BUCCS BOW OUT IN FINAL

THE Geraldton Retravision Buccaneers went down to the Perry Lakes Hawkes 101 - 83 on Saturday night.

A big thanks to the hundreds who made the trip down there to support them.

DREAMS of back-to-back premierships for the Geraldton Retravision Buccaneers turned into a nightmare at and against Perry Lakes on Saturday night.

The Buccs were well beaten, 101-83, and so ended an attempt to win a second Skywest Basketball League title. They were in the contest to half time but the third quarter was a disaster. There wasn’t time after that to repair the damage.

The first quarter was even with Geraldton establishing a 23-20 lead. A couple of threes from Greg Brown and another from Michael Farrell inspired confidence and Jeff Bevington was knocking in the free throws. The defence of Dan Hunt was also another plus.

Unfortunately, Brown's six points in this term was about his fill for the night and with Alan Erickson only able to tally 11 points in the game, the Buccs were destined to struggle. There was already one ominous cloud for the Buccs even at this stage /d Perry Lakes were hammering them in rebounds especially when they were defending.

There was another bad sign when play resumed with shooting that was often slightly astray and all too often scooped up by the Hawks defence. Halfway into the term, Perry Lakes led by six points.

At this point the Buccs’ fortunes changed and the baskets started coming. A long two from Ray Evans and some great passing soon cut the deficit with an Evans three making it 40-all with a minute 11 to half time. Bevington scored 12 of his eventual 30 points in this term.

But the Hawks finished the term strongly building up to a Simon Blenerhassett bomb that gave the home side a one point advantage.

There were a few bright moments for both sides early in the third term with Erickson getting brilliant basket for the Buccs and Leigh Malajczuk shining for Perry Lakes.

With six minutes to the break, the Hawks led 56-53. Those six minutes is where the nightmare took hold. The Buccs added just three more points while Perry Lakes scored 18, to lead by (and eventually win by) the same. Matt Burston and Malajczuk were their main tormentors.

Geraldton gave up the ball far too easily and to make matters worse, Erickson had collected his fifth foul. Bevington, though still getting baskets, was also well held. The Buccs never looked like bridging the gap in the final quarter. Jason Bunter chipped in with some good outside shooting but the Hawks didn’t relax.

How does one look at a grand final record? Five grand finals in 13 years is a great effort but one win in five is more than a due share of disappointment. Take your pick.

There is however one point that the SBL should consider and that is the grand final venue. No-one complained about it so it's not an issue (the fixtures have been in place all season) but as the grand final is a one game series, as opposed to best of three as in the quarter and semi finals, surely no side should be allowed a home court advantage as the Hawks had.

VICTOR TANTI

THE looks on the faces of the Buccaneers players said it all, even before Buccs coach Kevin Jones put it into words.

“The amount of work the guys have put in since November,” Jones said.

“And it all came down to things not working out the way we wanted them too. It’s very disappointing.”

“Unfortunately the Hawks got a little momentum just before half time and then we fell in hole in the third quarter which is normally our best quarter. It was terrible.”

There was no question of where the Buccs were blitzed worst of all.

“Rebounds. We got outrebounded everywhere, and they probably played better defence than us and you’ve got to have that little bit of luck and I don’t think we had that bit of luck.”

The Buccs didn’t give it away even when defeat was inevitable. Eight, nine and 10 on the roster, Ryan Thompson, Jay Prow and Ray Seaby, got more minutes than they would have in a closer game and did as the other seven Buccs had done /d their best.

The heart was there and so was the desire but their skills let them down and the Hawks were also too good on the night. They shot better, though 42 percent was not a great figure for them, won the boards and dished off more assists.

At best, the Buccs outplayed their rivals for six minutes, the rest of the game was even or favoured the home team. But the Buccs kept plugging away, hoping for a run that would give them a chance. It never came.
“We were never going to give it away.”

“The goal was to get under 20 points and see if we could give ourselves a chance if we could also frustrate them and make them miss a couple of shots. Unfortunately they kept dropping in for the Hawks. We stayed with them but just couldn’t close the gap.”

For Jones, it wasn’t a great end to two great years as coach.

“No-one likes to lose games like this but it’s happened and now we get on with life. You can’t have it all one way.”

Perry Lakes coach John Gardiner said the third quarter was the clincher.

“We base our game on defence and rebounding and the 24 second clock tends to be about defensive surges, not necessarily offensive surges,” Gardiner said.

Some would contend the Buccs were the better side in the second term, or at least the final six minutes of it, Gardiner conceded his side made mistakes in that time.

“The Buccs came back at us and led a while. We made some turnovers, Bevington was brilliant and kept them in the game. We kept the Buccs to 15 points in the third quarter and that’s the championship quarter, that was the basis. Once they had to play catch-up, the game was ours.”

Better players?

“Both Matt Burston and Ashley Jalufka were very good in the keyway but I thought our backcourt with Ryan Gardiner was great and two young players in Simon Blennerhassett and Joe-Allen Tupaea came of age.”

IT'S SUPPOSED to hurt and it did. The game is over and is lost and the Buccs players feel the pain. The Buccs barely sunk 30 percent of their shots in a game where little went right for them.

VICTOR TANTI

DAN THE MAN

AFTER 13 great years for the Buccaneers, 13 years in which he was the heart, soul and inspiration of the team, Dan Hunt really has called it quits.

