St George Basketball’s senior men hosted the Newcastle Falcons on Saturday night at Hurstville Stadium in a physical, hard-fought contest.
The Saints started slowly in the first quarter but managed to stay within reach. Newcastle’s experience showed throughout the game, while St George’s younger players continued to prove their value alongside the senior core. At halftime, St George trailed 42–54.
The second half saw key Saints players fall into foul trouble, but the team stuck to the game plan and remained within striking distance. Despite closing the gap to within 10 points, St George couldn’t overcome Newcastle, with the Falcons securing a 104–94 victory.
With a strong Greek heritage presence within the squad, St George will regroup and look to bounce back this Saturday away against the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders.
Greek Heritage Player Performances:
- Loukas Triantis (Sponsored by Bacino Bar): 35 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal
- Yianni Trikilis: 29 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
- Nicholas Alexander: Strong contribution on the boards
- Ross Aliferis (Sponsored by Valsamis & Associates): Limited minutes after returning from a four-week injury layoff
Head Coach George Aliferis said: “I was devastated with the loss to Newcastle. We just couldn’t get ahead of them. Our rebounding was poor, which gave Newcastle too many second-chance opportunities. We need to respond and come away with a win this Saturday.”
The Youth League Men’s Red team delivered a dominant performance against the Tamworth Thunderbolts on Sunday, securing a 106–78 victory to move to a 3–0 start to the season.
The Saints set the tone early, forcing turnovers and capitalising in transition, scoring 21 points off turnovers in the first quarter to take a 38–21 lead. Despite foul trouble slowing momentum in the second quarter, they held a strong 62–43 advantage at halftime.
Tamworth made a push in the third quarter, but St George responded with disciplined defence to extend the lead to 84–58 heading into the final period. The Saints maintained control in the fourth to close out an impressive win.
Angelo Tsitsos, Assistant Coach said, “Really proud of the group and the way they approached the game from the opening tip. We spoke about setting the tone early with our defence, and to come out and generate that many points off turnovers in the first quarter showed the intent we want to play with. We defended, we shared the ball, and we stayed disciplined. Tamworth challenged us at different stages, but the boys showed maturity to regain control and finish the game the right way. To be 3-0 to start the season is a great reward for the work they’ve been putting in, but we know there’s still plenty to improve.”
Key Contributors:
- Jaxon Frintzilas: 23 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
- Tao Smith: 16 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 steals
- Abdul Banse: 19 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals
Other Results:
- U14 Boys def. Macarthur United 54–44
- U14 Girls def. Marrickville Spirit 39–28
- U12 Girls def. Sutherland Sharks 38–26
- U18 Boys def. Bankstown Bruins 94–87
- U18 Boys White def. Parramatta Cumberland 100–47
*Photos by Stacey Angelis
