Basketball | Trials versus Newington

Trials versus Newington

Trinity completed its preparations for the upcoming CAS season with all Teams taking on inner west neighbour in Newington College from the GPS. The focus for the day was giving boys opportunities and fine-tuning teams for the opener against Waverley this coming Saturday. There will still be movement amongst the Year groups as the season progresses and as boys improve with each game played.

1^st V

Trinity couldn’t have asked for a better preparation in their final trial game taking on a very physical and drill team in GPS powerhouse Newington College. The Firsts eventually went down by 25 points but showed glimpses that they will be a very tough team to beat if they can play for four quarters. Newington jumped out early before the Greens fought their way back with Ollie Orr (10Ho) nailing a big ‘3’ towards the end of the opening quarter. Bailey Macarthur (9WJ) scored back-to-back baskets to see Trinity down just seven points at the first break (17-24). Trinity’s trademark full court pressure defence gave Newington plenty of trouble early in the second period as Trinity moved within a single point. Jed Moor picked up a couple of quick baskets. In the half court Trinity struggled defensively as Newington executed their offence with precision to pull out to a double-digit lead once again at half time (37-49).

Jesse Edwards (10WH) scorched Newington in the third period nailing four big ‘3s’ on his was to 14 points for the quarter putting Trinity back in the contest. Unfortunately, poor turnovers and a lack of presence on the boards allowed Newington to again take the ascendancy to keep their 12-point buffer heading into the final quarter (57-69). Newington consistency at both ends and their ability to adapt under pressure proved too much for this young Green team as they pulled away to take the match 98-73.

Trinity will take a lot of positives from this game and as this young group learn their new offensive structures that have been implemented for this season and improve their half-court defence and rebounding they can challenge any team in the upcoming CAS season if they can play consistent basketball for longer periods.

Leading Scorers

Jesse Edwards – 29 pts. 4 asts.

Bailey Macarthur – 12 pts. 4 asts.

Ollie Orr – 8 pts.

The following boys have been chosen to represent the 1^st V for the opening game of the 2022/23 CAS season against Cranbrook:

Ollie Smith (11Ar), Jesse Edwards (10WH), Noah Herden (10He), Liam Isaako (10WJ), Henry Mansfield (10 Ke), Ollie Orr (10Ho), Myles Buvac (9WJ), Ethan Marten-Coney (9Ho), Bailey Macarthur (9WJ), Jed Moor (9WJ).

The coaching staff would like to congratulate Ollie Smith on his selection as Captain of Basketball for the season and Jesse Edwards as 1^st V Captain. Noah Herden and Myles Buvac will also be part of the leadership group as 1^st V Co-Vice Captains.

2^nd V

The Seconds in what was their last pre-season game before the CAS season officially kicks off next week, got off to a solid start, moving the ball and working as a team on both offense and defense. Noah De Barros (11Ke) and Caleb Leao (10Mu) led the team in assists, as both helped facilitate to their teammates, while scoring 9 and 10 points respectively themselves. After a strong first quarter where Trinity led by six points (17-11), Newington pulled the game back in a tough second period to see Trinity head into half time with a slim three-point lead (29-26).

Coming out of the break, Will Constanti (10La) and Jamison Urch (10WH) came off the bench and gave Trinity a huge lift. William contributed eight points and nine rebounds, five of which were offensive, giving the Greens plenty of second chance opportunities. Jamison led the team in scoring with a crisp 13 points to propel Trinity to a double-digit victory and a positive vibe heading into the opening game of the season in Cranbrook new facility.

Leading Scorers

Adam Taleb – 10 pts. 7 rebs.

Will Constanti – 8 pts. 9 rebs.

Jamison Urch – 13 pts.

Caleb Leao – 10 pts. 3 asts.

Noah De Barros – 9 pts. 4 rebs. 4 asts.

The following boys have been chosen to represent the 2^nd V for the opening game of the 2022/23 CAS season against Cranbrook:

Sam Payne (11WJ), Noah De Barros (11Ke), Sami Nasr (11Mu), Denis Petrides (11Yo), Adam Taleb (11Mu), Kyle Tran (11WH), Peter Tanevski (10WH), Callum Campbell (10We), William Constanti (10La), Caleb Leao (10Mu), Jamison Urch (10WH).

The coaching staff would like to congratulate Sam Payne on his selection as 2^nd V Captain. Supporting him as Co-Vice Captains will be Adam Taleb and Kyle Tran.

