St George Basketball’s Senior Men travelled to Thornleigh to take on the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders in Round 6 of the NSW Waratah League. Sitting in 3rd place on the ladder, Hornsby was always going to be a tough challenge, especially after St George defeated them earlier in Round 2.
With several players returning from injury and others unavailable, the task ahead was never going to be easy. Hornsby came out strong from the opening tip, pushing the ball quickly and playing a very physical style of basketball. Despite the pressure, St George stayed composed and went into halftime trailing by just one point, 38-39.
The focus for the second half was clear — deny the ball, control the rebounds, and stay disciplined defensively. Heading into the final quarter, St George trailed 56-66 but remained well within reach of the contest.
The fourth quarter highlighted the experience of the Hornsby roster against the youthful St George side. The Saints continued to fight and cut the margin back to six points, but Hornsby’s outside shooting proved decisive, consistently hitting key three-pointers to maintain control of the game. With three minutes remaining, Hornsby led by six before finishing strongly to secure the 98-77 victory.
While the result was disappointing, the game provided valuable experience for the young St George squad as they continue to develop throughout the season.
St George now travels to face the 5th placed Blacktown Storm this Saturday in another difficult away fixture. The team will need to regroup quickly and improve in key areas if they are to challenge one of the competition’s stronger sides.
Head Coach George Aliferis reflected on the performance following the game.
“We have had two disappointing results over the last two weeks. This week our composure and shot selection let us down,” Aliferis said.
“We had every opportunity to win this game, so it’s unfortunate we missed that opportunity. Blacktown Storm away will be another difficult challenge, but hopefully we can learn from these losses and turn things around.”
The St George Mens team travels to Blacktown this Saturday night at 7.30pm.
Greek heritage player performances:
- Loukas Triantis (Sponsored by Bacino Bar): 22 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal
- Yianni Trikilis: (Sponsored by Kids Kapers) 21 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
- Ross Aliferis (Sponsored by Valsamis & Associates): Back from Injury, 7 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steal
Other results:
- U14 Boys def. Parramatta Cumberland 66–41
- U16 Boys White def. Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai 91–90
- U16 Boys Red def. Bulls Basketball 91-61
- U16 Boys def. Hawkesbury Jets 91-81
- U16 Girls def. MacArthur United 48-38
- U18 Girls def. Springwood Scorchers 62-35