Hunt said he was disappointed with how his last game panned out but "that's the way the ball bounces sometimes".

He leaves the club, as a player anyway for he will surely be involved in other areas, as the front runner in just about any category you could think of including a sense of proportion.

"We had our wind-up yesterday and that's it for me," Hunt said.

"The decision to retire was made early and it felt right then and feels even righter now. There were times before I made that announcement that I was finding it hard to get motivated and then I broke my nose and as the blood flowed out, the motivation flowed in.

"I had to sit out the game against Perry Lakes (in Geraldton) while my nose mended and realised that I wanted to be part of it again and help the guys win another premiership. After that I didn't have any problem getting pumped up.

"Losing a grand final is hard but we didn't stick to our game plan of winning the boards. talked about it but didn't do it. That's how it goes but I was really proud of how the boys played throughout the season and I can tell you that Saturday's result is already stewing inside them. They're keen get going again next year."

For this writer, one memory of Hunt will always linger. It came after the 1997 grand final which the Buccs lost by just two points. It was their third failed attempt to win a premiership and no-one felt it more than Hunt who was shattered by the defeat.

At that time, Hunt was writing a column for The Guardian and when he dropped off his story that week, it had been written on pink paper.

"Very pretty paper Dan," I said.

"Yes," he said, "I've been getting in touch with my feminine side the past few days."

Then he laughed. It still hurt but he laughed.

VICTOR TANTI

This came in to us the day after the Grandfinal. I think this applies to all the team from all of your supporters.

Mr. Farrell.

Has anyone told you lately that your the best.

YOUR THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep smiling, we still think you are a winner.

from all your friends at St. Marys Northampton.

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

THE Geraldton Retravision Buccaneers are one win away from the 2001 Skywest Basketball League grand final after a 95-76 victory over the Willetton Tigers in Perth on Saturday night.

The game was the first of a best of three semi-final series and the Buccs now aim to clean sweep the Tigers at home next Saturday and avoid a deciding game, also at home, on Sunday.

Among the prime movers in the Buccs' win were Ray Evans and Jason Bunter. They were the catalyst of a 35-20 second quarter that gave Geraldton an advantage they hung onto for the rest of the game.

Evans, playing with all his old confidence are seeming a little lost at the start of the year, fired three threes in the second term in a vital effort while Bunter also hit a trio of threes in this term with another late in the first stanza.

"I know we're up against it and the statistics don't look too impressive for us. Our past record against the Buccs and our away record in finals (2-11) are very ordinary but we're a young team and one that can play winning basketball. We really think we can make the Buccs come back on Sunday."

Read said the Tigers didn't start the year well but believed they were better than the sixth place they finished up in after the qualifying rounds.

"At the start of the year we were missing players with injury /d I had a groin problem that kept me out for seven weeks and Matt Foster had a bad hamstring plus we had new guys in Brent Hobba and Ben Tatulli and it took a while to get the team thing going," he said.

"We still have concerns. Our free throw shooting percentage (62 percent) is terrible and I'm one of the major culprits and I don't know why that is. It's not due to a lack of practice and we intend to knock them in tomorrow night.

"I think the Buccs are the SBL's best side even though Perry Lakes won the minor premiership and I think 90 percent of the players would say that. They have to be with guys like Alan Erickson, Dan Hunt, Greg Brown and Jeff Bevington.

"A lot depends on Matt Foster and me. If between us we get 40 points and 30 rebounds, and everyone else puts in, then we're a real chance."

As for the Buccs, they are confident but not cocky and Hunt warned that the 19 point margin from game one was deceptive.

"I really think that game was a lot closer than people might think," Hunt said.

"Ray (Evans) and Bunts (Jason Bunter) gave us a nice push in the second quarter but aside from that they were right with us. I have no doubt that it'll be a tough game tomorrow and it's no certainty. We hope to finish it in two but we're well aware we might have to come back on Sunday."

Buccs officials are hoping for a full house tomorrow and they deserve it for two reasons. Firstly, as noted before, it's probably the last game for Hunt in Geraldton (presuming the Buccs win) and after 13 years of great service, he's worthy of a capacity crowd and secondly, this Buccs team is something else.

The odds are that the Buccs won't have as good a side next year even if Hunt plays on. If the Buccs find top gear tomorrow and coach Kevin Jones thinks they will, then the Tigers are in for a long night. Those who haven't seen the Buccs this year or for a few years should and this is the last opportunity.

VICTOR TANTI

THE Geraldton Retravision Buccaneers expect a tough time in this Saturday's first game of a best of three Skywest Basketball League semi final series against the Willetton Tigers in Perth.

Buccs coach Kevin Jones is aiming to get his side through in two games if possible starting with a win tomorrow and wrapping it up next Saturday at home but said Willetton could easily upset those plans.

"I think they must be playing well right now seeing they've just beaten the Burswood Redbacks, who finished third after the home and away round, and that was a fair effort," Jones said.

Indeed it was. Few expected the Redbacks to lose and though beaten twice this year by the Buccs, the Redbacks were right up with the Buccs when they last clashed on August 4 in Geraldton. The difference in that game was not the Buccs' skills but their superior fitness.

