Basketball | CAS Round 4 versus Waverley
“Trinity’s slow starts continue as Waverley prove too strong at both ends.”
1st V
The Trinity student body came out in force for the Firsts and Seconds only home Friday night fixture for round one, with the Trinity Sports Centre buzzing with anticipation. Trinity needed to bounce back after a tough loss the previous week but again struggled early, falling behind 0-8. Trinity’s defensive lapses in the first quarters of the last two games continued as the Greens headed to the first break down 14 points (19-33). The boys looked to get back on track with Liam Isaako (10WJ) and Jed Moor (10WJ) attacking the Waverley tall timber with some strong finishes. An improved defensive effort in the second period holding Waverley to 17 points saw Trinity make a small dent to the double-digit deficit at the main break (38-50) but giving up 50 points in a half is not a recipe for winning games.
Ollie Smith (11Ar) and Jesse Edwards (10WH) tried to get Trinity going in the third period with some slicing finishes at the rim. Henry Mansfield’s (10Ke) hustle and relentless effort on the boards gave the Trinity faithful some glimpse of a big comeback. Another poor defensive quarter killed any momentum Trinity was gaining, which allowed Waverley to extend their lead at the back end of the quarter (54-77). Waverley just didn’t let up with their desire to get into the middle of the Trinity defence (64 paint pts.). Bailey Macarthur (9WJ) responded with back-to-back baskets as he attacked the rim with purpose, but the damage was done earlier as the Greens slumped to their third straight loss (81-102).
1st V CAS Round 4 Highlights vs Waverley
Leading Statistics
Ollie Smith – 16 pts. 4 rebs.
Jesse Edwards – 13 pts. 5 rebs. 4 stls
Henry Mansfield – 10 pts. 9 rebs.
2nd V
The Seconds faced a tough test in their first home Friday night game of the season in what was billed as a top of the table clash with both teams undefeated. Even with a raucous Trinity crowd, Waverley got off to a flying start with a few quick baskets. This rattled Trinity, who had to dig deep and play from behind for the first time this season. A few steadying plays by Captain Sam Payne (11WJ) and Noah De Barros (11Ke) helped Trinity get going. Then a ‘3’ from Peter Tanevski (10WH) got the students in voice, but the boys still had plenty of work to do as they went to the break down double digits (18-31).
Waverley’s defence smothered Trinity, before Kyle Tran (11Ta) scored a few much-needed baskets to help generate momentum. However, it was Waverley’s night, as they took the honours by 20 points and top spot on the CAS ladder.
2nd V CAS Round 4 Highlights vs Waverley
Leading Scorers
Sam Payne – 11 pts.
Noah De Barros – 5 pts.
Peter Tanevski – 5 pts.
3rd V
The Greens had a very slow start to the morning, trailing 14 points in the first half at one stage. Early in the game, the boys’ shot selection left a lot to be desired and defensively lacked their usual spark. In the second half, the Greens came out firing on all cylinders, honing in on their defensive intensity, led by the efforts of Nicholas Protopsaltis (11Yo) inside and on the rebounding front, with the help of Brendon-Omar Moses (11Yo) on the perimeter. In the first eight minutes of the second half, Waverley were held to two points, while Paris Karakikes (11Hi) and Matthew Nasr (10Mu) led the scoring wave that brought Trinity the lead. The Greens’ constant changing of their defence from a zone to a half-court trap was able to disrupt Waverley’s offensive flow and push the lead to seven with a couple of minutes to go. This group of men should be extremely proud of the character they showed in not quitting on the game and fighting back a considerable deficit early.
4th V
From the tip the Greens never looked in doubt to win the game as they showed they were the more organised and disciplined team. Brendan Geddes (10Mu) and Ryan Geddes (11Mu) led the team in the backcourt, both setting up the offence and disrupting Waverley’s guard’s ability to initiate their offensive sets. Felix Hindle (10WJ) was crucial in winning the possession game, cleaning up the defensive rebounds and providing the Greens with a number of extra possessions through offensive rebounds. The scoring front was led by Peter Georgelos (11WH) and Marc Barakat (11Mu), getting into the paint with ease.
5th V
With a couple of players out, it posed to be a tough matchup for the Greens. The first half remained even, with Peter Mitrokas (11Mu) giving Trinity a boost towards the end of the half to keep the scores close, as the boys trailed by four points. Things didn’t start much better in the second half, as Trinity missed a few more easy opportunities, and Waverley capitalised to extend the lead to ten points. The Fifths then rallied to go on a massive run, with Joel Maher (11Ta) and Cody Lambert (11He) helping to completely swing the momentum in Trinity’s favour and in the end a solid victory for the boys by 19 points.
6th V
Trinity came ready to play, and boosted by the inclusion of Hayden Hoang (10Ta), the Greens went on a dominant 20-0 run to start the game. Their stellar defence saw Waverley held scoreless for the opening fifteen minutes of the first half! Emile Harb (11Sc) and Ryan Lu (10Sc) were instrumental in grabbing rebounds, as Trinity were up big at half time. In the second half, Ryan Mahoney (10Sc) continued his impressive shooting display, nailing five three-pointers for the game, whilst Kelvin Kong (11Ar) came off the bench to provide solid scoring, leading the Greens to a dominant victory.
