By Dion Stergiopoulos
After a disappointing 98–55 loss at home to the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders on Saturday night, the St George Men’s team faced a massive challenge: a 5am bus trip to Wagga Wagga to take on the formidable Wagga Wagga Heat.
With several key players unavailable due to illness or other commitments, and facing a vocal home crowd, the odds were firmly stacked against the Saints. The opening quarter was a physical battle, with Wagga’s deep bench making an early impact as they edged ahead 28–20. The second quarter followed a similar pattern, with St George struggling to contain Wagga’s fast breaks, trailing 49–34 at the half.
During the halftime break, the team dug deep, reflecting on what it means to play with St George pride. The third quarter didn’t start well — within three minutes, the deficit had blown out to 20. A crucial timeout by Head Coach George Aliferis helped reset the team’s focus and intensity. From there, the Saints roared back into contention with inspired defence and improved execution, finishing the quarter down just 10 points, 69–59.
The fourth quarter was all heart. Every player stepped up defensively, applying relentless pressure that forced Wagga into costly turnovers. St George capitalised, slowly chipping away at the lead before taking control in the final minutes. In an electric finish, the Saints held on for a thrilling 84–82 victory — silencing the Wagga crowd and delivering their most passionate performance of the season.
Head Coach George Aliferis praised the effort: “After the terrible performance on Saturday night and jumping on a bus at 5am for a midday game, I could not be prouder of my players. They showed courage, belief, and composure to beat a quality side like Wagga. We’ve already surpassed last season’s results, and with momentum building, we have a real opportunity to climb the ladder over the next few weeks.”
Every player played a critical role in the comeback win:
- Jayden Tanevski (sponsored by The Athlete Lab) top-scored with a dominant 41 points.
- Jack Ticic (sponsored by Chullora Auto House) added 23 points with key baskets at crucial moments.
- Chris Fiddler steered the team with composure and leadership throughout.
- Kyle Roeager was instrumental in the fourth quarter, including calmly sinking the game-winning free throws.
- Nicholas Alexander, Riley Brown ,Marcus Chan, and Ross Aliferis brought intensity and defensive presence on the court.
The team now turns its attention to this Sunday’s crucial home game against the Central Coast Waves, who are also battling for finals contention. With confidence high, St George will be ready to defend their home court.
Saints’ Youth League cruise to 13th straight victory
Following a local derby win over Sutherland Sharks in round 14, the St George Saints Youth League Mens Red team looked put on another dominant display in their final home game of the season against Hawkesbury Jets.
The Jets were on the back foot from the very beginning, with only seven players available for the visitors.
Both sides got off to a fast start offensively, trading possessions early with both looking to push the pace on the fast break.
Despite the lack of personnel, the Jets utalised their quick ball movement to bypass the Saints’ full and half court press and got some easy points in the paint to try and stick with the hosts.
A lot of hustle plays (34 offensive rebounds) from the Saints allowed the home side to get several second chance points to run out to a demanding lead at the end of the first quarter (44-17).
The Saints ramped things up in the second quarter, with their quick transition defense and fast passed offence (90 points in the paint on 45/67 shooting for the game).
The hosts’ tenacious defensive effort led to several key defensive stops (33 turnovers for Jets) and allowed the Saints to continue to run rampart on the fast break, increasing their already big lead heading into half time (75-37).
The second half was more of the same for the hosts, with the Saints continuing to pile on the scoring and being relentless on both ends of the floor (104-49 after 3rd Qtr).
During the final break before the final quarter, the message from Saints head coach Luther Shannon was clear; “finish the game strong… and no injuries.”
The team answered the call and did not let up despite the already insurmountable lead, running away with a comfortable 142-62 victory.
Saints assistant coach Angelo Tsitsos was very happy with the team’s overall performance enabling them to put the game to bed early.
“Despite being down 4 players for the game, the boys were adamant to take care of business in our last home game of the season,” he said.
“They were able to execute our defensive game plan from the first tip and put the game away early.”
“Three out of our last four games are against playoff teams as we head into the finals, so we need to be at our absolute best as we push for the championship.”
Key contributors:
- Maper Maker – 36 points (15/21 FG), 11 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks
- Tao Smith – 21 points 17 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks
- Abdul Hamid Banse – 26 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals
The Saints head back out on the road this weekend to face Camden Valley Wildfire on Saturday 19 July then travel to face Shoalhaven Tigers on Sunday 20 July.
