Chambers Franklyn Game Review

Thursday Night Round 2 – Women:

The Chambers Franklyn City of Joondalup Wolves women came back from a shaky start to defeat the Eastern Suns, 87-59, in Round two of the NBL1 West 2022 season!

No first-game nerves excuse to lean on for the Wolves’ 8-15 first quarter deficit, as they started out sloppy, turning the ball over very frequently and struggling to score. Things changed drastically entering the second quarter and the Suns could not find an answer.

For most stars in the NBL1, 23 points is a big game. Teige Morrell exploded for 23 points in the second quarter alone. This more than got the Wolves going offensively and they were off to the races from there.

After a bit of foul trouble in the first half, Neseya Parker Williams came out firing a total of 8/10 from the field for 16 points to add to her whopping 15 rebounds. The Teige-Neseya duo combined for a total of 53 points on 24/34 shooting and 31 rebounds.

There was also a major shift defensively for the Wolfpack after half-time, as former Wolves player, Georgia Denehey, entered the third quarter with 18 points, only to be smothered by the Pack who allowed just two more points from Denehey the rest of the game.

Whenever the Suns gave extra attention and collapsed on Teige or Neseya, the Wolves fired back from the perimeter. Notably, Chelsea Belcher and Kiara Phillips added 13 and 8 to the score board, respectively. And point guards, Shani Caldwell and Tia Ucich combined for a total of 11 assists on the night.

MVP of the game, Teige Morrell completed her stat line with 37 points, 16 rebounds and 4 assists, shooting 67% from the field.

The Wolves had three quarters of dominant basketball and ended with an 87-59 victory over the Suns. Coach Marcus shared his thoughts on the game:

“After a shaky 1^st quarter, it was great to see the group lock into the necessary adjustments and execute it out on the floor. While we had some great individual performances from Teige and Neseya, it really was an all-round team effort and our ability to move the ball and make the extra pass was very pleasing.”

After two road wins in a row, the Wolves players will be looking forward to facing the Perry Lakes Hawks on familiar territory for the first home game of the season next Friday, 22^nd April! We’ll see you there Wolfpack fans!

Thursday Night Round 2 – Men:

The Chambers Franklyn City of Joondalup Wolves came out firing on all cylinders in the first quarter vs the Eastern Suns, starting with a 13-0 run, and finishing the quarter up 27-9. The Suns had no answer for CJ Turnage, and he started 6/7 from the field. But it wasn’t just him; the Wolves were running in transition, making the extra pass, and everyone was involved and making plays. 

The Suns settled in and made a push in the second and third quarters, and the great start from the Wolves plateaued. At halftime, the score was 44-30. In the third quarter, the Suns got a bit hot. Xavier Shaw scored a handful of baskets on drives inside. And Spencer Alone, who played 3 min and 15 seconds in the game, all in the 3^rd quarter, made those minutes count, quickly making two tough, contested 3s in a row. This cut the Wolves lead to single digits. 

In the end of the 3^rd and throughout the 4^th quarter, the Wolves responded. Jonathan Wade made some big plays, getting to the rim and to the free throw line in pick and roll situations, Julian Pesava made some nice drives and was a difference-making playmaker – he led the Wolves with 7 assists on the game. As a team, the Wolves dialled up the defence and really got stops and rebounds over the last 15 minutes. CJ Turnage kept doing his thing and ended the night with 26 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. 

Wolves junior, Ben Geel, got in the game late and capped the night with his first NBL1 minutes of his career. In an exciting play, with teammates and fans spurring him on, he came off a pick and roll, stepped back, and sunk a 3 – the stadium bursting with cheers from the Wolfpack family celebrating the successful first shot attempt of Ben’s NBL1 career!

After the game, Coach Morrell said this: “I was pleased with our performance tonight. I thought we improved from week one to week two, and that’s the biggest thing you’re looking for at this stage of the season – are they improving? Are they responding to coaching? And are they fighting? If the answer to all those questions is yes, then I’m happy as a coach at this stage of the season. This was a nice team win, and we had a lot of guys contribute big things, all in their own roles.”

After two road wins in a row, the Wolves players will be looking forward to facing the Perry Lakes Hawks on familiar territory for the first home game of the season next Friday, 22^nd April! We’ll see you there Wolfpack fans and wish you all a very Happy Easter!