BIG V WRAP 17th March 2025
Welcome back to Big V Season 2025, as our Youth League Teams kick off their campaigns for this year, with a Saturday night double at Storm HQ.
YOUTH LEAGUE MEN
BELLARINE 76 lost to GIPPSLAND UNITED 98
(Will Smith 24, Declan Coles 10)
Our Youth League Men kicked off the 2025 season for the Storm as we hosted Gippsland United at Storm HQ.
This side has undergone a number of changes over the off season, with some new faces suiting up and a new coaching staff with head coach Dan Coles and assistant coach Asharie Marhad.
In their first competitive game for the year, it was a solid effort by the Storm as they remained on par with United up to half time, going in trailing by just 3 points. New recruit Will Smith had a fine start and showed he will be an important part of the roster, with his height and speed up and down the court, finishing as top scorer for the Storm on the night with 24 points, whilst also pulling down 12 rebounds.
Another new face in Declan Coles also showed his worth at the point, dishing off 6 assists for the match and also showing form from outside the arc, whilst returning Skipper Ben Walters toiled hard through the night, making his presence felt on the glass, pulling down 12 boards for the night.
Whilst the Storm were in the hunt for most of the game, United pulled away towards the end of the contest to collect the win. On the up side, there was a lot of promise across the night for the Storm and the expectations would be that as these players continue to develop and play more with each other, that they will be in for a good campaign in 2025
YOUTH LEAGUE WOMEN
BELLARINE 57 d CRAIGIEBURN 53
(Lucy Howard 12, Piper Copeland 11)
Our reigning Youth League Women Champions started their title defence on Saturday night against Craigieburn.
The defending champs didn’t have things all their own way in this one, as the Eagles matched it with the Storm all night, with the visitors gaining the early advantage, leading by a point at Quarter time, before the Storm kicked into gear and dominated the second quarter to head to the main break with a 9 point buffer.
Shooting from the field was proving to be a hurdle for both sides across the night, as the Storm went at 29% from the field compared to 20% for Craigieburn and then at the free throw line, the Storm could only manage 35% compared to Craigieburn’s 65%, which nearly came to haunt Bellarine as the match tightened in the last quarter.
Craigieburn made a late push to try and snatch the win from the Storm, narrowing to just a couple of points close to the end of the game, however, we were able to just hang on and record an 4 point victory.
Bellarine were impressive on the glass, with Lucy Howard pulling down 12 boards for the night, whilst new addition Tahli Smith and Ella Wolfenden grabbing 11 each.
THIS WEEK
SATURDAY 22 March 2025
YOUTH LEAGUE WOMEN
Bellarine v Sunbury at Boardman Stadium 6:00pm
YOUTH LEAGUE MEN
Bellarine v Melton at Cobblebank Stadium 6:00pm