Suns eclipsed by the Jets

THE Sherbrooke Suns were shot down by the Sunbury Jets 88-85 in an exciting Division I encounter at Monbulk.
There was never any more than a couple of points either way in the contest as Sunbury lead by 5 points at the main break after a first half in which it was a battle of the big men between Sherbrooke ’s Aaron Littlepage and Sunbury’s Michael Thomas inside the paint.
The game was all square at three-quarter time after the Suns switched to a zone defence and the final stanza was a tense struggle as both sides went basket for basket.
For Sherbrooke , Marcello Calderon with 15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 steals was tireless and he was supported by David Wilson 15 pts, 6 rebounds and John Greig 13 pts, 7 rebounds. Matt Cromarty in his first appearance at Division 1 level impressed with 11 points and 5 rebounds.
Next Saturday, the Suns travel to Mildura to take on top side, Mildura Heat.
The Division 2 women had a thrilling victory over the Whittlesea Pacers 68 to 64. The Suns were down by 4 points win 47 seconds remaining in the game when Tara Blair knocked down two big 3 pointers to give the Suns an exciting victory.
There was never much separating the teams throughout the game, but it was Whittlesea who always seemed to have their heads in front, leading by 2 at quarter-time, 4 at half-time and 5 at the last change. Sherbrooke switched to a zone in the final stanza which limited the Pacers to just 7 points for the term and saw them turn the ball over frequently.
For the Suns, Tara Blair with 18 points, 4 rebounds was game MVP and she was well supported by Sharlene Fraser, 12 pts, 10 rebounds and Caroline Kulikowski with 11 pts and 4 rebounds.
The ladies take on Mornington Breakers this weekend at Mornington.
To cap off all the excitement of the previous games, Sherbrooke ’s Youth League kept their finals hopes alive with a 5-point victory over Hume City Broncos, 105 to 100, in overtime.
In a game where the Broncos led by as much as 28 points, the Suns, to their credit increased their defensive pressure to level the scores on the back of a Matt Cromarty 3-pointer with 4 seconds to go and then dictated terms to a tiring Broncos in overtime.
After being down 62 to 41 at the main break, Sherbrooke dominated the third term 28 to 11 to give themselves a chance of catching the Broncos. The last quarter was a tense affair with both sides making uncharacteristic errors and tempers flaring.
For Sherbrooke , Cromarty with 21 points, 16 rebounds continued his impressive form. He was backed up by Mark Derksen with 21 pts, 14 rebounds in a much improved performance and David Black with 15 pts and 9 rebounds.
The Youth League are also away this coming weekend as they take on third-placed Waverley in a must win for their finals aspirations.