Aces get the upper hand as top comp heats up

Round six of the Manjimup Amateur Basketball Association’s 2021-22 season tipped off with a quality match-up between some of the top women’s talent last week. In the premier women’s grade this round the Aces came up against the reigning champions, the Pink Ladies. Both sides moved and shot the ball well from the opening tip but it was the Aces who took the early lead. The Pink Ladies enjoyed some scoring bursts from various players throughout the opening half, but the Aces looked to operate more like a well-oiled machine with more consistent scoring and defence, heading into half-time with a six-point lead. The Pink Ladies were kept in the game by some sharp three-point shooting from Adele East, but it wasn’t enough to significantly close the margin. As legs grew tired late in the game, the Aces also had the rebounding advantage thanks to the height and effort of centre Bella Trease, which led to some easy buckets for her teammates. The Pink Ladies never gave up but the Aces slowly inched their lead forward and finished winners 53-29. The other women’s A-grade match saw the Comets narrowly defeat the Vipers 46-42. In the men’s competition the Giants took down the Dingos 38-31, the Wolfpack defeated the Spoonbills 50-34, the Barracudas destroyed the Imperials 58-17, the Raiders beat the Yabbies 74-52, while Hawks B defeated the Warriors 48-29 and the Cobras won against Hawks A 49-35. In the women’s AR/B division Aus Stars Purple claimed a derby win over Aus Stars Green 38-33, the Mystics defeated Senators Maroon 26-18, the Saints claimed a win over Magpies Light Blue 33-22, Magpies Orange got the better of the Bush Chooks 34-24, the Slam Dunks toppled Senators Blue 35-20 and the Diamonds took down the Panthers 26-22.