3^rd V

The Thirds had a convincing yet scrappy win in their first hit out as a team. At the half-time break Trinity were in front by 11 points but lost their way as a team in the second half to just get away with the win by three points. Paris Karakikes (11He) top scored with nine points with Jaden Leung (11Hi) supporting him with eight points. During the second half-way Pavle Ceprnja (11St) found his groove underneath the basket at both ends of the court which settled the team down and confidently took control of the game in the last 30 seconds.

4^th V

Although the boys were a bit rusty at the start, they quickly found their groove and were in control for the next 30 minutes of the match.  Peter Georgelos (11WH) top scored with ten points and was well supported by Marc Barakat (11Mu) with nine points and a tenacious Sam Niulala (11St) was able to gather in the ball from all over the court surprising Newington with his ability and anticipation to steal the ball.

5^th V

A powerful start to the season by the whole team led to a comfortable victory over the Black and Whites. Great teamwork and commitment kept the Fifths ahead on the scoreboard with Nicholas Katsiris (11Ta) planting two long triples early in the game. The first half saw the Green machine settle into some solid grafting with Felix Hindle (10WJ) proving strong and agile finishing around the rim. Gabriel Simoes Peixeiro (11Sc) and Henry Nabavi-Tabrizi (11La) were arguably the most effective in attack with Alex Fisterman (11WH) grabbing a number of good baskets from range and off the boards. For a first game the team spirit was impressive.

6^th V

Newington returned home well beaten after Trinity put them to the sword for a resounding victory. Led by Chase “The Bomber” Quach (10Du), who nailed a number long ‘3s’, the Sixths scored plenty with most baskets coming from excellent teamwork. Alex Fisterman (11WH) scored at will and was ably assisted by Peter Mitrokas (11Mu) who controlled the paint in the after the half time break. Lawrence Hoe (10Yo), Ryan De Dominics (11Fo) and Caleb Broadbent (10St) were creative and busy on the outer edges with Emile Harb (11Sc) powerful until the end.

7^th V

In a cliff hanger against Newington, the Green snatched victory on the buzzer thanks to a Sam Eastwood (10He) clutch shot with two seconds to go in the game. In an end to end physical match which saw Trinity fall behind until the last few minutes, a change of mindset and full-court press led by Brandon Lieu (11Ho), Rowan O’Connor (11Mu) and Andrew Yang (11Hi) plus some sharp shooting by Oscar Zong (10WH) saw the 7ths tie Newington with five seconds to go. A desperation drive by Sam Eastwood (10He) followed by a tough jumper from just inside the arc banked of the backboard to give the Sevenths an incredible 2-point win.

8^th V

A physical contest and tough game saw Trinity go down 28-23 to a strong Newington team. The boys stayed in touch the whole game but unfortunately just couldn’t close the gap enough with some solid performances including strong rebounding by Liam Wingrave (11Ar) and William Wang (10La), whilst Joshua Boursiani-Lawrence (11We), Timothy Squires (10Yo) and Nathan Grech (10WJ) ran the floor hard.

9^th V

A rollercoaster game with high intensity defence and passion in offence from both teams. Some excellent rebounding from Arthur Howard-White (11Hi), with Joseph Cantlon (11St) leading the scoring with 12 points in the game. At half time the Greens were 10 points down but came out with a fighting spirit and slowly clawed the game back and were 1-point ahead with 40 seconds to go. A foul in defence in the final minute resulted in putting Newington to the free throw line to tie the game. With only four seconds on the clock after a timeout call Charlie Naffah (11Du) picked up the ball within 3-point range and launched a shot for the win, which unfortunately rimed out resulting in a well-earned draw.

Year 10A

Trinity put forward a nail-biting win to just edge over Newington. The Greens got off to a strong start with Aveer Shah (Ar) getting to the basket and converting some tough layups. A physical Newington team came back shortly after, but Adam Tennant (Ta) used his quickness and defensive instincts to get steals which he and Trinity converted to points giving the 10As a 4-point lead at half time. Noah Ming (Yo) showed his basketball intelligence and patience in the second half by setting up his teammates for scoring opportunities, which kept Trinity the lead.

Year 10B

The 10Bs started the game hot, getting in front of Newington by as much as ten points in the opening minutes. This scoring effort was led by Austin Daher (Ke) and Christopher Michael (We) who both used their size, athleticism and finishing ability to generate quick early scores. The boys held on to this momentum throughout the game, and once Trinity got in front there was no looking back as Jacob Pham (WH) took charge defensively by pressing full court and disrupting the Newington offence.

