Crabs shooting sinks rusty ladder leaders
Knights have crashed to their first defeat of the season after an inspired offensive performance guided Crabs to an upset 13-point win in round 7 of the Albany Basketball Association men’s A-grade competition on Tuesday night.
After a fairly even start, Crabs gained control of the contest nearing half-time and never looked back as they outgunned their younger opponents in offence and out-muscled them on the boards to record a comfortable 45-32 win.
Cohen Scott provided great spark off the bench in the opening half to hit seven points and Zac Pearson was a threat throughout the contest but it was the overall scoring spread that Knights simply could not match.
Without star duo and leading scorers Matt Leary and Tom Edwards, Knights struggled in attack with Keanu Weeden scoreless in the first half and Henrick Alforque unable to continue his scoring spree in the last 25 minutes. Four minutes into the second half, Weeden finally hit the scoreboard but Crabs kept finding answers as they extended the margin to eight points with 10 minutes to play.
Big man Daniel van der Merwe tried hard and Henry Alforque hit Knights’ only triple of the second half but their side simply could not conjure a scoring run and at times took poor shots.
Knights shot at 19 per cent from outside the arc in the match and nailed just one of 12 attempts in the second half.
Crabs, on the other hand, were far more efficient, hitting seven of 14 free throws and two of six from long range. Pearson was terrific in the win with 15 points, Cohen Scott chipped in with 9 and Cyril Norment warmed into the game with 5 second-half points while Danial Abbott’s vast experience showed under the glass.
Den/Albany Spartans continued their strong start to the season, downing Kinjarling Thunder by eight points.
Leading by a single point at half-time, the Spartans had too much poise in the last period as Bodhi Holmes finished with 14 points and Hunter Richards (10 points) provided a vital cameo in the 45-37 triumph.
Barking Owls coasted to an 11-point result over Pelicans, with Tristan Mackenzie knocking down 11 points and the ever-reliable Justin Benson adding 10 while Jacob Hobbs toiled hard with 12 points in the 49-38 loss for Pelicans.
Key duo Caleb Carmen (18) and Ryan Barber (14) found their range for Ambassadors, who got back on the winners’ list with a 50-39 win over the Raiders under-18 development squad.
Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.
Sign up for our emails