WERRIBEE Devils hit the court running with a season-opening 80-68 win over arch rivals Altona Gators in the Victorian Basketball League Big V men’s division 1 at Werribee Sports and Fitness Centre on Saturday night.
The Devils burst to a massive 16-point half-time lead before their legs wearied and the Gators mounted a fruitless late comeback.
Devils coach Paul Jones told the Weekly the start was crucial, with his team running out of puff in the second half.
“We were quick out of the blocks,” he said.
“That was important because we’re not seeing out games yet. We got tired, made fatigue errors and Altona made a late run at us.”
All is well that ends well.
The Devils could not have asked for a better way to start the season than to beat up on their western suburbs rivals.
“We would’ve taken a one-point win,” Jones said. “It’s always a tough contest no matter where the teams are sitting on the ladder.
“There was a big turnout, the local basketball families came down and supported both teams and it made for a great atmosphere.”
The Devils’ late tiredness was not helped by a swelling foul count.
This forced Jones to shuffle the cards and throw up alternative line-ups with good effect.
Kristian Rocci was the spark plug for the Devils with 21 points on nine-of-13 shooting, nine rebounds and three steals in just 26 minutes of court time.
The Devils were +30 when he was on the court.
“He had a career-best game for us,” Jones said.
“His output from limited minutes was sensational.”
Jordan Hughes was by no means eased into the new season.
The guard played a team-high 36 minutes for 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Mark Rizza, the wily veteran, is back to peak fitness and it showed.
The one-time MVP had his mid-range shot hot early en route to 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. “He’s in the best condition he’s been in since he won the league MVP,” Jones said.
“He’s motivated and his experience on the court with our young team is like gold.”
The Devils will be back at Ballan Road this Saturday night. They meet their other rival, Sunbury Jets, with the tip-off at 8.30pm.
Meanwhile, in the women’s division 2, the Werribee Devils went down 60-41 in their season opener to the Cranbourne Cavaliers at the Werribee Sports and Fitness Centre on Saturday night.
Briana Pastore led the scoring for the Devils with 11 points and Morgan Owen was a huge presence inside the paint with 10 rebounds.
The Devils have a week’s rest before a trip to Western Port on April 1.
SCORES: Round 1
Men’s division 1: Werribee 80 d Altona 68
Women’s division 2: Werribee 41 lt Cranbourne 60
Men’s youth league: Werribee 50 lt Geelong 66