Year 10C

After a strong first half from Newington, the 10Cs were determined to fight their way back into the game. Through some solid defensive stops lead by Luke Niulala (St) and Alan Chen (Fo), the 10Cs had brought it back to a one-possession game. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough in the end, but a great effort for the opening game.

Year 10D

The 10Ds jumped out to an early lead through some impressive fast break offence led by Aaron Soosay (La). Going into the second half, the Greens maintained their high pace offence through Asher Chaudhary (La) and Isaac Irwin (Yo) pushing the lead out even further. A great team victory to start the season.

Year 10F

The 10Fs had a great start with a solid win. Trinity maintained a small lead, except for the end of the first half when Newington worked it back to a 2-point deficit. However, the Trinity boys maintained their calm discipline and commitment to defence, which proved too much for their opponents. Excellent shooting and rebounds from Josh Hauschild (We), dribbling and passing from Kiran Siva (Ke), and fast break lay-ups from Ethan Wong (Du).

Year 10G

The boys had a slow start against Newington with the 10Gs not having enough cohesion. However, too many costly turnovers, poor defensive decisions and missed passes allowed Newington to sustain a strong lead at half-time; with Trinity going into the half trailing by six points. In the second half, the Greens played stronger defence and were able to get a number of shots which included some timely points from Riley Coneliano (Fo), Sesen Hanna (Hi) and Michael Kordian (Hi). The Gs clawed their way back to only trail by three points. It came down to the final seconds, Trinity had possession and shot at a three-pointer for the tie, but unfortunately it missed.

Year 10H

As the first trial match for the new season, Trinity were eager to play and begin their season with a win. The boys had a slow start but eventually caught up to Newington with many shots being traded back and forth. The 10Hs went into half half-time trailing by just two points. In the second half, the boys played tough defence with massive contributions from Louis Lusty (Sc) and Andrew Patsalis (Ar) with a great solo performance with ten points. Trinity were able to claw back and hold onto a small lead, wining the match by five points.

Year 9A

The 9As were in a tough battle all the way through and a closely contested first half with strong interior defence led by Cody Ramanauskas (Ke) with crucial rebounds and intimidation in the paint. In the final stages Trinity took control with better decisions from guards Angus Mansfield (Ke), Bailey Herden (He) and Steven Lee (Ho). The Greens were able to hold off a late run by Newington to go on and win by six points.

Year 9B

Trinity got off to a good start offensively early, led by Mathew Chen (Hi) to lead most of the opening half. David Sukkar (Ta) made some good plays on the defensive end, but fatigue set in causing turnovers in the late stages to hurt the Greens as we went down by just five points.

Year 9C

Trinity had Newington on the back foot early, as they amassed an early 9-1 lead. Though, as both teams where frequently fouling, the boys were not able to prolong such dominance.  Alex Brown (Ho) had a spectacular game grabbing multiple rebounds and offsetting many of Newington shots with his defence. Despite his effort, Newington went on a huge 10-0 run stealing the lead in the process. Though Trinity remained composed and on the back of some excellent defensive stops from Reuben Lim (WJ) and Tommy Luu (Ar) were able to capitalise with a few timely fast break baskets including an amazing ‘And-1’ play which secured the victory for Trinity.

Year 9D

Trinity started the season off in strong form against a formidable Newington side, winning by ten points. After a rocky start, the boys were able to clean up their efforts on the defensive boards, largely due to the work of Isaac Sandroussi (We) inside. Austin Wu (We) and Aiman Malas (We) did a fantastic job of covering for the team in defensive transition, getting a number of steals that gained the team crucial extra possessions. Benjamin Lim (Ar) was an offensive threat all game, finding his way into the paint and showcasing his ability to create for himself and others.

Year 9G

After a slow start from both teams, the game quickly turned to a fast up and down pace, where both Schools were matching each other like for like on the scoreboard. Adam Ding (St) with a game high of 20 points was extraordinary on the offensive end, as well as grabbing a bunch of defensive rebounds. A good collective performance in the second half saw Trinity take the lead on some occasions. Unfortunately, the Greens did not prevail, narrowly losing by three points. There were a lot of positives to take away from this game, with special mention to Hesham Eid (La) who played a vital part in offensive transition.

