THE Stawell Wildcats were sent home with their tails between their legs after a dominant display from an undermanned Mount Gambier Lakers side in round two of the Country Basketball League South West men’s season.
Played at the Icehouse on Saturday night, both teams took to the court for the first time after byes in round one, while for the Wildcats it was their first appearance in the competition after two seasons in the wilderness.
Their return to the league was a baptism of fire, with the Lakers away to an 18-0 lead before Stawell could hit the scoreboard.
By the first change the home team sat comfortably with a 22-point advantage, with the dominance flooding into the second quarter to set up a 39-point half-time lead.
Simon Berkefeld and Kyle Tipene dealt the bulk of the damage to finish their nights with 33 and 27 points respectively.
Jak Ryan was also a prominent figure, working hard and doing the jobs which are not always reflected on the score sheets, while he still finished with 19 points.
“Jak was very influential at both ends,” coach Matt Berkefeld said.
“He is a really good passer and sets up a lot of his teammates for easy points.”
Heading into the second half the Lakers were primed for victory and while the Wildcats opened the scoring in the third term, Simon Berkefeld answered with a three-point bomb, followed by consecutive two-pointers.
He finished with nine points form the quarter, seven of them scored in the space of a minute, while Tipene also fired with seven points of his own.
At the final change a 59-point buffer had been established, with the Wildcats left with damage control their only option.
However, the Lakers kept their foot on the gas and by the final buzzer claimed an impressive 65-point triumph.
With seven players missing for the side on Saturday, a couple of rising talents were called upon to fill the ranks.
Alex Jarnevic and Brodie Jolley both rose to the occasion and left their coach impressed.
“With a few people out, it gave some other guys the opportunity,” Matt Berkfeld said.
“Alex and Brodie filled in to give us a hand and to be honest they really stood up – to the point where I would love to be able to give them another opportunity.
“It was also quite pleasing to see Scott O’Connor and Toby deWit both play well in their first games for the team.
“And having Kyle Tipene back – he slotted in well and is looking like he will have a really nice season.”
O’Connor did not have a massive impact on the scoreboard, with just two points to his name, but provided plenty of drive to the hoop to set up his comrades.
For deWit’s debut, he lived up to the family name and chipped in with 17 points, which included four three-pointers.
Fellow young-gun Mitch Hunter also contributed double figures with 14 points.
With a bye this weekend, Mount Gambier now turns its attention towards the next outing, a road trip against Ararat Redbacks.
The Lakers will still be missing some key-personnel for that clash, but Saturday’s performance has certainly provided Matt Berkefeld with plenty of confidence in his team.
“We are still going to have a lot out for our next game as well,” he said.
“The fact we have shown to have good depth is going to be important because we are going to need that again in our next game.
“Looking forward we have a game against Ararat, which according to their results is going to be a pretty tough challenge.”
Berkefeld said another strong start will be needed against the Redbacks, but for now the team will return to the training court in preparation for the round-four contest.
