Hulkamaniacs Match Review - Wolverines

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

Round 11, 2004/05 Summer Season

Wednesday, 23rd February 2004

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Hulkamaniacs return to winners list, destroy Wolverines.

BENDIGO (AP).

The Hulkamaniacs faced an early scare against the Wolverines on Wednesday night, before eventually running away with a sizeable victory over their division 2 rivals, winning by 24 points.

The Wolverines started stronger, coming out with all guns blazing and dominating in the paint.  It looked as if the Hulkamaniacs were going to repeat last week's slow start in their match against the Dwarfz, which saw them fall behind badly before eventually scrambling a crucial draw.

Desperate to avoid a sluggish start, the Hulkamaniacs cut into the early Wolverines advantage courtesy of 3-point field goals from Ross and Murray.  Seemingly with the momentum swinging their way, the Hulkamaniacs looked to push the ball up the court at every opportunity - as their undermanned opponents were quickly finding the going tough against their younger opponents.

With no other way of slowing the Hulkamaniacs down, the foul count quickly mounted.  Beau was characteristically taking the ball strong to the basket, drawing fouls and getting to the line.  Ross and Phil C each added their second field goal, before a second 3-point field goal from Murray closed out the half in fine style.

After trailing early following a slow start, the Hulkamaniacs scored the bulk of their points in the final 10 minutes of the half to take a 5-point lead into the main break - 17-12.  The lead was extended by a further 10 points due to the Wolverines not providing a scorer, subsequently making the lead 15 points.

A couple of early baskets by the Wolverines at the start of the second half were quickly counteracted by a Phil C field goal, and two 3-point field goals from Luke just after, keeping the Hulkamaniacs lead well into double figures.

The run of the Hulkamaniacs continued throughout the second half, with the Wolverines struggling to come to terms with the array of scoring options at the Hulkamaniacs disposal, compared to the Wolverines, who were constantly looking to dump the ball into the key, with no major threats from beyond the arc.

With Ross continuing his solid match, in addition to Phil C well on his way to adding another 10+ point outing, the Hulkamaniacs were not seriously threatened after half time.  There were even short glimpses of "show-time" in the second half, as the teamwork of the Hulkamaniacs was working almost to perfection, especially on the fast break.

Another feature of the Hulkamaniacs game was on the defensive end, where on numerous possessions, the Wolverines were forced into error leading to fast break opportunities and several easy scoring opportunities.  Such intense defensive pressure has been one of the main reasons for the major improvement the Hulkamaniacs have displayed throughout the 2004/05 season.

Phil S added two field goals, together with late baskets to Murray and Beau, to round out a high scoring second half for the Hulkamaniacs, and capping off an impressive 24-point victory.

The final score was 57 to 33.

The win atones for a late-season defeat in 2004, which ultimately cost the Hulkamaniacs a double chance in the finals.  The Hulkamaniacs were bundled out of the finals in week 1 by the Camels.

Leading scorers for the Hulkamaniacs were Phil C with 14, Murray and Luke with 8, Ross 7, Beau 6 and Phil S 4.

The Hulkamaniacs remain in 1st place on the division standings following tonight's win, with a record of 9 wins, 1 loss with 1 draw from 11 games.  Next week, the Hulkamaniacs have a bye due to the Saints withdrawing from the competition. Therefore the Hulkamaniacs next game will be against the Hornets on the 9th of March.

MVP Standings: Phil C (56), Beau (42), Murray (33), Ross (31), Luke (28), Jayson (20), Adam (18), Phil S (12).

- Luke

Game notes.

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