By JARROD POTTER
SEABL – ROUND 15
THERE was no fairytale victory for Clare Papavs in her 300th SEABL clash after Kilsyth stormed back into the clash not once, or twice, but thrice.
Returning to the place where she found her feet in basketball, as a Kilsyth junior, Papavs received a warm welcome from the home team … at least before and after the match.
Aside from those pleasantries it was game on as Dandenong shot out with its three-point game dialled in early.
After pushing the lead to 12 at the half – on the back of some dynamite long-range shooting off Rachel Antonadiou (13 points) and an amazing inside/outside effort from centre Lauren Scherf (15 points, 18 rebounds) – the Rangers look set to canter home and give Papavs something to celebrate.
But that wasn’t on the cards for the Cobras.
Dandenong couldn’t finish the job after the main break, with a disastrous run of turnovers, misses and back-court errors opening an opportunity for Kilsyth to strike.
But the Rangers fired back … and fired back again to build the lead and try to hold it this time around.
But no matter what it did, or how far the lead stretched, Dandenong couldn’t shut the door on Kilsyth’s fight-back.
It would be a pair of well-known faces at Dandenong to scorch the Rangers; as WNBL captain Steph Cumming (16 points) willed her side back in the clash while former WNBL player Rosie Moult (14 points, 10 rebounds) started raining threes, making steals and clasping some massive rebounds against Scherf, Jacinta Kennedy and Chloe Bibby.
Papavs (seven points, four rebounds) didn’t sit a second in her milestone match, but even her herculean efforts manning the skilful Jasmine Gill (15 points) weren’t enough to drag the Rangers to victory.
After reaching her SEABL triple-century – split between Kilsyth and Dandenong – in a glittering career with five SEABL championships, there was plenty to take in for the Dandenong dynamo.
“Today I got a little bit emotional thinking about the journey I’ve been through and some of the stuff I’ve been through and overcome,” Papavs said. “Some of the mental battles when you’re not playing well and keeping yourself motivated and playing season in, season out playing SEABL and WNBL back-to-back, it can take its toll on you mentally.
“The fact that the game was at Kilsyth – it couldn’t have been planned any more perfectly and I thank Kilsyth for giving me my start and Dandenong for allowing me to continue this career I’ve had and it’s not ending any time soon.”
Looking ahead remains her focus … as the tongue-in-cheek nature of Dandenong’s SEABL star shone through even in defeat.
“I’m going to go out tonight (Saturday) and celebrate with the girls and just make the most of it … maybe I’ll think about it all (the career) in another 200 games time,” Papavs said.
She wanted to thank her family, friends as well as the Dandenong and Kilsyth basketball communities for their support.
Dandenong’s men had a far better time though, stitching up the Cobras 82-75 on the back of enormous games from Andrew Harms (28 points, 10 rebounds) and Daequon Montreal (20 points, nine rebounds).
Dandenong faces Bendigo at home on Saturday evening.
In BIG V results, Keysborough’s men kept their slim season hopes alive with a 70-67 win over the high-flying Shepparton Gators, but not after they were shut down in the fourth term. The Cougars only managed seven points after the final change, but had enough in the tank to take the triumph on the back of efforts from Calvin Enge (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Ben Morwood (16 points).
The women’s side lost 54-81 to Blackburn as Genevieve Abbott (21 points, 13 rebounds) starred with a double-double alongside Amy Leslie (17 points).