Presumably the Redbacks would have caught up in that area by now but all that is conjecture now. Jones said he wasn't fussed either way and that had Burswood won, all it would mean is they would be the next hurdle rather than Willetton.

One worry Jones must have however is the form of his team against Kalgoorlie in the quarter finals. Even though the Buccs won in straight sets, they were off the boil and now's not a good time to run into a slump.

"I'm not greatly concerned with our form but we will be trying to get back to our very best tomorrow night and for the rest of the season," he said.

"I suppose the fact that we've been up for so long makes it inevitable that there will be a falling away somewhere but I fully expect that we'll be ready to play tomorrow and will play good basketball as we must from this point."

The Buccs are favourites and so they should be given a 26-2 record that includes an SBL record 23 successive wins compared to Willetton's 17-12. The Buccs are averaging 114 points a game and conceding 90 while the figures for the Tigers are 99 and 95.

A key figure is the Buccs' conversion rate from the field of 51 percent and a defence that hustles so well the average against is just 39 percent. The Tigers have potted 43 percent of their shots this season and their defence has kept their opponents to 43 percent, a respectable figure.

The Tigers don't have the same depth as the Buccs but their top six or seven are capable starting with Clint Read who is averaging 22 points and nine rebounds a game while Matt Foster is averaging 20 points and 15 rebounds. Foster often turns defence into attack as he is one of the SBL's best defensive rebounders.

"Those two are obviously important players for the Tigers but I think Shamus Ballantyne is another, he's been going great in the finals and he's their ball carrier and a team player."

"I wouldn't read too much in the difference between their scoring percentage and ours. They have been shooting a lot better in the finals so we'll have to make sure they are under pressure the whole time by playing proper defence. They love to get the ball inside and we'll have to make it hard for them."

Three of the Buccs, Jeff Bevington, Greg Brown and Alan Erickson, are averaging 20 points a game or better this year while sixth man Jason Bunter is averaging 12 and the link man, Michael Farrell 10.

Then there's Dan Hunt, who these days concentrates on defence but showed last week that he can still shoot and when there's a need to go to the bench, Ryan Thompson and Ray Evans can do the job.

VICTOR TANTI - Geraldton Guardian

Buccs win first of three !

Scores

Buccs 85, Giants 67

Brown 24
Erickson 21
Bevington 18
Farrell 11
Bunter 6

WELL DONE FELLAS!

On behalf of all the supporters, we'd like to wish the boys well in the playoffs!

GO BUCCS !

GOLDEN BROWN

By Saskia Loosjes

ONE of Geraldton’s greater basketball veterans celebrated a 300 game career milestone with the Geraldton Retravision Buccaneers Saturday night.

One time Perth Wildcat Greg Brown has gone down in the State Basketball League history books as the youngest basketball player and the first Australian to play 300 games with the one club.

It’s another feather in the already impressive cap of basketball achievements for the Geraldton boy.

By 15 Brown was representing WA in the Under 16s state squad. His 16^th year saw him join the Batavia Buccaneers, although it was the second season that saw him suit up for the first time.

“It felt really good to play. Before a game I was always excited whether I got to play or not,” Brown said.

1997 saw him break into the National Basketball League playing with the Perth Wildcats for three seasons. His first season with the cats saw Brown awarded ‘Most Improved’, although a lack of court time would see him return to his roots, Geraldton and the Buccs in 1999.

“Playing with the Wildcats was probably the highlight of my basketball career at that time. It is something I had always strived for and I’m glad I got to do it,” he said.

“Even though I didn’t get much court time the atmosphere and feeling of achieving what I achieved made it all worth it.”

Brown said it was a hard decision for him to come back to Geraldton, but said it was also the right one.

Saturday night he was honoured by the SBL for his dedication to the sport of basketball. He received a framed set of photographs, illustrating his successful career to date, now hanging in the basketball stadium which also houses a grandstand honouring his father, and source of much of his inspiration, Bernard Brown.

The Buccs went on to thrash the East Perth Eagles 135 to 92 Saturday night; Brown tallied 40 of those points. To put it simply, he was on fire. And ever the modest one.

“I thought I went alright tonight, there were a lot of easy lay-ups, but yeh we did well,” he said.

300 of the best, 300 with the one team, and the best team too, just ask Brown.

“Geraldton is a great place to live and it is a great place, the greatest place, to play basketball,” he said.

“The team we have now is the best team we have ever had I think. At the moment we gel really well, which to be successful, is so important.”

The next step for Brown and the Buccs, this week’s first qualifying final against Kalgoorlie in Kalgoorlie. Always a tough call.

“It’s hard to win in Kalgoorlie, it’s just a long way away and we lost last time we played there, but I am confident we can win.”

Wednesday also sees the Buccs officially kick off their grand final campaign.

“At the moment we are concentrating on Kalgoorlie, when we make the grand final, if we make the grand final, then we’ll think about that then.”

In the meantime and thereafter, there is basketball. Brown is not slowing down yet, there will be many more ‘Greg Brown Moments’ on the court and for many more years to come.

“Maybe one day I’ll look back on this and be proud and think, yeh, that was my 300^th game. But at the moment it’s really just another game,” he said.

“I’m only 27 years old and have a lot more basketball left in me.”

Winning streak continues

July 30, 2001

ANOTHER game, another win.

