AIC Basketball: Best players from round 2 revealed

AIC Basketball Team of the Week latest includes an on-the-up big man from St Edmund’s, a flamethrower from Ashgrove and a State representative from Villanova who shot the lights out.

Villanova College and St Peters Lutheran College remained undefeated in AIC First V Basketball after a bumper round 2 of the season unfolded.

St Peters defeated St Laurence’s College 65-34, Marist College Ashgrove beat Padua 80-57 and St Edmund’s bounced back with a 63-54 win over Iona.

At Shorncliffe, a 37-point explosion from Villanova’s Mason Honeyman propelled them to a 79-68 victory over a fierce St Patrick’s outfit, who were on the receiving end of a lights-out first half showing.

Honeyman, a Queensland Under 18s representative, was scorching from deep but also facilitating his teammates like a true point guard.

Last week Queensland South rep Cooper Rowlings headlined our Team of the Week and this time it is Honeyman, Rowling’s State teammate.

One of many Honeyman highlights came when he beat the quarter time buzzer to drain a rainbow shot from well beyond the three-point line.

Villanova were up 25-12 then, and then 45-28 at half time as Honeyman kept splashing treys.

Another highlight came in the second quarter when he combined a deadly cross over with a step back three to send Villa up 29-13.

Everything was falling for him and it was just what the doctor ordered coming up against a very talented St Patrick’s outfit who fought back admirably from that 17-point first half deficit.

So who joined Honeyman in the Round 2 Players of the Week? See below.

AIC BASKETBALL ROUND 1

AIC RUGBY LEAGUE ROUND 1

ROUND 2 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Villanova 79 defeat St Patrick’s 68

Mason Keogh (St Patrick’s)

Keogh led from the front and provided scoring, leadership and energy for the home team.

Not giving up till the final buzzer, Keogh ensured St Patrick’s had a chance in the late moments of the game.

Flinn Hoysted (St Patrick’s)

Hoysted provided excellent defensive efforts off the bench which slowed Honeyman’s flood of scoring.

His defensive activity sparked a multiple runs in the second half which was almost enough to steal the game from Villanova.

Mason Honeyman (Villanova)

Mason Honeyman. Picture courtesy of Joey Roque.

Honeyman must have secretly been wearing a cape under his Villa jersey because he was a heroic scorer.

St Edmund’s College 63 beat Iona 54

Tyson Golding (St Edmund’s)

Golding, nicknamed “The Big Dog” had trouble against Cooper Rowlings (St Peters) in round 1 but showed his quality in this bounce-back win for St Edmund’s.

Even with plenty of rest during the game, Golding finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds to go along with 4 assists and a handful of blocks.

After his season was cut short in round 2 last year, Golding has been climbing and this was the game where he looked like his old self – which is a scary sight if you are not on his team.

Josh Affleck (St Edmund’s)

St Edmund’s coach Tim Fergus said the whole team executed their jobs on Saturday, and while he knew Affleck played well, he didn’t realise how big his numbers were.

Affleck had a very quiet 28 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals.

“Josh is a great scorer and was able to execute this week … He benefited from the team coming together and playing well as a whole,” Fergus praised.

Charlie Short (Iona)

Charlie Short in action on Saturday.

Iona’s co-captain fought hard against a very physical St Edmund’s side, shouldering the offensive load and keeping his side within arms reach all game.

He finished with a double-double and will be full of confidence leading into round 3 against Ashgrove.

Joseph Baker (Iona)

Joe Baker in action on Saturday.

Baker played a pivotal bench role for the black and white. A Year 10 student, Baker held his old against much bigger bodies, made crucial defensive stops and pulled in critical rebounds.

Marist College Ashgrove 80 beat Padua 57

Lucas Prickett (Padua)

Year 11 student muscled up on offence commanding attention each time he touched the ball. A juggernaut on the offensive glass.

Kevin Kingsmill (Padua)

another Year 11 student who was dynamic in the midcourt – causing havoc and disruption to Ashgrove as well as setting the tone on defence.

Will Ford (Ashgrove)

AIC Basketball action: Ashgrove's Will Ford. Picture courtesy of Denver Jensen.

Ford was a flamethrower behind the arc to begin the game, rocketing Ashgrove out to an early 24-11 lead and then 30-16 when he knocked down a tough corner three.

Point guard Matt Gibson was also pivotal in Ashgrove’s rollicking start, applying full court defensive pressure and knocking down jump shots much to the delight of Ashgrove’s courtside supporters.

Spencer Mahoney (Ashgrove)

While the bouncy Jack Forrester was chipping in with buckets of his own, Ashgrove’s hungry big man Mahoney was crashing the glass and earning his team extra opportunities.

His second-chance rebounding was off the charts.

St Peters 65 beat St Laurence’s 34

Riyat Sreng (St Laurence’s)

While it was a tough game, Sreng’s defensive energy lifted his teammates to step up and work hard to slow the St Peters offence down.

The two-way wizard’s assertiveness in offence also provided Laurie’s with some great scoring opportunities.

Lachlan Warwick (St Laurence’s)

Backing up from a big game in the Seconds, Warwick’s defensive effort was suffocating, causing havoc for the St Peters offense who had a hard time scoring on him.

Lachlain Rolison (St Peters)

Lachlain Rolison in action on Saturday. picture courtesy of Anthony Cox.

Rolison found his rhythm in the first half, attacking the rim strong and providing a smooth stroke from three.

He topscored with 18 points and threw in four rebounds and three steals.

Cooper Rowlings (St Peters)

Rowlings slams it home. Picture courtesy of Anthony Cox.

Rowlings showed his versatility on both ends of the court as he flirted with a triple double, adding 10 points, 19 rebounds and seven blocks.