Pumas brush off Scorpions as Hawks overcome Warriors in latest round of Geraldton Basketball

Pumas avoided a Scorpion sting as they blew away their opponents in the second half to record their fourth win in a row.

It was always going to be a tall order for a side with currently the worse defensive record in the league to match the unbeaten Pumas and despite their best efforts, they lost 91-53 .

Pumas led from the outset but Stateside was hanging in there mainly on the efforts of big man Tristan Jacques om both sides of the floor.

But Pumas were efficient, quickly punishing any defensive lapses to keep the Scorpions at arm’s length.

Coach Amy Williamson called on the Scorpions to make them work hard for the ball and to upset their rhythm but they could not maintain it for long enough as they trailed 37-29 at the half.

Jacques was top of the charts for Stateside with 10 points. Jayden Crowe led all scorers with 12 as their main weapon Tomas Dobson was quiet with six after spending a good chunk of the first half on the bench because of early foul trouble.

He returned in the second half and immediately changed the complexion of the game by draining threes. Stateside were clearly unsettled by his presence giving away more than a few holding fouls as they tried to contain the big shooter.

But it only got worse for Stateside as their most influential player Jacques fouled out with more than 10 minutes to go in the second half.

He had been their focal point in offence and his departure led to a collapse.

They were taking shots from anywhere and running few plays as the Pumas smelt blood in the water and punished the Scorpions.

They doubled the Scorpions’ score and were deadly from deep as they blew the margin out to 67-33.

Pumas were suffocating in defence and putting on a show on offence with elite passing, no-look, behind-the-back, and fakes — they did it all as they gave their percentage a healthy boost with the 91-53 win.

Dobson finished top as he often did with 21 points, 15 of those coming in the second half including six threes. William Galvin (17), Crowe (15) and Gabriel Parfitt (14) all contributed.

Stuart Egan took over the mantle from Jacques after he fouled out and finished with 18 points, and Elliot Bennet had 10.

In the later match, the Hawks were too strong for Chapman Valley Warriors in an entertaining clash 95-78.

The Warriors were without Mathew Wundenberg and also played without a coach as they took on the best offensive team in the competition boasting the league’s three top scorers.

Fletcher Klasztorny took the Hawks out to an early lead as he was the first to crack double points inside the first seven minutes.

Together with Ryan Blanchett, they formed a buffer as Dempsey Joseph and Llewyn Valli did their best to keep the Warriors in touch.

The Warriors were given a boost after Blanchett was forced off the court with back spasms and it allowed them to close the gap under 10 points with Carter Cook marshalling the offence well.

At the half, the Warriors trailed 54-45 as Klasztorny and Blanchett both had 13 points with Joseph and Valli having 10 apiece.

Unlike in previous games, Klasztorny did not maintain his dominance as he added only five points in the second half.

They could have put a lot more pressure on the Hawks but they suffered at the line and missed plenty of free points.

Robert Greichen took over for the Hawks as he exploded for 17 points in the second half, outmuscling his opponents to work his way to the rim to finish with 26 points.

For the Warriors, Rory Dorant (15) and Lou Causer (12) tried their best but it was not enough as the Hawks won by 17 points to set up a blockbuster clash with the Pumas next Tuesday.

The Olympians played Trades on Thursday night with the Octopuses heavily favoured.