That is what supporters have come to expect from our Geraldton Retravision Buccaneers, who delivered yet another win, on a silver platter, at the Geraldton Basketball Stadium Saturday night.

Geraldton thrashed the State Basketball League’s bottom team, Chess Wilson Mustangs, emerging with a 136 to 93 victory.

The win brings Geraldton’s tally to 16 consecutive wins and 17 consecutive at home wins.

At the weekend Jeff Bevington top scored for the Buccs with 35 points, shooting at 70 per cent and contributing six assists.

Jason Bunter enjoyed a fantastic game, tallying 26 points, 10 out of 12 from the field and five from six in three point territory. He shot at 83.3 per cent.

Bunter also attained nine rebounds, the highest for the Buccs, and second to Mustang’s Pharoah Davis’ 10 boards for the games.

Greg Brown secured 26 points, 10 from the field and two three point buckets.

Buccs’ coach Kevin Jones said he was happy with the game, considering it was played under “trying conditions”.

“It was a humid, hot day and night and it was raining and the edge of the court was slippery. But the floor was very good under the conditions,” he said.

Saturday night saw a number of players slip over on the court’s outer edge.

Jones said the area would be “roughed up” to prevent further slipping.

“It is a problem, but not a pursuing problem,” he said.

Jones said he was impressed with Swan’s play, the team led at the first quarter by one point, but stated he had never been worried at which way the game would go.

“They shot well in the first quarter but fell away after that. And our defence picked up. I knew they couldn’t keep it up,” he said.

“I was surprised we kept it up so well. We shot at 63 per cent which was huge.”

This Saturday night will see the Buccs play Burswood Redbacks at home with tip off at 7.30pm. Burswood currently sit third on the SBL Ladder, one rung below Geraldton.

“They didn’t get to third for nothing,” Jones said.

“With all their ex-Wildcat players, an import and they have added last year’s SBL MVP to the line-up we need to be ready.”

SASKIA LOOSJES – MIDWEST TIMES

Buccs’ stirling effort

July 23, 2001

FIFTEEN straight wins and this weekend it looks like the Buccs’ winning streak will be lifted to 16.

Following a crushing defeat for the Stirling Senators at the weekend, the Geraldton Retravision Buccaneers will tackle the league’s bottom team next Saturday night.

Last weekend saw Buccs cruised to victory with a stirling effort, emerging with a final score of 117 to the Senator’s 70.

Now tenth on the SBL Ladder, Stirling were missing a number of key players, including three of the team’s starting five.

Buccs’ coach Kevin Jones said even with a full team he did not believe Stirling could have triumphed over Geraldton.

“No doubt the fact they were missing two of the league’s better rebounders and guard helped the Buccs. I think we would have played better against a better Senators team but I don’t think they would have beat us anyway,” he said.

Jones said the Buccs had started the game well.

“But it is hard to stay switched on for the whole game when the other team is not up to scratch,” he said.

With the weekend’s thrashing bringing Geraldton to 15 consecutive wins, one can only wonder what the Buccaneers are putting on their Weetbix.

“Fitness is a very big part of the game. Now you can even see bigger guys get up and down the court easier than at the start of the season,” Jones said.

“We are much fitter as a group and Greg [Brown] and Al [Erickson] are fitter and playing better.

“There is no doubt in my mind we are a better team this year than we were last year.”

Jones said cohesion of the team was another contributing factor to Geraldton’s successful SBL rampage.

“We are always trying to find the better player and who is open, shoots,” he said.

“There has been a subtle change to the team with [Michael] Farrell as control guard, he controls the team, and we don’t seem to have that fluctuation like we did last year when we would play good then bad. We seem to be playing good the whole time.”

Buccs will play the Chess Wilson Mustangs at home this Saturday night.

Jones said the team was a better Mustangs team than Geraldton had played in the last few years.

“They have Pharaoh Davis who is big and strong under the basket and Kris [Magro], who was not there last time we played Mustangs. He is a very aggressive player and I wouldn’t be surprised if our players walked away with a few bumps and bruises,” he said.

SASKIA LOOSJES - Midwest Times

BUCCS BLITZ

THE Geraldton Retravision Buccaneers were far too good for the Stirling Senators in Skywest Basketball League action in Geraldton on Saturday recording an impressive 117-70 win.

The Buccs were again deadly in attack, converting 51.7 percent of their field goal attempts while the Buccs defence, red hot in recent weeks, was simply brilliant with the Senators putting away just 37 percent of their shots.

The real key to the win however was teamwork. The 2001 Buccs, perhaps more than any of the club's other teams over 13 years, play for each other. A basket is a basket to this side, and it doesn't matter who scores it as long as someone does.

A major factor in the success was the work of Dan Hunt and Jason Bunter on the Senators' biggest danger man Carmie Olowoyo. He was allowed little impact making just three of 16 shots to finish with only 11 points, nine of them in the third term meaning he was basically a passenger in the other three quarters.

Buccs coach Kevin Jones said there wasn't much that could be taken from the result but was pleased his side did what they had to do in winning their 15th successive match.

"I don't know how much I can take out of it given they were without (Kurt) Slabolepszy, (Darcy) Wedd and (Andrew) Hortsman," Jones said.

"But then you can only play the guys who do turn up and we did it pretty well. The game was in control for us after the first term when we scored 37 points to 12."

