Posted on 22 July, 2016
Following a roster overhaul which saw Kilsyth stumble to a 3-8 start, Mark Landell’s team has responded with a 6-4 surge to pull within a game of Sandringham for the Watson Conference’s final playoff spot. A win over Hawthorn on Sunday coupled with a Sandringham loss against Ringwood would see the Cobras wrap up fourth-place and keep their hopes alive of securing a second consecutive VYC title.
Kilsyth’s second half turnaround has been fuelled by the play of 17 year old Jamie Ahale (15.0ppg/7.0rpg) and fellow rookies Mitch Dielemans (11.5ppg) and Jed Wilson (9.9ppg/3.3apg), while Jorden Adnam’s (12.8ppg/5.3rpg) return from early season injuries has given the Cobras a big interior boost. Landell’s team, which has battled a horror run with injuries and a serious shortage of frontcourt players, put their fighting spirit on full display last weekend, defeating the then-conference leading Blackburn Vikings despite having just seven players available.
The task at hand this weekend doesn’t get any easier, with the Cobras taking on a rejuvenated Magic team, one that appears to be loading up their roster for their final game of 2016. State Championship Men’s players Jack Barry (24.0ppg) and Xavier Evans (16.3ppg) will drop back down to Hawthorn’s VYC squad for Sunday’s matchup, giving the Magic two bonafide scorers that could trouble Kilsyth.
With everything laying on the line, Sunday’s contest should be a thriller, so make sure you get on down to the Kilsyth Sports Centre for a 2.00pm tip-off and remember, entry is FREE.
On the Women’s side, Ed Dunstan’s group hits the road to take on Bendigo for their regular season finale. After starting the season 3-7, the Cobras have rebounded well, winning five consecutive games before losing on the road to Melbourne last weekend. The youthful Cobras were aided by the return of Bree Mackenzie (22.3ppg/6.3rpg/2.4spg), who’s dominance on both ends of the floor led Kilsyth’s late surge.
With Mackenzie now back in the United States to play her Junior season at Hawaii Pacific University, the Cobras must look elsewhere for scoring, and found excellent production in Paige and Chloe Anderson last weekend. The sisters combined for 31 points in Kilsyth’s big win over Hume City on Saturday night, while veteran Jenna Verhoef-Jenkins added 13 in the victory.
With Kilsyth out of the playoff picture, they will be playing for pride on Saturday night, but a win at a difficult road venue could give Dustan’s young squad a big confidence boost heading into 2017.
