Wildcats pull away late to claim Grand Final

WILDCATS Basketball Club have been crowned RL Signs Men’s Winter Championship champions following last night’s (Tuesday, September 17) win over Pivot City at Geelong Arena.

The champions emerged victorious 64-52 in the first leg of the Grand Final doubleheaders, led by veteran guard and best on court medal recipient Nick Owusu, as they staved off any late charges in the latter stages.

Wildcats head coach Glenn Sharp said he was extremely pleased with his side’s ability to finish the game strong.

“The message heading into that fourth quarter was all about composure.

“The first three quarters could have been a bit better, but we brought it back to basics, attacking the basket and taking care of our job on the defensive end which we did a great job of.

“I’m super proud of these guys, it’s been a 12-month journey, and I couldn’t be happier with the result.”

Wildcats got out to the early advantage leading 20-12 after 10 minutes of play, before Pivot City pegged the deficit back to just one basket at the conclusion of the first half, the score 29-27.

With neither side able to assume control of the contest in the third, evenly sharing 30 combined points, the 44-42 scoreline had spectators ready for a close finish to the game.

A three-pointer from Pivot City’s Patrick Goodier put the Pivotonians in front 90 seconds into the fourth, which was then compounded by another triple from NBL1 representative Cohen Blythe to give the side a four-point advantage.

Wildcats were able to wrestle back the lead with an 9-0 run with only three minutes remaining in the contest.

Crucial free throws by Tom Henkel and a breakaway layup from Owusu put the game on ice in the final minute of play to give the Wildcats the win and championship bragging rights.

Henkel finished the night with a team-high 16 points, while Owusu finished with 15, and Cory Jones, Williams Jones and Robbie Kennedy each put together nine points.

Marach Marach compiled 16 points of his own for Pivot City alongside Max Kos who finished with 10 points.

Sharp plauded the Wildcats organisation for facilitating the team’s growth in recent years, being one Geelong United’s newer clubs at the Winter Championships level.

“This club is a family, we’re all about bringing people in and allowing them to play,” Sharp said.

“This is just another example, it was evident with the juniors here watching tonight, they’re seeing what they can expect at this level, that’s how a club builds its foundations.”

Wildcats won the season from second place on the ladder with a record of 15 wins and five losses, defeating Pivot City twice in the finals to claim the championship.