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Coming off the back of a win for both sides, the Carnabys flew to South Australia to play against The University of Adelaide’s Waatu team (AU Waatu). This game was important for both teams, with finals starting in just a few weeks.
Women’s
While the Carnabys vs AU Waatu women’s game had a plodding start, the pace changed dramatically toward the end of the match.
The first quarter saw both teams struggling to connect with the basket, and it wasn’t until the five-minute mark that a point appeared on the scoreboard. AU Waatu entered the second quarter with a three-point lead, which increased to a comfortable 12 points.
The Carnabys picked up in the second quarter and brought the margin down to three after Aleka Kabugua (#8) sunk a three-pointer. Kabugua had 12 points and six rebounds in the first half.
Still, AU Waatu maintained a lead for the first half with a score of 33 – 30 at half-time. Early in the second half, Carnabys Occupational Therapy student Druvinka Fernando (#14) sunk two points to bring the game to the first of many draws.
The fourth quarter was 10 minutes of arm wrestling as both teams hustled for the win. With just over three minutes left in the game, physiotherapy student Jaymie Symons scored three from behind the arc, which took the Carnabys to a six-point lead.
With a minute left in the game, key Carnabys player Ella Averill (#32) was out after reaching her fifth foul. Driving force Aleka Kabugua was on four fouls but stretched the Carnabys’ lead after draining two with 20 seconds left on the clock.
With five seconds on the clock, AU Waatu scored, taking the margin to just one point. However, Kabugua, who totalled 30 points and 13 rebounds in the game, snuck one last point in, and the Carnabys women’s side successfully brought home the win.
The final score was 61 – 59, with the Carnabys sixth on the UBL women’s ladder.
Men’s
The men’s game started steadily, with seven-foot-tall Carnaby Kane Waters (#25) christening the scoreboard. While baskets from Ali Rammal (#29), Zac Harris (#21), and Tobey Martin (#11) helped trim the margin, AU Waatu forged ahead to close out the first term with a nine-point lead.
In the second quarter, the Carnabys returned with back-to-back threes from Martin and one from Waters to reach 28-all. Unfortunately for the Carnabys, AU Waatu undid their work of narrowing the margin by locking a 14-0 run. With AU Waatu’s comfortable lead and strong defence, the Carnabys had their work cut out.
Rammal, one of the Carnabys’ top scorers, broke the opposition’s run. Unlucky for the Carnabys, though, the mining engineering major reached his fifth foul in the third term.
With a leading scorer out and a 15-point margin between the teams, the Carnabys had to make some magic.
Despite the Carnabys outscoring AU Waatu in the final quarter and trying to direct plays, the opposition proved unstoppable. AU Waatu maintained a 10-point lead with one minute remaining. The final score was 91 – 79, leaving the Carnabys 10th on the UBL men’s ladder.
The exceptional players in this game included Tobey Martin, with 26 points and seven three-pointers. Martin currently has a 54.17 three-point percentage, placing him second on the UBL ladder.
Health Science student Jericho Lucio (#3) was also a key player, scoring 10 points in just over one quarter and shining in the final term.
Tim Hollick (#7) totalled seven points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists in this game and is currently in the League’s top five for total steals.
