It took three tries to get this game started but once the jump ball was decided and Addam knocked the ball to Mitch the game was on. Just like us, Sutherland had players at the three-day TAP program and had to play a trial game the day before, so we all started on a level (but slightly exhausted) playing field.
Arran scored immediately on a drive but Sutherland came back with a couple of quick goals. However, our dominance on the boards was apparent early.
Early on Will, Addam and Arran put a lot of pressure on the inside capped by a great pass down low to Will for a shot under pressure when Sutherland's big man came out.
As the first quarter it became clear that the Sharks were struggling to penetrate and we were starting to vary our scoring options, with Brane dropping a three pointer and Mitch picking up a mid-range two.
We finished the first quarter up 12-8 but it was becoming clear that we had started to get Sutherland's measure.
In the second quarter Luke led the charge early, knocking down a three pointer and then following that up with a mid range two after curling off a cut.
Jayden then joined in with another three pointer and suddenly we had leapt to a 20-8 lead.
Mark and Jay were outstanding, picking off passes and setting up some fast breaks that helped us to continue to stretch the lead while Thomas was ripping balls out of the oppositions hands and crashed the offensive boards. He topped the offensive rebounds count along with Brane with five apiece.
The boys just continued to pour on the pressure and came away with a 68-29 win.
At the same time that we were playing, Norths and Comets went head-to-head in the elimination quarter-final. The Comets picked up the win which meant they had to play the Sharks as part of an elimination semi-final. Reports are that it was a tight match won by Sutherland setting us up for a grand final match-up at Penrith.
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