Year 8A

In what was a labored affair, Trinity sneaked away with a tough 4-point victory. A wayward start from the boys saw both teams seamlessly trade baskets early. However, an eagerly and forceful Iziah Cosntanti (La) hustled on every possession which facilitated the Greens to control a slim halftime lead. To start the second half, the boys managed to extend the margin. Despite the back and forth, Zeke Kho (Ar) managed to have his fingerprints all over the game, as he led the game in scoring with 17 points as well as had some magnificent passes which set teammates up.  In the closing stages, Sam De Alwis (We) instigated consecutive defensive stops which ensured Trinity would emerge victorious.

Year 8B

It was a slow start from the boys in their first game and Newington pounced, enroute to a commanding lead. Aaron Siva (Ke) showed great determination trying his absolute best to change the tide though the Greens went into the half trailing 22-9. The second half effort from Trinity was significantly better, thanks to the relentless effort of Izaac Ali (He) who appeared to be everywhere defensively racking up a handful of steals. While the Greens dominated possession and scoring opportunities they were unable to take advantage of such chances on the offensive end and Newington’s early lead was insurmountable as Trinity went down.

Year 8C 

Despite trailing for the majority of the game, the 8Cs clawed their way to a close 2-point victory. Superior boxing out and hustle plays from Makoto Chapman (Du) and Ethan Farrah (He) were instrumental in the comeback, as well as aggressive playmaking from Ryan Kim (Ar) and Roderick Chang (Yo). James Merry (Ho) and Oscar Yan (Du) dominated the paint in the final minutes, with Oscar hitting a huge go-ahead bucket from the baseline to secure the win.

Year 8D 

The Trinity showed great composure against Newington, overcoming a 0-13 deficit with better communication and a renewed effort on the defensive end. Hot shooting from Ethan Hanser (Yo) and Oscar Levy (Ar) turned the scoring drought into a scoring run, enabling the boys in green to take a 20-17 lead at halftime. The tenacity of William Routley (We), playmaking of Eligh Balic (Ho) and footwork of Kyle Jiang (Sc) all contributed to a strong second half which enabled the boys to hold on for a memorable 31-29 win.

Year 8E

The 8Es got off to a lightning-quick start, thanks to Charlie Curcuruto (Sc), who played smothering defence and was unstoppable in transition, allowing Trinity to take a sizeable lead early in the first half. However, this lead dwindled down as Newington began to press and were able to get in front before the half. Coming out of halftime, it was Maurice Marroun (Fo) to the rescue, single-handedly dismantling the Newington press and finding his teammates to put Trinity back in front. Down the home stretch, Denny So (Ta) took over the game, hitting a handful of big shots, including the dagger to put Trinity up three with 15 seconds left, with Trinity pulling out a narrow victory.

Year 8F

The 8Fs started off strong, playing lockdown defence with Isaac Chau (Wh) leading the way, shutting down the paint entirely. His partner in crime, Christian Ghannoum (Fo) pestered the Newington players like a mosquito, leading to a handful of steals and loose balls, and allowing Trinity to hold the opposition to single digits by halftime. Coming out of the half, Leon Parkes (Yo) took over the game, stealing anything and everything, while turning these possessions into points on the other end with superb passing, ultimately leading Trinity to a close victory.

Year 8G

The 8G started off strong leading the first half. Hugo Walker (Du) foiled the Newington offence with multiple steals and fast break, alongside Michael Lee (St) who excelled at the big man role and finished many layup opportunities. In the second half, Newington came out strong with a new strategy and took back the lead, despite the great effort of Lachlan Conlan (La) in guarding their star player. Trinity kept the game close all the way until the end but ultimately came out with a tough but close loss.

Year 8H

Trinity had a slow start with Newington ahead in the first half. The Trinity boys outran Newington in the second half with Ryan Kim (WJ) and Marcus Chiam (Sc) showing off their strong tag-team transition offence to even out the score. The 8Hs entered the last minute one point behind showing poise and cool heads. Zavier Nguyen (Ta) stole the show, scoring the final shot with less than 30 seconds to go in the nail-biting victory.

Year 8I

In a positive start to the season, the 8Is had a comfortable lead over Newington for most of the game, resulting in a 6-point win.  Marc Licenblat (Du) finished with 18 points and Matthew Nguyen (Ar), Yuchan Lee (Ar) and Kobe Harb (Hi) also knocking down multiple baskets.

Ben Morrissey | Director of Basketball