Gryphons grab thriller
Great Southern Grammar have won back-to-back Albany Basketball Association Boys Year 10-11 premierships after Grammar Gryphons prevailed in an entertaining grand final against the Plunkett Home Sharks on Friday night.
The Sharks won through to the grand final with a thrilling one-point win over Gryphons last Tuesday, forcing the rivals into a preliminary final with Blaze.
After easily accounting for Blaze by 27 points, Gryphons leapt out of the blocks in the decider, thanks to towering centre Shaun Rost.
Rost was becoming a real problem for the Sharks early in the piece, as Gryphons led 8-2 on the back of his dominant work.
The Sharks began to settle and, with Dylan Smallwood finding his range, began to look more a threat despite trailing 21-13 at half-time.
Smallwood and Rost were having a brilliant battle in the match, with the Sharks reducing the margin to five points with 11 minutes left in the match after baskets to Joel Bellinger-Brown and then Smallwood.
However, Gryphons had the answers when they were challenged by the Sharks as Rost continued to dominate.
Despite a gallant comeback in the last half, the Sharks fell short at the final whistle, 39-30.
Rost finished with a game-high 26 points, including 14 in the first half, and was named grand-final most valuable player while Rowan Hardy (7 points) was also influential for Gryphons, coached by former Boomer and Perth Wildcat Paul Rogers.
Smallwood was sensational and his 19 points kept the Sharks in the contest, Bellinger-Brown (7) and Rhett Wahlsten (2) were also solid contributors.
In the men’s B-grade division 1 grand final, Panthers prevailed in an epic contest over Dugites 28-24, with Panthers centre Ivan Gerovich named most valuable player.
Meanwhile Tetley Juniors easily accounted for Kangas’ 27-17 in the women’s B-grade division 1 decider game.