Jeff Bevington was often the go-to man in that first term, potting 17 of his eventual 35 points. Though he didn't have a lot of opposition, he had a great game, shooting at almost 58 percent, getting 5-5 from his free throws as well as a game high 15 rebounds and three blocks.

With Greg Brown getting nine first term points and also on song as he chipped away for a match tally of 30, the Senators were never going to offer up much of a challenge especially with Alan Erickson also a contributor on his way to 19 points.

The Buccs won the second term 28-22 to extend their lead to 31 points as Bevington and Brown continued to pressure the beleaguered Stirling defence.

The Senators had a chance to close the gap in the second half as Jones gave his bench a run but it made little difference. The Buccs won the second half 52-36 to finish with a 47 point win. The biggest talking point of the second half came late when Dwayne Reece headbutted Ryan Thomspon.

He conceded a foul so it was seen by the referees but Reece was surprisingly not ejected. He should have been. The headbutt was not a good one but that's beside the point.

Not that it was a spiteful game and the referees generally let it flow. The Senators tried but lacked height and quality and the Buccs are not a team that goes through the motions. There was little mercy. Jones was delighted with Bevington's form though he would have had few complaints about any of his men.

"Jeff worked so hard early, he was determined after an off weekend last week, Brown was the same, Erickson was solid, Hunt and Bunter gave Carmie Olowoyo very little and Ryan Thompson and Ray Evans rounded it off well."

"Michael Farrell hurt his shoulder in the second quarter and though he'll be okay, we rested him after that rather than risk it."

For Jones, the biggest problem was keeping the momentum happening throughout the game.

"It can be hard with the rotation of the players," Jones said.

"Greg Brown was going well and then he'd come off and would have to start cold again and that's true of the big guys like Hunt, Erickson and Bevington. It can be hard to have a rest and then go back on and pick up the pace straight away."

[p8][fb]Geraldton 117 (J Bevington 35, G Brown 30, A Erickson 19, R Evans 10, R Thompson 9, R Seaby 7, J Bunter 5, D Hunt 2) d Stirling 70 (D Reese 16, M Bryden 12, C Olowoyo 10, J Stevenson 9, D Cadby 7, M Dallas 7, S Charlton 4, E Jacobs 3, R Amm 2).

Victor Tanti

Buccs a force to be reckoned with

July 16, 2001

A WEEKEND away was easy play for the Geraldton Retravision Buccaneers when they played two show stopping games on the road.

Saturday night saw the Buccs thrash rivals Cockburn Cougars 125 to 88, following up the win by drubbing the Willeton Tigers on a pleasant Perth Sunday afternoon 101 to 83.

Buccs versus Cougars saw Buccs’ stalwart and scoring machine Greg Brown amass a whopping 41 points, 21 of which he secured in the first term. Brown also supplied his team with two assists, three steals and four rebounds.

Ex-Cougar Alan Erickson also enjoyed the return to his former stomping ground, securing 25 points, six assists, two steals and 22 rebounds.

Another ex-Cougar Michael Farrell assembled 15 points, three assists and one block.

Buccs versus Tigers gave Brown another stage to showcase his very fine form, this time capturing 31 points, 15 in the opening term, three assists and one rebound.

Each game saw him shoot at 60 per cent from the field and between 50 and 56 percent from three point territory.

Buccs’ coach Kevin Jones commended Brown, saying he had enjoyed a “great weekend”.

“I would like to see him play that good consistently,” he said.

Jones believed Cougars had played a poor game but said he expected both teams would clash again come finals time.

“They won’t be as easy as that next time,” he said. “They were missing players and a bit depleted.”

Jones described Sunday’s game as a “gutsy effort” despite a slow start on the Buccs’ behalf.

“The Tigers were fresh and we were a bit slow in the first half,” he said. “With offence after half time we found our touch and blew out.”

This weekend will see Buccs tackle Stirling Senators, currently perched on rung 10 of the SBL Ladder, at Geraldton.

Despite their position on the ladder’s bottom half, Jones said he expected Senators would be good opposition and that his team could not afford to think the game would be an easy victory.

“Players lose focus if they play a team they think they can beat,” he said.

“So we will be looking to address that.”

SASKIA LOOSJES – MIDWEST TIMES

BUCCS CLIP HAWK’S WINGS

July 9, 2001

HAWK’S faultless start to the SBL season was obliterated Saturday night, when they fell down on the Buccaneer’s sword in Geraldton.

A verbose home crowd made league leaders Perry Lakes Hawks more than aware that taking the Premiership Cup from this country town would be a lot of hard work.

The top of the table clash saw the Geraldton Retravision Buccaneers make easy work of the Hawks, leading at every quarter and emerging with a final score of 100 to 78.

Despite a wary first quarter that saw neither team score for the first three minutes, Buccs put in the hard yards, securing their 12^th consecutive victory for the season.

And it was a sweet victory, especially in the absence of stalwart Dan Hunt who was benched due to a broken nose incurred at last week’s Buccs/Lightning clash.

This game saw Buccs’ guard Greg Brown continue his fine form, amassing 25 points, five assists and seven steals. Jeff Bevington contributed 20 points and three steals while Alan Erickson assembled 21 points, five assists and two steals.