7th V
In their best performance of the season, the 7ths won 66-45 in high-scoring game. Great teamwork and defensive structure saw Trinity taking a commanding 8-point lead into halftime with significant contributions by Oscar Zong (10WH) and Andrew Zang (11Hi) both offensively and defensively. The second half saw the Greens step-up another level of intensity and pressure to run away with the game, dominating by 21 points with fast and exciting Basketball. In what was an outstanding team performance, which saw every member score points with Sam Eastwood (He) and Oscar Hartzenberg (Yo) leading with 12 and 8 points respectively.
8th V
Trinity put in a stellar performance to win convincingly against a undermanned Waverley side. The group’s energy and hard play had the boys leading by 22-points at the break. The Greens defence held Waverley to just six points after the break, led by Josh Boursiani-Lawrence (11WH) and William Wang’s 10(La) physicality and strong rebounding. Timothy Squires (10Yo) scored a game high ten points and was ably assisted by the athleticism of Nathan Grech (10WJ) and Ross Oddie (11Fo), and the finesse of John Mitrothanasis (WH).
9th V
The Ninths showed teamwork and strength in defence to win their second game with some excellent work throughout from Jack Athanassiou (10Ar) and Max Anderson (10Hi), with Charlie Naffah (11Du) and Emmanuel Rizkalla (11Sc) controlling the pace and helping maintain a comfortable lead throughout the game. A flurry of points in five minutes from Max Anderson helped secure another excellent all-round team performance with the highest points score of the season so far and the lowest score against showing some great strength in defence.
10th V
Trinity started strongly against a Waverley team fielding two players from the Ninths, as they were short of players. This helped the Tenths raise their game to their first win of the season. The points in the first half came from everyone in the team with strong performances from Leo Sieveking (10Fo) and Thomas Pollard (10Fo) showing strength in offence and defence. The second half saw the Greens come out strong with some excellent play from Michael Boumelhem (10Fo) and George Georges (10We) with a flurry of baskets in the last few minutes to seal a strong win and huge points score.
Year 10B
Down on numbers against Waverley didn’t stop the 10Bs from giving it their all to come away with a phenomenal 10-point win. Vasili Armenis (He) helped the Greens get off to an 8-0 start getting two quick layups, while Jared Kong (La) kept Trinity in the lead with his relentless rebounding and mid-range scoring. Trinity finished the half up by a comfortable 10 points, but as the game kept going Waverley were closing in, but Austin Wang (Sc) got crucial stops and scores late to secure the 10Bs an inspiring victory.
Year 10D
After a low-scoring first half, the 10Ds began the second with a new intensity and game pace. Leading the transition offence, Benjamin Keogh (Ta) was able to put some early points on the board for the men in Green. Ryan Trieu (We) and Josh Hauschild (We) proved to be vital in the final stretch through their impressive defensive work, followed up with some even better offence on the other side. An impressive team win.
Year 10E
The 10Es lost to a much taller and physical Waverley team. Ahmad Ammoura (We) scored a big chunk of Trinity’s points with some amazing three pointers. Ethan Wong (Du) ran like the wind all game, proving that speed can beat height. And Travis Ng (WJ) fought valiantly in the paint to keep the Greens within striking distance, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be.
Year 10F
Fatigue and depth played a big part as Trinity gave up a 14-point lead near the end of the first half to see Waverley comeback and take the match by just two baskets. Lucas Michael (Ke) had a strong game, consistently controlling the ball. Hunter Knight (WH) was relentless at both ends and Isaac Abdennour (He) led the team positively, especially when the final whistle blew, remaining upbeat and encouraging his disappointed but gallant teammates.
Year 9A
Coming off two good wins, Trinity were up for the challenge against an undefeated Waverley side. With scores locked at the half and many lead changes it was costly turnovers and fouls that kept the 9As from coming away with the win. Good team defence and relentless effort from Sam Rundle (WJ) and Steven Lee (Ho) kept Trinity within striking distance all game.
Year 9C
With improvements each week the 9Cs have looked better and better as a unit. Working through some early mistakes Trinity were able to rally behind their defensive intensity and scoring punch from Austin Wu (We). Despite the fast pace of the game on a smaller court Aiman Malas (We) showed great poise keeping the boys playing controlled offense. The Greens were able to create several turnovers throughout the game but were unfortunately unable to close out the final seconds resulting in a thrilling draw.
Year 9E
Coming off the back of some difficult losses, the 9Es were eager to demonstrate why they could be the best team in the competition on their day. Some early “Shaq like” rebounding by Kevin Pham (WJ), Scott Yuan (Fo) and Nash Waters-Delaney (Hi) set the team up with considerable ball possession. Lucas Christou (St) and CJ Nguyen (Yo) capitalised on this with some brilliant ball movement and play making. An off the bench 3-ball from Christopher Andary (Du) got the team fired up and over the line in their biggest win of the season.
