Pumas scrap their way to victory over Chapman Valley as Stateside survive King-sized scare

Pumas overcame a slow start to notch a win against Chapman Valley while Stateside had to weather a late Trades fightback as players returned to the court for 2023. It was a quiet start to the games as players wore black armbands to honour Olympian Justyce Potaka-Kumeroa, who died in a car crash on Christmas Eve. Players and fans stood for a minute’s silence before each game in an emotional tribute. Pumas were looking to solidify their fourth place on the ladder while Chapman Valley Warriors were hoping to keep their slim finals hopes alive after their first win of the season just before Christmas. Perhaps, understandably, it was a rusty start for both sides as the Warriors grabbed an early lead but both sides were wasteful with shooting percentages well below 50 per cent. Pumas had more possession but they were found wanting at the basket and didn’t quite have their structures in place at times as they looked to find their groove. Eventually, they were able to even up the contest through the weight of possession, with Sienna Forsyth the best of the Pumas early on while Millie Gerreyn and Jaimee Rich had plenty of looks but few points. It wasn’t until the 17th-minute mark in the first half that Pumas hit the lead as they took a 31-26 advantage into half-time. As their efficiency started to improve, Pumas controlled the second half and though the Warriors tried their best, they couldn’t match them on the scoreboard. Forsyth finished with 26 points — 22 of those were from the field. Gerreyn was next best with 16. Macy Altham played her best game of the season for the Warriors with 12 points but the side fell to a 69-50 loss. It moves Pumas three games clear of Chapman Valley, with just four rounds to go in the regular season. In the later game, ladder-leading Stateside were hoping to stretch out their lead while Olympians had a bye, with Trades hoping to catch them off guard. But Stateside made the better start, sinking 21 points in the opening 10 minutes, while Trades had to wait five minutes to get their first score, coming from the free-throw line, to trail by double digits early. Charlotte Kennedy (13) and Abbie McDonald (9) were doing the damage for the Scorpions while Kayley King was playing a lone hand for Trades at the other end, scoring 13 of their 18 first-half points. Trades did marginally improve as the half went on but Stateside took an 11-point lead into half-time. The first half was much the same as the first, with McDonald and Kennedy the go-tos for Scorpions, but King was getting better and better. She hit four second-half threes as they began slowly eating into the deficit as Stateside were unable to match her scoring beyond the arc with only one three-pointer from the game. They were scoring enough to make sure the lead wasn’t evaporating quickly but King was unstoppable, with Holly Baynes chipping in when they could as the lead was shrunk to single digits and Trades closed to within a basket. However, they and King would fall just short as the Scorpions held on for a 61-58 win. McDonald (20), Kennedy (10) and Kelsie Crowe (12) were the best for Stateside but King (38) was the stand-out in a losing effort. It was King’s second 30-point game for the year. She has scored 30 per cent of all the Trades points this season despite playing only six out of 11 games.