Maccabi begins Big V season

Source: The Australian Jewish News

The Maccabi Warriors got their 2025 Big V youth league 3 campaign off with a double-header last weekend, enabling the squad’s new mix of newcomers and experienced players to develop combinations in matches for the first time.

In a thrilling season opener last Saturday away to the Warrandyte Venom, Maccabi started strongly and led by nine points, before the match became an arm wrestle, with the Venom edging in front by two points after two quarters.

Maccabi won the third quarter by four points to lead by two, only to lose the last quarter by three points and the match by a single point, 74-75.

A three-pointer by Warrandyte with just seconds remaining delivered them a last-gasp win. For Maccabi, newly appointed captain Elijah Mills showed his three-point shooting prowess, nailing four of them in a 16-point contribution.

Harry Newett top-scored for the Warriors with 19 points, Adam Shuster scored 13 points and teenage debutants Jess Branicki and Sunny Aladjem came off the bench and scored two points each.

With no time to mope, the Warriors hosted the Melton Thoroughbreds last Sunday at Bialik College’s Gringlas Sport Centre and raced to a 25-18 lead in the first quarter. A combination of a defensive lapse and a lift by Melton saw Maccabi trail by 42-49 at the main break. But after a pep talk by coach Jarred Keiser that revved up his troops, Maccabi dominated the third quarter to the tune of 21-6 and backed up by winning the last quarter by three and the match by 87-76.

Jared Gansky had a massive game for Maccabi, top-scoring with 24 points, while making six rebounds, four assists and seven steals. He was well supported by Newett (14 points), Mills (12), Shuster (10) and Branicki (10) and Dean Alter (7).

The Warriors travel to Hawthorn this Sunday.

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