (19-20).
The following boys have been chosen to represent the 2nd V for the 2022 CAS season:
Rory Clunas (12Yo), Matthew De Belle (12Sc), Alisi Leao (12Mu), Matthew Nicolas (12ke) Eden Taouk (12WJ), Anson Zhou (12Ke), Sam Payne (11WJ), Kyle Tran (11WH), Hugo Reed (11Ho), Sami Nasr (11Mu), Adam Taleb (11Mu)
The coaching staff of Mr Billy Sarraf and Mr Terry Tsangarliotis would like to congratulate Matt De Belle and Matthew Nicolas on their selection as 2nd V Co-Captains and Rory Clunas and Alisi Leao Co-Vice Captains.
Year 10A Blitz @ St. Aloysius’
Trinity’s 10As competed at Willoughby Leisure Centre, where they finished the day with an even record over four games (2-2). In the opening game against Knox, Jamison Urch (WH) used his length and athleticism to get valuable stops. However, Trinity fell just short by three points (15-18). Cranbrook played tough in Game 2 to jump out to an early lead, before Peter Tanevski (WH) took over offensively, scoring ten straight points, but it wasn’t enough as Trinity went down again 19-33. Desperate for a win against Waverley, Adriano Lemme (Fo) stepped up by scoring early in the game. Caleb Leao (Mu) kept the momentum in Trinity’s favour through his defensive prowess, giving the greens their first win of the day 24-15. Trinity then finished the blitz with a win over a very host St Aloysius’ 21-19.
Year 9A Blitz @ Waverley
The 9As started their 2022 campaign with an impressive four wins in their CAS Blitz. Their opening game against St. Aloysius’ saw Trinity completely dominate their opposition from start to finish, resulting in a 29-14 victory. Ethan Marten-Coney (Ho) was a standout; offensively he scored at will and defensively he blocked and influenced multiple shots. Harrison Lyttle (Ar) dominated from the perimeter with his explosive play, as he attacked the basket and made several 3-point shots to lead the Greens in scoring with 14 points. Against Waverley, both teams struggled offensively resulting in a narrow 14-10 win for Trinity. Banjo Hannaford (Du) came up from the Bs and was very impressive through his innate ability to anticipate where the ball was going, thus causing havoc on the defensive end. Trinity were clearly hyped for their next affair against Knox, as they had a blistering start. The boys were in control for the entirety and seemed to have earned a convincing victory. However, Knox fought back in the final minute to score the last eight points, though this was not enough as Trinity were victorious 27-22. The final opponent the Greens faced was Cranbrook. It was an offensive onslaught by the 9A as their Eastern Suburbs counterpart struggled to keep up. Another couple of B additions for the day were Liam Wu (Sc) and Taj Wardle (Ta). They were particularly impressive as they were both ferocious defensively and used their athleticism to run the lanes in transition to spark easy baskets. Ultimately Trinity was too strong, running away with a 24-12 win.
Year 8A Blitz @ Cranbrook
In Trinity’s opening game Cranbrook came out blazing to an early and commanding lead. Bailey Herden (He) had a fantastic outing leading the team in scoring and assists. Though Cranbrook’s start was too substantial to overcome in a 31-23 defeat. Against Knox, the boys displayed greater focus towards their defence which resulted in a low scoring affair. With the outcome unknown till the final seconds Trinity fell agonizing short, losing 13-10. The Greens then faced Waverley in what was another close affair, just being edged out by four points (21-17). Despite the loss, the ball movement and decision-making by the 8As led to great opportunities that were just not converted. St. Aloysius’ were the final opposition Trinity battled and Cody Ramanauskas (Ke) utilized his height and strength to dominate, offensively scoring at will. While the Greens led for the majority, it was evident fatigue had set in, thus enabling St. Aloysius’ to steal the victory 24-21.
Ben Morrissey | MIC Basketball
