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BENDIGO (AP).
The
Hulkamaniacs have survived one of their biggest challenges in 2005, by
holding on for a significant victory against the Throwbacks on
Wednesday night.
The
win assures the Hulkamaniacs will appear in their fourth
consecutive finals campaign, in what has been one of the better regular
season campaigns in franchise history. However the Hulkamaniacs
final
position will be determined in the next three weeks, with meetings
against top placed Phoenix, fourth placed Bomb Squad and third placed
Nemesis before finals time.
Over the last four weeks, the Hulkamaniacs have done everything
required of them, with wins over teams placed 5th-8th, by an average
winning margin of 32.5 points.
With a settled and confident line-up, the Hulkamaniacs were favourites
coming into the game, with Phil C, Beau and Adam providing serious
headaches for opposition teams on the defensive end.
Beau started things off the Hulkamaniacs, with teammates able to set him
up for a couple of baskets. However it was the Throwbacks that
took the ascendency early, playing up-tempo basketball and running the
Hulkamaniacs ragged. The Hulkamaniacs were uncharacteristically
sloppy in the opening 5-10 minutes, taking some time to find their feet.
Finding themselves behind on the scoreboard, somewhat of a rarity over
the past month, the Hulkamaniacs started to improve their output with
Phil C and Adam opening their accounts, with Beau also finding his way
to the basket, continuing his solid game.
The match remained tight throughout the first half, as Phil C got hot
from the field with his patented fade away jumper. Led by Phil C
and Beau, the Hulkamaniacs regained the lead by half time, as the
Throwbacks continued to cause the Hulkamaniacs trouble - and were still
a serious threat - very capable of stealing the match - finding themselves only 4 points down
after 20 minutes.
With
scores remaining close after the half, Beau and Phil C continued to
dominate the majority of the Hulkamaniacs scoring, combining for the
first 13 points of the second half, giving the Hulkamaniacs their biggest lead of the game - approaching 10 points.
The characteristic stingy Hulkamaniacs defense was being tested by the
Throwbacks, but was providing enough stability to maintain the
Hulkamaniacs advantage. Adam, Murray and Phil S were applying
enormous pressure on their opponents throughout the match, also
providing a formidable presence on the boards.
The Throwbacks were hanging tough however, with a succession of field
goals including a 3-point field goal which brought them right back into
the match, with a Hulkamaniacs top 2 end of season placing suddenly in
the balance.
But as any good team should, the Hulkamaniacs answered.
Field goals to Murray and Luke allowed the Hulkamaniacs to breathe a
little easier, and a subsequent 3-point field goal by one of the
players of the night in Beau, appeared to break the Throwbacks fighting
spirit.
Ross and Phil C added the final touches to the scoreboard, securing an all-important win for the Hulkamaniacs.
The final score was 50-41.
Leading scorers for the Hulkamaniacs were Phil C 21, Beau 18, Murray 4, Adam 3 and Ross and Luke with 2 apiece.
Next
week, it's literally a top of the table clash - as the Hulkamaniacs
(8W-2L) take on Phoenix (9W-1L). The last time the two teams
clashed, Phoenix walked away with a comfortable victory. The
Hulkamaniacs will be keen to rebound strongly from that defeat,
and will look to prove that Phoenix do not have the 2005 division 2
premiership trophy in their keeping, just yet.
Be sure to stay tuned to the Hulkamaniacs website for all the news and results!
MVP Standings: Phil C (87.0), Beau (61.5), Murray (41.5), Adam (34.0), Luke (33.5), Ross (31.0), Simon (11.5), Phil S (9.5).
Hulkamaniacs Poll results:
Q: When will the Hornets break the streak of consecutive wins by the Hulkamaniacs against them?
A: Not in forseeable future (6 votes). | 