SOUTH East Coast basketball grand finals took place last week, with Panthers holding out a whitewash from Millicent teams.
The much anticipated match up between the Panthers and Cats took place at Millicent, as the Cats had earned the right to the host the game after defeating the Panthers earlier in the finals series.
Despite only five players on the roster, Panthers were off to a perfect start with a Brad Rathjen three point bomb and never looked back from there.
By the end of the first quarter Panthers had held the home side to six points and opened up a 15-point lead.
Cat Harry Mules found some space in the second quarter for five quick points to cut into the double figure lead, but Panthers had all the answers and led by 18 at the half.
The second half did not improve for the Cats as Panthers were one step ahead and continued to increase their lead.
Mules did his best in a losing effort with 15 points and was well supported by fellow big Josh Murphy with 14.
Panthers were led by game MVP Rob Hein who finished with a game-high 23 points.
League MVP was awarded to Panthers’ Kyle Tipene, who led the side from the front all season and finished second in the league scoring, averaging 22.07 points per game.
Panthers 82 (R. Hein 23, K. Tipene 22) d Cats 61 (H. Mules 15, J. Murphy 14).
The women’s game was an all-Millicent matchup, with the Cats just good enough to hold out the Saints.
The Cats were boosted by the return of Emily Winter who has recently moved to Adelaide to compete in the NBL1 Central competition for Woodville.
Young Cats star Lucy Denton got her side off to a flyer with the first four points of the game before a Jasmin Howe three-point bomb put the Cats on the board.
Both teams found different ways to score in the opening quarter, but the Cats held on to a seven-point lead at the first break.
Jasn Howe scored the first eight points of the second quarter to give Saints a one-point lead, but the Cats responded behind the play of Madi Haggett and Denton to regain and hold the lead at half time.
The third quarter was owned by the Cats as they extended the lead and the Saints struggled to contain onslaught.
In the last quarter, trailing by 20 points, Howe gave her side some hope with a quick eight points and were able to cut the lead back to three points with five minutes remaining.
However they ran out of gas and could not quite get over the final hurdle, as the Cats held on to win by six points.
Game MVP was awarded to Haggett, who had 16 points and made a significant contribution on both ends of the court for the Cats.
League MVP was awarded to Howe, who led the league in scoring, averaging 18.17 points per game in an outstanding season.
Cats 74 (E. Winter 21, L. Denton 19) d Saints 68 (J. Howe 28, M. Pulmer 12).
