The 2015 Summer Slam got off to an entertaining start on Wednesday, 14 October 2015.

First up we had Pete Herak’s squad up against Tony Plunkett’s squad in a coaching rematch of the Premier 1 Finals. The first quarter went back and forth with Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence star Dejan Vasiljevic contributing offensively for Tony Plunkett’s squad. The second quarter saw Plunkett’s trademark tough defensive style take over with his team taking an 11 point lead at the major break.

Ben Allen did his best to keep Herak’s squad in touch and was supported well by Stephen Rowe however the guard combination of Gunner’s player Daniel Joyce and Vasiljevic, along with the hard working Ben Dowdell extended the lead throughout the 3rd quarter. The 4th quarter was a lot more of the same as Eric Malcolm hit multiple 3-pointers to give Tony Plunkett some revenge on Herak and take a 101-79 game 1 victory.

BOX SCORE

The second game of the evening saw the Andrew Coulter-led ‘Coulter than the other side of the pillow’ side take on former Gunner’s coach Frank Arsego and his team. The defensive presence of Tom Wilson was clear early with Jack White taking advantage of mismatches early and often and Coulter’s group taking an early lead. Gunner’s veteran Dan Jackson hit 4 first half 3-pointers as Arsego’s crew couldn’t match the defensive intensity of the boys in blue and pink.

The second half saw Ginninderra Rat’s point guard Jesse Wilesmith link up with young big man Harry Froling to claw their way back into the game, however the offensive brilliance of Jack White ensured that the run was too little too late.

BOX SCORE

Round 2 Preview

Game 1 – Team Herak v ‘Coulter than the other side of the pillow’

Team Herak will be looking to rebound after their Round 1 thrashing with a strong showing in Round 2. Their second round matchup will see a variety of new challenges, this time trying to contain talented Centre of Excellence guard Jack White. Look for Team Herak to attack the bigs of the ‘Pillows’ early and often through the capable hands of Ben Allen and Stephen Rowe, while Coulter’s group will look to spread out offensively and attack mismatches created by the outside shooting of the twin Jackson towers, Dan and Nick.

No doubt Herak’s group will be inspired knowing that a 0-2 start will leave them with an uphill battle to make the Grand Final, no doubt a disappointment given their lofty draft position. The Vikings combination of Sean Mills and Reece Kaye will be looking for a better performance and may be the difference makers in the game.

Prediction – Team Herak to bounce back and win by single digits.

Game 2 – Plunkett’s v Team Arsego

After their Round 1 whitewash the Plunkett’s will come into Round 2 full of confidence, however Team Arsego will look to carry their late momentum from Round 1 into the matcup. The key to the game for Team Arsego will be keeping Joyce and Vasiljevic off the foul line and taking away catch and shoot opportunities. Harry Froling will look to get more involved offensively for Team Arsego and they will be lifted by the return of Centre of Excellence guard Tom Wilson. Wilson will spend a lot of time guarding both of the Plunkett’s guards and the toll defensively may affect his output on the offensive end.

Prediction – Expect Ben Dowdell to do a great job limiting Froling on the offense end, and the Plunkett’s to cruise to a double digit victory.