It was a thrilling round of basketball for the Darwin Salties with some unsung heroes announcing themselves in front of home fans in the toughest of situations. Here’s what we learned.
It was a magical Round 7 for the Darwin Salties who picked up two impressive wins over Mackay to solidify top four spots in the men’s and women’s NBL1 North competitions.
The women’s side overcame a major setback during the week to defeat the Meteorettes 82-56 before the men flexed their muscles in a 102-88 victory over the Meteors later in the evening.
Both Salties teams came out on fire with the home crowd cheering them on as they got out to leads of 20 points or more in the first quarter.
Here’s what we learnt from Round 7.
Tremlett impressed with depth of squad
Salties women’s coach Rod Tremlett was made to work extra hard last week following a gastro illness which swept through the group including some of coaches.
But what came from the difficult circumstance was a new understanding that the Salties have strong depth in their squad.
Tremlett complimented a number of his players who stepped up in the Salties biggest win of the season (26 points) post game.
“I mean Kylie started tonight but she has been a role player for us and her energy has been fantastic the last two games,” Tremlett said.
“I thought Abbey Wood for her minutes was good even thought she was unwell, I thought she showed real pose as a young player which was really great.
“And then Sophie Johnston played the most minutes in our team tonight, whilst she doesn’t alway post a score on the board, we know she is an elite shooter but her defensive pressure is outstanding and she is in great physical state.
“So I thought there was great from all those ladies tonight.”
Kylie Duggan had seven rebounds and three steals in the match and Abbey Wood fired with two 3-balls from three attempts.
Johnston, who played 32:23 minutes, had six points, four rebounds, three assists, and a steal and block.
Salties co-captain Erin Bollmann said she was also pleased with the work her team’s bench.
“It was amazing to see our bench show up and give a contribution like they did today,” she said post game.
Co-captains shining lights alongside resilient Wood
Darwin Salties co-captains Erin Bollmann and Chelsea Brook stepped up for the Salties after overcoming illnesses alongside other teammates during the week.
Bollmann had 32 points, nine rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks in the game including 10 points, three rebounds and two steals in the first quarter which led her side to a magnificent 25-4 opening.
Brook was also influential in the Salties victory with 19 points and five rebounds, including the first bucket which was the first of a trio of three-balls for the forward.
“We knew with Ruby and Cath out, that’s leaving some points on the sideline for us so we knew Chelsea and Erin were going to have to be good tonight and I thought they really were,” coach Tremlett said post game.
Abbey Wood, who was still feeling unwell but fought through the challenge, stepped up for her best game of the season.
The guard had to sit out the final quarter as she felt sick, but she impressively scored two 3-balls from three attempts and finished the game with the most points of her season with six from seven minutes of play.
Jamerson, Foketi firing against former side highlights top Salties recruiting
The performances by skipper Jerron Jamerson and Viliami Foketi against their former club MacKay highlighted not only their individual brilliance but also the strong recruiting by the Salties men.
Jamerson had 29 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals in the 14-point win and Foketi had five three-pointers in the game for a total of 15 points, six rebounds and three assists.
The pair have been key players in the Salties line up this season with Jamerson being a regular starter and Foketi either starting or being a great option on Matt Flinn’s bench.
Foketi said his teammates were providing strong support which helped him knock down five 3-balls from 12 attempts.
“Honestly, it is just the work that we put in, we train four times a week and then I do my own individual work on top of that,” Foketi said.
“And honestly, I have got so many great teammates as well so fortunately, I get open shots and then it’s all about knocking them down.”
MacGregor, Porter expected to return
The Salties are set to receive a boost when regular starters Catherine MacGregor and Ruby Porter return this week for back-to-back games which begin with a rematch against Mackay on Friday followed by Rockhampton Cyclones on Saturday.
Salties women’s coach Tremlett told this publication that he expected the pair to be on the road with the side for the double header.
“It will be fantastic for us,” he said.
“We are going to need that depth with two games in two days.”
On the other hand, the Meteorettes could be without their star import Brittany Reeves who injured what looked to be her calf in Saturday’s game against the Salties at the Croc Pot.
The 194 cm American was playing in her second game for the Meteorettes and had to come off in the third quarter where she received treatment.
After going back on later in the game, Reeves returned to the bench a short time later in discomfort and remained off for the rest of the match.
Riak’s potential is sky high
A thrilling 10-2 start to the game against Mackay led by Deng Riak proved just how talented the big man is.
The forward had seven points, two rebounds, an assist and won the jumpball in the opening two minutes of the game to put his side up by eight points.
He finished the game with 14 points, 10 rebounds and two assists.
The 27-year-old showed just how special he can be for the Salties side.
Riak has put together a strong season with an average of 8.43 for points, 1.71 for assists and 8.29 for rebounds from seven games.
Originally published as Salties Central: Five things we learned from Round 7 of NBL1 North action