Year 9F
It was a hotly contested first half against Waverley with the opposition making the most of their home court advantage, with Trinity narrowly heading into the break with just a 2-point deficit. Strong shooting in the second period from Hugo Bruce (St) and Lucas Fan (He) helped get the team back in front, supported by some dominant rebounding and post moves from Daniel Jones (Mu). Strong drives late in the game by Charlie Parsonage (Ta) allowed for some overtime free-throw attempts to try and secure the win but were unsuccessful. Overall, there were some strong performances and improvements by all players.
Year 9G
After a tightly contested first half, the 9Gs came out after the break with a new drive and determination to keep their undefeated season alive. Through some tough work on both sides of the floor from Leo Taylor (Fo) accompanied with the impressive scoring from Hussein Zein (He) Trinity had found a small lead going into the final two minutes. A clutch basket from Adam Ding (St) sealed the 3-point win over Waverley, maintaining Trinity’s unbeaten record.
Year 9I
The 9Is made it three straight wins with a nail biting 2-point win over King’s Gs. After building a 12-point lead midway through the second half, the GPS School started to make a run and closed the gap to four points. After a timeout with three minutes on the clock, Trinity defended stoutly to come away with a hard-fought victory. With key player Vansh Nair (Mu) succumbing to a hamstring strain midway through the first half after scoring a couple of layups early, someone from Trinity had to fill the void. This was Tristan Bang (La) who stepped up with eight points and countless defensive efforts. Antonio Fara (He) chipped in with two timely buckets in key moments.
Year 9J
In a close game the gallant 9Js fell short by just three points to King’s Hs. With the opposition making seven free throws to Trinity’s one, that proved the difference in the end. Oscar Luton (We) came up big even though he was feeling ill, scored nine points, and pulled down countless rebounds and a couple of blocks in a great all-round performance. Khang Nguyen (WH) played his best game, running the court, getting steals, stops and scoring a couple of baskets. Archie Campbell (We) and Christie Cheung (Ar) also contributed to the scoring. Tough loss but plenty of signs of improvement each game.
Year 8A
It was a blistering start by the Greens as they had an early 8-1 lead, this ensued to a 18-10 first half lead. Sam De Alwis (We) was phenomenal leading the boys offensively as well as setting the defensive tone. On the back of some injuries to key players, the second half saw Trinity lose their momentum, but to the boy’s credit they remained in the fight. Joel Lim (Yo) and Alex Hu (WH) gave their absolute all and made some clutch baskets down the stretch, though Waverley made two consecutive free throws to tie the game in the final seconds. Iziah Constanti (La) and Thomas Ko (We) must be commended on his efforts as they showed great grit and determination defensively.
Year 8B
It was a very passive start from the 8Bs as they were on the backfoot early due to lack of urgency, despite such Trinity only trialled by four points at the half. George Drivas (Ta) had a fantastic game as he showed great toughness to secure some impressive rebounds.
After the break it was a considerably different tune, as the Greens energy and effort was faultless. This led to Trinity dominating the second half (23-10). Offensively this was led by Aaron Siva (Ke) and Eric Liu (St) who combined for 12 points, which included some special weak head finishes, while defensively David Fisterman (WH) hustled on every possession.
Year 8E
After a sub-par performance against Aloy’s, the 8Es got off to a great start thanks to Nicholas Algie (Ta), who was getting to the rim with ease and scoring like never before. However, the lead dwindled down and the Waverley took over the third quarter of play, leaving Trinity down nine points with under ten minutes to play. At this point, Ryan Zhang (WH) took over with his consistent finishing, joined by Maurice Marroun (Fo) who acted as a catalyst for the Greens’ offence. Despite a fantastic late game push, the 8Es fell just short by two points in a nail-biter.
Year 8G
Despite being down twelve points, Trinity did not lose heart and began their comeback in the second half. Peter Patsalis (Hi) ignited the offence sinking mid-range shot after shot. Lachlan Conlan (La) and Jack Kovac (We) kept up the intensity grabbing steals and offensive rebounds to bring the score within two points with one minute to go. Despite a terrific effort and final scramble, Trinity came up short at the buzzer in a close gallant loss.
Year 8H
Dominating from start to finish, the 8Gs blew out Waverley by over 30 points. Zavier Nguyen (Ta) and Marcus Chiam (Sc) took control of the opposing half court resulting in steals and multiple easy baskets. Harry Hartzenberg (Yo) played safety to cover Trinity’s half of the court to keep the opposing score low. Trinity finished in strong fashion with multiple boys scoring points.
Year 8I
Trinity led The King’s School all the way to the final buzzer, providing parents, coaches and spectators with a very entertaining game of Basketball. Team synergy and improved communication between plays created opportunities for the 8Is to secure a 12-point win. The score sheet read as follows; Rohan Dean (Hi) 14 points (12 of which were off rebounds), Yuchan Lee (Ar) 12 points, Kobe Harb (Hi) ten points, Louis Chan (Ta) eight points, with David Martin (We), Zayne Helou (Fo), Ryan Zhang (Mu) and John Nammour (Ho) on two points each. Well done to Matthew Nguyen (Ar) and Samuel Zheng (Ho) for their excellent defence and offence support which contributed greatly to the team’s victory.
Ben Morrissey | Director of Basketball