Buccs’ coach Kevin Jones said the weekend’s game was a test on the Buccs’ performance this season.

“At the start we struggled with Al opening up his eye again but once we got settled down and played well we didn’t take a backwards step at all,” he said.

“The game was played very well. Especially without Dan Hunt. It is a test for the team to play in the absence of Dan as he retires next year.”

Jones said the team outperformed any targets set before the match.

“The whole game was below the targets we set. For the first time this year we also achieved our target of 15 turnovers,” he said. “But there are always things we can improve on.”

Like last week, Monday night’s training saw the reigning premiers take to the pool

Jones said the water therapy allowed players the chance to recover and those that were injured to rest their injuries.

Erickson is still with an eye injury, playing with his head bandaged Saturday night, and Michael Farrell continues to nurse a shoulder injury while Hunt’s broken nose leaves a question as to whether he will play this weekend’s double header.

Buccs’ road trip this weekend will see them go up against Let’s Talk Cougars Saturday night with a follow up game against Willeton Tigers Sunday afternoon.

Jones said the games would test the players, who had experienced an emotional last two weeks.

“With the injuries, Al’s 300^th and playing the top team; it takes a fair bit out of the players,” he said.

Tigers sit seventh on the ladder while Cougars are one below the Buccs at third.

“The first game is always a concern,” Jones said. “We don’t want to be on the backfoot. The Tigers had a poor start but are now creeping up the ladder.”

SASKIA LOOSJES - Midwest Times

Blood, guts and Buccs

July 2, 2001

WHATTA game.

It was blood and guts galore Saturday night as the Geraldton Retravision Buccaneers sealed their 11^th consecutive win, this time against the Lakeside Lightning at home.

The match of last year’s grand finalists was a sight to see, and not because the game was a close one.

Buccs thrashed the Lightning 136 to 104, but not without incurring a number of injuries along the way.

Buccs’ stalwart Dan Hunt was forced from the court after he took a charge on Lightning’s Daniel Vanderkooy in the second quarter, leaving him with a broken nose.

Alan Erickson, celebrating his 300^th SBL game, was also injured early in the fourth quarter following a collision with Lightning’s Isacc Bullock.

The injury sidelined Bullock for the game’s remainder although veteran Erickson was back on the court soon after.

Ryan Thompson is also on the injured list after he rolled his ankle and Michael Farrell, who played with his injured shoulder strapped Saturday night, remains injured and may have prolonged his recovery after some rough play at the weekend.

“All the injuries came because the boys were prepared to put their bodies on the line to win the game as a tribute to Al,” Buccs’ coach Kevin Jones said.

Erickson celebrated his night in style top scoring for the Buccs with 35 points, shooting at 75 per cent from the field and 100 per cent from the charity stripe.

Brown secured 32 points with 11 from the field and 21 from downtown. Brown showcased his natural ability shooting at 78 per cent from downtown. Jeff Bevington contributed 28 points.

Last week Jones told the Midwest Times he was worried about the talent of Lightning’s import CJ Bruton.

However it seemed to be an unfounded concern, with Bruton’s end tally being 15 points, five fouls, one assist, two steals and two turnovers.

“He wasn’t playing as well as he can,” Jones said. “The guys that played on him did a good job. Farrell did well. And he [Bruton] didn’t stop Greg at all. Greg whipped his butt.”

Injuries in the Buccaneers’ camp has come at a bad time with the Buccs scheduled to play league leaders Perry Lakes Hawks in Geraldton this Saturday night.

Jones said he did not know whether Hunt would suit up for the Buccs in this Saturday’s clash.

Farrell is also an uncertainty.

“We’ll see how he goes, he thinks he’s okay,” he said.

Training for this weekend’s game has taken a different turn this week, with the team swapping their boots and balls for bathers and goggles Monday night.

Following last weeks’ emotional game, Jones said Hawks, a “decent team”, would be hard to shut down.

“We will try to contain them. They are shooting pretty well,” he said.

“They have [Matthew] Burston, a young tall guy. There are a lot of 6’4” and 6’5” and three point shooters and they rebound strongly.

“Naturally we are not going to stop all the scoring, but we will try and restrict it. We will go to the offence and try to make the most of that.”

Jones said while the game would be “an interesting one”, it was not the be all and end all should the Buccs lose.

“We will meet them again if we are good enough to get to play in the finals and then the grand final,” he said.

“We will go and do out best, there is no doubt about that.”

SASKIA LOOSJES – MIDWEST TIMES

BUCCS WIN IN WAR ZONE

THE Geraldton Retravision Buccaneers are fortunate not to pay a higher price for Saturday's 136-104 win over the Lakeside Lightning in Geraldton.

The Buccs finished with an injury list that read: Dan Hunt, broken nose; Michael Farrell, injured shoulder; Alan Erickson, bad cut near his eye; and Ryan Thompson, rolled ankle.

Lakeside lost Isaac Bullock after the collision that hurt Erickson. Bullock staggered about holding his head before laying down and apparently lapsing into unconsciousness. After a long time, he was stretchered off. He spent the rest of the game laid out in the corridor of his team's changeroom but did recover.

Though they were dropping like ninepins at one stage, it wasn't a physical game but rather a fast and open one. While the skills of both teams were at times poor, there was plenty of great basketball.

