With the junior season wrapped up, the final matches of the Ballarat Basketball season came with last weeks senior Grand Finals, Ballan Brumbies playing off for championships in division two and three men's competitions.
The Division three men's side came into their match as a slight favourite, having finished top of a very tight ladder. In their regular season match ups with Misfits, both games fell Ballan's way, though both by tight three point margin. Brumbies task in this contest was made harder by the absence of rebounding machine Tibor Lehocky, though defensive ace Nico Naranjo had recovered from a rib injury in time to return to the lineup.
Misfits looked to assert their size dominance early, getting the ball to big men Jack Gunn and Kyle Cushion, the latter scoring the games first basket, Archie Kiellerup following up with a long two. Ballan got on the scoreboard through a short jump shot by Fergus McCausland off of a neat out of bounds play. Trent Wall added a corner three pointer.
Misfits continued to pound Ballan inside, offensive rebounds leading to a kick out three for Kiellerup and free throws to Gunn. When Ballan's only genuine big man, Sam McMahon, had to sit after picking up his third foul midway through the half, Ballan looked awfully small.
The Brumbies countered that by stepping up their defensive intensity at the point of attack, Wall and Ryan Borri forcing a series of turnovers out of Misfits. McCausland scored on fast breaks either side of a tough Naranjo layup. When Misfits were able to slow Ballan down, Oscar Marionn kept the scoreboard ticking over with his straight-line drives to the basket.
Ballan's strong finish to the half saw them lead 14-13.
In the second half, as has been typical of of these sides through their previous meetings, neither side was able to break out offensively. Ballan re-doubled their defensive efforts in the paint, whilst Misfits, confident that their superior size could control the key, focused on pressuring Ballan's ball carriers.
McMahon picked up his fourth foul early in the half, allowing Misfits to take control of the game. Without an inside presence, Ballan's offense devolved to unsuccessful one-on-one attacks. At the other end, Misfits were able to string together baskets through Cushion and a pair of three pointers to Jordan Holloway and Abraham Jones, taking a five point lead along the way.
Ballan needed a spark and got it from veteran Jarrod Prosser, who found Marion with a sharp pass for a layup before hitting a long jump shot. Ballan's defense again picked up with their small ball lineup scrambling to cover Misfits shooters. Importantly, Ballan started to take control of the boards, Borri and Prosser working hard against bigger bodies until McMahon could return to give Ballan some much needed power.
Wall's slalomed his way past multiple Misfits to hit a pair of layups as momentum swung Ballan's way with just over two minutes remaining. Misfits needed a basket but a risky pass was picked off by Prosser. He was quickly fouled, though he could only split his free throws, pushing Ballan's lead to four.
Ballan forced another turnover, this time Wall credited with the steal. He fed McCausland who was sent to the line, though he missed both free throws, keeping hopes alive for Misfits. Again, Ballan's defense came through, Wall and McMahon combined to force a travel out of Jones. Ballan was then able to hold the ball for the final 20 or so seconds to secure the young club's second senior championship with a 28-24 victory.
In Ballan's other grand final, the Division two men picked an inopportune time to play their worst game of the season. They looked utterly disjointed and were never in the hunt against a rampant ACU, going down 26-52.
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