Cockatoos Green 41 def. Cockatoos Women 29

Cockatoos Green continued their winning ways with an outstanding performance from the entire team. Everyone got on the scoresheet in a balanced effort, with father/son duo Jon and Nate Simon combining for 22 of Green’s 41 points. Will Sidgreaves also had a fine shooting performance, scoring 10 points in his first outing for the team, and his strong defensive rebounding limited the Women’s second-chance opportunities.

The final margin didn’t reflect just how tight the game was for much of the night. The teams were locked at 23 apiece at three-quarter time, with Tani Vollmer putting together the tournament’s best individual scoring performance so far, finishing with 21 points. Kylie Gauci assisted on 14 of those points and dropped in 8 points herself.

However, the game turned when young Nate Simon went into beast mode in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 of Green’s first 14 points of the term. His scoring burst opened up a gap that Green was able to maintain to the final whistle, eventually securing a solid 41–29 win.

Top scorers

• Green: Nate Simon 14, Will Sidgreaves 10, Jon Simon 8

• Women: Tani Vollmer 21, Kylie Gauci 8

Sydney Uni Lions 28 def. Manly Wheel Eagles 16

Manly Wheel Eagles are the youngest team in the competition, with three juniors aged 14 or under. Led by NWBL veteran and captain Rhys Baxter, he focused on setting up the young players to take their shots rather than dominating the scoring opportunities himself.

In their first game of the tournament after having the bye last week, the shooting accuracy wasn’t quite there, but the youngsters will no doubt start filling the scoresheet in future rounds. Mitchell Collins (8 points) and Saxon Carr (6) led the scoring effort.

After an absence of more than 10 years, it was also great to see Jason Gauci, brother of Australian Gliders legend Kylie Gauci, back on court. His shot was a little rusty, but his court awareness and speed were still evident. Expect bigger things from this team in the coming weeks.

On the other side of the ledger, the Lions were impressive in their comfortable win. Paralympian and captain Hannah Dodd (6 points) carried the team last week, but this time was able to take more of a back seat as the whole team lifted its defensive intensity, and Lee Drewe took the scoring lead finishing with a tidy 10 points.

Junior NSW representative Talyn Reedy chipped in with 6 points at a high percentage. With such accuracy, taking more shots will easily see her into double figures in the coming weeks. Overall, the Lions showed they are a hardworking team that deserves their second place on the ladder.

Top scorers

• Lions: Lee Drewe 10, Hannah Dodd 6, Talyn Reedy 6

• Manly: Mitchell Collins 8, Saxon Carr 6

Next Tuesday

Bye round for all teams due to the Club Championships in Shellharbour. However, there will be a training session open to everyone from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.