The Banstown Bruins suffered a fifth consecutive defeat after Inner West Bulls crushed the Bruins 108-80 at Bankstown Basketball Stadium on Saturday night.
Cooper Wilks won the jumpball for the Bulls with Maloek Majak opening the scoring, slotting a two-point shot. However, moments later, Bruins player Deonte Williams levelled the margin with a two-point layup.
Like much of their season, the Bruins struggled defensively with the Bulls charging through and scoring shots. The absence of Jason Cadee, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury, has left the Bruins to play without his leadership and good decision-making skills.
The first quarter saw the Bruins miss many scoring opportunities while the Bulls outplayed the Bruins offensively and defensively. Zeke Evans stepped up, shooting a two-point layup before Tederick Wolfe slammed a dunk, entertaining the Bankstown home crowd. Both teams committed turnovers with end-to-end basketball on full display in the opening quarter.
The second quarter saw Inner West maintaining their solid offensive pressure, with Malok Majak shooting a three-point jump shot. But the visitors also made costly errors, allowing the Bruins to score and tighten the margin.
The Bruins injected energy on the edge of halftime, clawing into the Bulls’ lead with the Bulls managing to beat the halftime buzzer with Maxwell Clark slotting a three-point pull-up shot.
Cooper Wilks sank a two-point jump shot, further extending the Bulls’ lead. This further gave the Bruins a big challenge ahead in the third quarter after the Bruins missed opportunities to regain momentum from missing shots due to the pressure the Bulls applied on the home side.
Despite dominating the game, Inner West fumbled, allowing the Bruins to take possession. However, they still outperformed a poor Bruins defence, which struggled to block and defend. Majak continued to impress, sinking a two-point dunk with Denonte Williams dunking a two-point dunk to give the Bankstown some hope. The Bulls turned the ball over multiple times on the edge of the third quarter.
The Bulls’ dominance over the Bruins was on full display early in the last quarter when Kobe Shannon sank a three-point jump shot. The Bruins’ missing multiple shots made it difficult for the Bruins to come back. Clark had a dominant last quarter, shooting multiple three-point shots through the hoop. The intensity was on another level with both teams playing with aggression. The Bruins had late shots scored hoping for a comeback win.
But in the end, the Bulls were too solid both defensively and offensively and played with more composure and connection.
Post-game Bruins CEO Christian Gobolos gave insights on what the Bruins need to improve on next to win games.
“I think they need to regroup. I think what’s difficult for them at the moment is obviously losing Jason Cadee for the season. He’s the captain, he’s the experienced one, he’s been there before. He knows how to guide these players at the end of the day. They’re young, and they’re still trying to find their way in terms of, I guess, understanding when someone needs to step up and like distributing the ball, and I guess trying to play team basketball at the moment,” Gobolos highlighted.
Gobolos said the talent, playing ability and camaraderie are there among the team, but the challenge lies in tight moments and who steps up and takes leadership
The Bruins now travel to the Central Coast to take on the Crusaders on May 31 in a must-win game for them if playing in the finals is what they are chasing after.
“I think it’s a good opportunity for them. I mean, look, any team that’s playing at home is always going to be a challenge. So look, I’d like to think that our playing group will regroup. It’s about you know bucket by bucket and gaining confidence and then being able to work that going forward,” Gobolos said.
Jason Cadee is currently undergoing recovery and rehabilitation on his hamstring injury, which he sustained in a Mother’s Day game at Bankstown Basketball Stadium a couple of weeks ago.
