WHEN the Werribee Devils claimed first place in the Victorian Basketball League Big V men’s division 1 a week ago, they became the hunted, drawing a sharper focus from opposition teams and turning into the biggest scalp almost overnight.
With the No.1 tag comes greater assessment, a target is stuck on their backs and everyone wants to bring about their downfall.
How the young Devils handle the extra scrutiny will determine how long they hold top spot. Their old rivals, the Altona Gators, were always going to play out of their skins to test the Devils’ resilience.
So, it came as no shock to see the Gators leading, and convincingly, by 10 points at half-time of Sunday’s game at the Altona Sports Centre.
But the Devils have worked too hard to let their guard down when facing the arch enemy.
They produced a near flawless second half to avoid a banana peel and complete a comeback 100-92 victory.
Click on the image below for our gallery of the big game.
Jordan Hughes was red hot, landing all five three-pointers on the day for the Devils to finish with 29 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The youth influence was huge for the Devils with Cirkook Riak (15 points and seven rebound), Josh Oswald (10 points and nine rebounds) and Jonathon Sonda (12 points) coming to the fore. The more experienced Mark Rizza got in on the act with 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Thirteen is an unlucky number for Werribee Devils in the Big V women’s division 2, representing their consecutive losses after a dismal 58-31 defeat to Blackburn Vikings at home on Saturday night.
SCORES:
Men’s division 1: Altona Gators 92 lt Werribee Devils 100.
Women’s division 2: Werribee Devils 31 lt Blackburn Vikings 58.
