Underprepared Ballarat feels the bite of Tigers

U/16 Girls Ballarat Vs. Melbourne Match Report

Ballarat opened the game strong with an inside drive and a wide open three setup up by point guard Georgia Amoore. Ballarat lead 10-3 in the box score by strong inside defence and forcing Melbourne to search for shots elsewhere. Amoore controlled the tempo increasing the lead, until Ballarat gave up the ball on back to back possessions allowing the Tigers to go on a 7-2 run to end the first but still trailing 15-10.

In the second both teams came out flat, going 2 minutes without a made field until Ballarat’s Laura Taylor hit an easy inside shot. That basket was not the beginning of a scoring spree though because for the next 5 minutes of the second neither team was able to convert. Ballarat was able to close out strong leading 25-18 going into the half.

In the third Ballarat opted to push the pace of the game, but it was that decision by Coach Knaggs that ultimately cost Ballarat the quarter. Their hurried pace lead to a number of turnovers coupled with Melbourne’s unrelenting pressure meant the Tigers now held a 36-31 lead going into the fourth.

In the fourth quarter the Tigers seemed to come out with a fire that Ballarat simply could not match or maybe it was simply due to Ballarat’s poor conditioning which meant they were unable hold court with the Tigers. Ballarat’s players were seen bent over and fatigued while Melbourne stood tall. The Tigers ultimately proved they are much better at conserving and dispersing their effort for when it really counts which resulted in a 20 point swing from being down 9 to finishing with an 11 point win 53-43.