Erickson and Thompson should be okay for next week's vital clash against competition leaders Perry Lakes and Farrell too but you never know with shoulders. Hunt, who caught the full force of a swinging elbow, must be in doubt.

"I don't know for sure about Dan," Buccs coach Kevin Jones said.

"I've seen him and his nose has been somewhat straightened up but it's too early to tell while Alan had go to hospital. The cut to his face was quite deep but he didn't need stitches. At this stage Michael Farrell and Ryan Thompson should recover but we'll see as there's always a few niggling injuries you have to watch."

"You couldn't question the desperation of the team. We weren't smooth but we were able to score a lot of points anyway. Our guys put their bodies on the line and wanted to win, not just for themselves but also for Al Erickson's 300th."

To the game itself. The Buccs led at every turn and while they "weren't smooth" as Jones put it, 136 points is, on reflection, a fair effort.

Surprisingly, CJ Bruton did not start for Lakeside - perhaps a lack of match practice was why for Bruton, while not inconsequential, did not pose major problems for the Buccs defence.

Lakeside scored first, through Liam Rush off a bullet pass from Anthony Palmieri but the next seven points went to the Buccs - Jeff Bevington specifically.

The Buccs held a six point lead halfway through the opening term and three Greg Brown threes and another from Bunter, extended that. Bruton came on at this point but Bullock did more for Lakeside.

The Buccs built on their 37-30 quarter time lead in the second stanza which they won 27-19 with Brown, Erickson and Farrell shining. The lead was out to 17 with two minutes to half time when Hunt was hurt.

The third quarter was a 37-all scoring bonanza with Dwayne Williams potting some nice baskets for the visitors. Brown gave Geraldton a 20 point lead with a big three but Lakeside stayed in range when they elected to go long and did it well.

The last term was when the injuries piled up. Farrell was hurt chasing a runaway ball. He got to it with great determination but his Lakeside opponent landed on top of him and Farrell spent the rest of the game pressing an icepack to his shoulder.

Then Erickson and Bullock banged heads and finally Thompson went off with an ankle problem. Erickson did return, and contributed to 18 unanswered points by the Buccs to start the period. After that there was no doubt.

Jones nominated Erickson as his best but added that Greg Brown was close and praised Brown for winning the battle with Bruton hands down. He also thought Jason Bunter was again very good. Most spectators were surprised that Bruton, given he is a fringe player with the Boomers, would start but Jones expected it.

"I actually planned that he wouldn't start because knowing Lakeside and their coach, I couldn't see why he'd start him in front on Palmieri for one. Bruton looked a bit out of it I thought but then he doesn't know the offences so that would've made it harder for him."

"From a defensive point of view I wasn't happy with them scoring 104 points, that's a bit to high and certainly over the target we set but when you're scoring as freely as we were, then you tend to lose your defensive focus. Without saying that's acceptable, they didnt outscore us in any quarter.

Details: Geraldton 136 (A Erickson 35, G Brown 32, J Bevington 28, J Bunter 16, M Farrell 11, R Evans 8, J Prow 2, R Thompson 2, D Hunt 2) d Lakeside 104 (D Williams 21, I Bullock 19, C Bruton 15, D Vanderkooy 12, A McCormick 9, A Palmieri 8, B Spagnolo 8, L Rush 7, J Du Plessis 5.

VICTOR TANTI - Geraldton Guardian

UNTIDY is an apt description of the Geraldton Retravision Buccaneers' Skywest Basketball League 119-104 win over the Wanneroo Wolves in Geraldton on Saturday night.

In the end, the 15 point margin was acceptable as the Wolves showed they are a good side and only one quality player short of being very good.

The Wolves made a great start with Nathan Pitts and Stephen Watts getting them off to a flier and the Buccs did not respond - not only allowing the Wolves time to shoot but also giving Damian Matacz easy passage on the inside. As coach Kevin Jones said later, the Buccs were not switched on.

"You have to be ready to play and it is hard to get motivated against a middle range team," Jones said.

"I think we're 20 points better than the Wolves and we won by 15 but it took us a while to get into this game. At the start we made it too easy for them and broke one of our team rules of making every opponent earn every single shot.

"If the guy makes the shot, okay, but not when he's given lots of room. They buried some great shots and got away to a 23-9 lead and I called a time-out."

Jones had plenty to say at the time-out and the message sunk in with the Buccs winning the rest of the first term 19-7 to trail 30-28 at the break. Jason Bunter played a major role in the revival. With Jeff Bevington benched for a few minutes, Bunter stepped up and combined brilliantly with Alan Erickson and Greg Brown.

The Buccs took the lead three minutes into the second term with Erickson lobbing the ball in from a metre out after four attempts to nurse the ball over the rim failed.

Erickson, easily the player of the match, was continuing to provide inspiration and Ray Evans and Ryan Thompson chipped in with great baskets from outside the arc. One by Evans was unloaded with 23.9 seconds of the 24 allowed to take a shot expired. He made the wait worthwhile. Geraldton led 58-53 at half time.

The Buccs made hard work of it when play resumed with a poor conversion rate but gradually improved and led by 12 at three-quarter time.

THERE was little doubt now that the Buccs would win as the Wolves had lost their intensity and the Buccs, while not always to a successful conclusion, were running over them.

