Big V Basketball: Bellarine claim Division 1 men’s title
The Bellarine Storm have created their own piece of history after breaking through for a first Big V Basketball title.
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A Bellarine Storm has swept right through Big V Basketball in 2022.
The Storm has claimed its first title in the competition after a thrilling Division 1 Men’s grand final series victory over Shepparton.
They got the job done on the road in game two 75-67 in front of rival supporters.
Now they’re embracing the fact they’ve created history according to coach Luke Beauglehall.
The Storm were first admitted into the competition ahead of the 2019 season.
“There’s only been a senior program for a few years and to win a title so soon is pretty remarkable,” he said.
“I said to the boys after the game that when you walk into the stadium and see that banner hanging up, no one can take it away from you to say that were apart of that.
“We were very fortunate to have about 90 supporters including friends and family make the trip up to Shepparton with us.
“I’d say they made more noise than the local support. We rode that energy home and we’re grateful we were able to get it done in game two and not have to back up.”
Bellarine didn’t have it all their own way throughout the game with the lead consistently changing hands.
Scores were tied at 34-all at halftime before the home side narrowly led at the final break by two points.
Bellarine exploded to life in the last quarter outscoring Shepparton 24 to 14 to get home by eight points.
Leigh Saffin led the way with 21 points off the bench while Marko Vekic and Rohan Jarvie added 18 each.
Garrett Jefferson led the way for Shepparton with 22 points.
Jarvie was named Finals MVP after the game.
“Rohan’s a Bellarine junior who has come on leaps and bounds this season,” Beauglehall said.
“He’s taken on board every piece of information we’ve given him to try and improve his game. He’s at every training session trying to get the most out of himself.
“It was a terrific reward for a fantastic season.”
GAME ONE REVIEW
Bellarine has seen Rohan Jarvie develop as a rapid rate but he has well and truly arrived on the big stage now.
Jarvie produced an inspiring performance of 22 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks to inspire the Storm to a 1-0 advantage in the Big V Basketball Division 1 Men’s grand final series against Shepparton.
The big man left his imprint all over the contest as his side gained the upper hand in the best-of-three series before hitting the road this weekend.
His performance became even more critical after Bellarine’s best two shooters — Leigh Saffin and Lewis Varley — combined to shoot 0-15 from the field.
All eight of their points came from the free throw line.
Bellarine burst to life in the second half to come away with a 63-60 win after being held to just 23 points in the opening half.
Storm coach Luke Beauglehall broke down what he described as a “weird game of basketball”.
“Rohan has been with us for four years since we came into the competition,” he said.
“He’s come on leaps and bounds every season since then. The match up on Saturday was in his favour and he was able to take advantage of it.
“The entire game was scrappy, the defensive schemes at either end were working. We shot 18-23 from the free throw line compared to 9-20, in the end that proved to be the difference.”
Game two will be played at Shepparton on Saturday night with the Storm looking to wrap up the series.
They’ll have a strong travelling contingent with them as support.
“We’ve got a fair few family members coming up with us,” Beauglehall said.
“We’ll be on the bus for about three-and-a-half hours then arrive about mid-afternoon to give us enough time to settle and relax.
“We’re not naive to think it will just happen for us.”
SERIES PREVIEW
You’d be forgiven if you’re shocked it’s Shepparton and Bellarine in the Big V Basketball Men’s Division 1 grand final series.
Both sides caused remarkable upsets in their semi-finals series to set up a date with destiny starting this weekend.
Shepparton knocked off Keysborough while Bellarine overcame a Melbourne University side which had dropped just one game throughout the regular season.
Both teams also had to survive elimination finals.
Game one will be played at the Bellarine Sports Centre on Saturday from 5.30pm as both sides prepare to overcome big road trips for title success.
Here’s how the series could play out.
WHAT THE COACHES SAID
Shepparton, Josh Waight: “It’s exciting we’ve been able to complete a season after the past couple of years. We went into our semi-final series against Keysborough with a game plan and we were able to execute it. That’s what has allowed us to get to where we are now.
“Bellarine has lots of players who can shoot the lights out so we’ll need to be on our game defensively if we’re going to win. We know their stars can score but it’s about limiting the impact of their role players. We can’t force things on offence ourselves. We’ve shown all season we can score in different ways and I’d expect that to be no different.
Bellarine, Luke Beauglehall: “It’s been a really rewarding season after the stuttering nature of the last three years not just for the competition but the world. When we put the team together at the start of the season we made it our goal to make sure we bat really deep, our strengths being right down to that ninth or 10th guy. We went into the Melbourne Uni series thinking it was a really good match up for us. It actually took a few days for it to settle in that we had made the grand final.
“The challenge now is reinforcing to the guys that the prize is still right there, the job isn’t done. Shepparton has got a good, tough squad. They’ve got guys coming off the bench who have been in the league for a long time and know how to win. If we’re able to limit the influence of their better shooters it’s going to go a long way to helping us win this series.”
THE STARS OF THE SHOW
Lewis Varley, Bellarine
If this man gets hot, the Storm could quickly find themselves out of the Gators‘ sight. Varley has thrown up plenty of shots this year to be his team’s leading scorer throughout the season but he also has the capacity to create for his teammates.
Garret Jefferson, Shepparton
The Gators import has been brilliant in many different aspects of the game this season. He‘s an impressive shooter from the floor which could make the world of difference.
THE X-FACTORS
Jason Reardon, Bellarine
A simple choice for the Storm. Reardon is arguably the most balanced player on both ends of the floor for either side set to contest the grand final series. Can score, create and most importantly impact the game on the defensive end.
Matt Andronicos, Shepparton
You can always rely on Andronicos to make his shots as he‘s shooting an incredible 65.22 per cent from the field this season. But on the other end, he’s just as likely to impact his opponents’ shot.
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