Hulkamaniacs Match Review - Wolverines

Line-up: Phil C, Ross, Jayson, Beau, Murray, Phil S, Luke (visit player stats)

Round 4, 2004/05 Summer Season

Wednesday, 27th October 2004

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Hulkamaniacs strong first half the key to victory.

BENDIGO (AP).

A solid first half from the Hulkamaniacs was enough to get them over line on Wednesday night, despite a lapse late in the game which almost cost them the victory.

But the eventual margin of 3 points flattered the Wolverines, who were largely uncompetitive throughout the game, with only a late succession of 3-point field goals closing the gap - but it was too late.

An even scoring contribution across the board was one of the keys to the Hulkamaniacs win, with Murray, Jayson and Beau leading the way with 22 of the teams 31 points between them.

In a solid, yet subdued opening to the match, the Hulkamaniacs slowly seized control in the early minutes, limiting offensive opportunities awarded to the Wolverines to a minimum with some typical hard-nosed defense.

With the Wolverines struggling to find their touch on the offensive end, five Hulkamaniacs players managed to get on the board in the first half - epitomising the even spread of scoring that was a theme of the night.

For the Hulkamaniacs, Phil C had 4 points at the half to lead his team - whilst defensively the entire squad was superb in limiting the Wolverines to a measly total of 9 points for the entire first 20 minutes of play.

The opening of the second half was even better for the Hulkamaniacs, as Murray and Jayson continued their strong outing - with Beau also getting in on the act offensively.  By the middle stages of the second half, a blow-out looked ominous when the Hulkamaniacs opened up a lead of close to 15 points.

It is unknown whether the Hulkamaniacs went to sleep, or the Wolverines woke up - but with under 10 minutes remaining in the game, the momentum swung.

Some missed opportunities at the Hulkamaniacs end, suddenly led to successive baskets at the other end for the Wolverines - and almost unbelievably - a game that the book had been closed on just minutes ago when the Hulkamaniacs threatened to blow the game apart, suddenly had some life, with the Wolverines closing to gap to under 10 points.

But surely there wasn't enough time left, was there?  If there wasn't time left, no-one told the Wolverines, whose 3-points shots started to drop after not going close for the first 30-35 minutes.  Several 3-point buckets within a couple of minutes made the difference barely a couple of shots, and for the first time in the contest - the Wolverines looked capable of a big upset.

But time was certainly on the Hulkamaniacs side, then up by 4 points with under a minute left and with possession.  However there was yet another twist in the game when a technical foul was inexplicably called against Murray, giving the Wolverines two shots and possession.

The Wolverines player made one of two shots from the line, and fortunately a desperate last second 3-point attempt bounced off the ring as the Hulkamaniacs escaped with a 3 point victory.

The final score was 31-28.

Leading scorers for the Hulkamaniacs were Murray with 9, Jayson 7, Beau 6, Phil C 4, Ross 3 and Luke with 2 points.

It was a game that should never have been as close as it was in the final analysis, but the positive news for the Hulkamaniacs is that as a team, they didn't play to their best and certainly not up to last weeks high standard - yet still managed to snare an important win, taking them to 3-1 for the season and second place on the division standings.

Next week, the Hulkamaniacs face another traditional opponent - the Camels, at 10:10pm on court 6.

MVP Standings: Phil C (17), Jayson (16), Beau (15), Ross (14), Luke (13), Murray (8), Phil S (3), Adam (0).

- Luke 

Game notes

The Hulkamaniacs have now won 7 out of their last 8 matches against the Wolverines, dating back to the start of the 2003/04 season… Their most recent defeat at the hands of the Wolverines was round 15 of the 2004 Winter season… Murray played his 30th all-time game for the Hulkamaniacs tonight… Adam will be able to return to the Hulkamaniacs line-up for next week's match against the Camels, having served an 8 week suspension… Tonight's match was the last of the grading period - and as no changes were made to the division, the Hulkamaniacs are able to keep all 3 wins on the board… There were no other significant milestones or achievements this week… See the Records and Player Stats sections for more.

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