Brown sealed it with successive threes but he highlight of the last quarter was a memorable recovery by Thompson. Standing outside the arc, he failed to pick up a pass cleanly but turned around, regathered, and then turned again and fired for a great basket.

There was also an Erickson turnover that he will pray was missed by the video cameraman as it wasn't by his team-mates. But what a game he had. 32 points, 21 rebounds, five assists and two steals. The SBL has few players his equal and even fewer who have performed at his level for so long.

[p8][fb]Details:[f%] Geraldton 119 (A Erickson 32, G Brown 27, J Bevington 20, J Bunter 16, R Thompson 13, R Evans 9, D Hunt 2) d Wanneroo 104 (D Matacz 31, S Watts 21, N Pitt 15, J Corbett 14, T Pearman 12, J Ranson 8, A Pye 3.

THE Geraldton Retravision Buccaneers made it two from two in a successful weekend trip to Perth to consolidate second place on the Skywest Basketball League table.

The Buccs defeated the Rockingham Flames 118-83 on Saturday and backed up with a 117-93 win over the East Perth Eagles yesterday.

But there may be a price to pay with control guard Michael Farrell injuring a shoulder four minutes into Sunday's game. There is some doubt about whether he will be fit enough to play next Saturday when the Buccs meet Wanneroo at home. That aside, coach Kevin Jones had no complaints.

"The Rockingham game was probably the best we've played as a group this year," Jones said.

"We played well right from the start and a nice little burst just after quarter time gave us the advantage and we went on from there.

"It's hard to pick better players, (Jeff) Bevington did well, (Alan) Erickson worked hard, (Dan) Hunt did a great job on (Stephen) Sheckles, (Greg) Brown kept (Wildcat) Ben Thompson to only six points and (Jason) Bunter had a good game."

The Flames tried to beat the Buccs by shooting over the top. It didn't come off with only seven successes from 33 attempts.

"That's the way they play but the defence by Hunt on Sheckles was just great," Jones said.

"If Sheckles is allowed even a split second he will bury it but Dan made sure he was never given any room."

Jones said tiredness was a factor in Sunday's game.

"We struggled through which was a legacy of the night before plus Farrell was hurt early and the injury looked bad - we'll have to see what sort of rest he'll need now."

"It wasn't a great game and we did allow East Perth to get back into the contest in the third quarter which made it harder for us than it might have been."

"I thought the standout was Erickson. He has an unbelievable commitment to getting the ball, while Brown, Hunt, Bevington, (Ray) Evans and (Ryan) Thompson did their part."

In Saturday's match, Bevington was again was one of the Buccs' stars scoring 35 points, collecting 16 rebounds and four blocks while Erickson had tidy figures of 25 points and 12 rebounds.

Brown scored 13 points though his conversion rate was low while Bunter nailed 5-7 to also score 13. Farrell missed a few baskets but nine assists shows he was much involved while Hunt's nine defensive rebounds and nine points are worth noting.

On Sunday, the Geraldton team's defence was excellent with the Eagles only making 36 percent of their shots and they may have lost by plenty more except both teams gave away a huge number of turnovers - 32 for the Eagles and 30 from the Buccs.

Bevington again scored 35 points but Erickson was as valuable with 25 points and a game high 16 rebounds which, given the Buccs were outrebounded by the Eagles, was a handy contribution.

Brown also shone with 29 points (12-21 shooting) along with a remarkable eight steals and nine assists. Special note of Thompson too. He picked up five steals in 17 minutes though his shooting let him down. Bunter again impressed with 11 points (4-5) though he racked up five fouls in the process.

[p8][fb]Saturday Details:[f%] Geraldton 118 (G Bevington 35, A Erickson 25, G Brown 13, J Bunter 13, D Hunt 9, M Farrell 7, R Evans 6, J Prow 6, R Thompson 3, R Seaby 1) d Rockingham 83 (S Sheckles 18, D Hartnett 17, R Benson 15, T Moore 14, J Lee 10, B Thompson 6, P Moore 3).

[p8][fb]Sunday Details:[f%] Geraldton 117 (J Bevington 35, G Brown 29, A Erickson 25, J Bunter 11, R Evans 6, D Hunt 4, R Thompson 3, J Prow 2, R Seaby 2) d East Perth 93 (L McKay 23, T Palamore 22, A Thompson 14, P Erceg 11, N Purcell 8, A Wigg 6, C Holding 5, C Olowoyo 4).

Buccs blitz Cougars at weekend

June 9, 2001

THERE was no talking involved as the Let’s Talk Cougars went under in week eight of the State Basketball League against the Geraldton Retravision Buccaneers at home Saturday night.

In what was at times a fast and exciting game, Geraldton beat Cockburn in a 105 to 93 thrashing, securing the Bucc's second place on the SBL ladder.

Despite getting into foul trouble and leaving the game in the final quarter, Bucc's guard Greg Brown contributed heartily to the game with a total 25 points, nine from the field and two from downtown, four assists and two steals.

Michael Farrell also played with gusto, attacking the team he coached last year and enduring constant heckling from a small Cougar’s contingent that travelled from Cockburn for the game. Jeff Bevington again top scored for the team with 31 points.

Saturday night’s game saw Ray Seaby back on the court; he hasn’t played since Jones decided to rotate him with Jason Forrester and Adam Rowe in mid May.