Sea Eagles Push Panthers Losing Streak to Eight

by noelrr
17/06/2012

The Penrith Panthers senior men's losing streak has now grown to eight games, following a 74-57 loss to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles on Saturday night at the Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre (NBISC), Warriewood - in Round Eleven of the 2012 Waratah Championship League (WCL) basketball competition. This game was always going to be a danger game for the out-of-form Panthers, with the Sea Eagles currently on a hot streak and steadily climbing the competition ladder. The home team jumped away to a 19-13 lead in the first quarter, then led 35-23 at half time as big-man Matt Hobin dominated on the boards. Penrith's American import Ben Ellsworth was having trouble getting into form during the first half but started to strike form the longer the game progressed. The Panthers won the third term 16-15 to close to 50-39 at the end of the quarter but the Sea Eagles once again dominated in 'money-time' to race away to a convincing 17-point win. Hobin finished the game with an impressive tally of 11 points and 17 boards, while Lachlan Kirwan had 23 points and 8 boards, Luke Cooper 9 points and 8 assists and Sam Bresnik 13 points. Ellsworth finished strongly to lead the Panthers with 15 points and 8 boards, ahead of Sean Albert 10 points, Rob Crane 10 and Bruce Wells 10 boards. The tenth-placed Panthers host the eighth-placed Illawarra Hawks at 5.30pm this Saturday at the Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre (PVRSC) Cambridge Park. The Panthers will not relish the news Wollongong Hawks NBL guard Tyson Demos has made a return to the Hawks line-up, suiting up alongside his equally-heralded NBL team-mates Daniel Jackson and Zac Delaney, along with former NBL forward Troy Pilon. Whilst the Hawks narrowly avoided defeat against the Panthers in Round Ten (June 2), the Wollongong team will be considerably stronger this Saturday with the inclusion of Demos, who dominated his team's clash with the Sutherland Sharks last Saturday to finish with a game-high 30 points.

PHOTO: Rob Crane was the leading point-scorer for the Panthers through the early stages of the game - photo by Noel Rowsell

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