The Lakers Women under the astute coaching of Sonya Knight and Trevor Semmens completed the first round of the 2009 Green Triangle Basketball League season with a 3-0 record and stand at the top of the premiership table.

The Lakers Men finished with a 3-1 record. They defeated Portland, Warrnambool and Millicent but went down to an experienced and aggressive Hamilton.

The Lakers met Hamilton in their opening game and appeared to have the upper hand for the majority of minutes. Rebecca Trench, Stacey Fox and Maddi Wilson set up the 13 point lead at three quarter time. Promising juniors Emily Stafford played determined defence and rebounded well. While Sam Loughhead made the most of her minutes. Hamilton, in their typical "never beaten" approach, had the Lakers under all sorts of pressure in the final 5 minutes, forcing errors, poor shot selection and closed the margin to 4 at full time, 44-40.

The Portland match featured patches of high standard play. Portland, a young, tall and talented side, had the Lakers working hard for a final result 43-34. The game reflected a solid contribution from all players. Trench continued to play well while Courtney Walters scored vital baskets to maintain the lead. Amy Cram hurt her ankle early and Danielle Kettle continued her role of contesting inside the paint despite giving away centimetres in height. Cram retuned to the action and had a telling impact during the day even though hampered by injury.

The Lakers finished the weekend with a comfortable win over Millicent, well below full strength, 62-38. Wilson and Trench led the scoring in this game.

Coach Sonya Knight was pleased with the efforts of her squad, particularly in the hot conditions and the poise and composure shown in the latter two games. The commitment made to executing and scoring from offensive structures drew special comment. These results suggest that they can confidently look forward to the second round and finals on 5 and 6 December 2009.

The Lakers Men made an impressive start to the GTBL season, being far too good for a young and inexperienced Warrnambool. Simon Berkefeld and Kyle Howe-Tipene led the scoring in their big win, 73-23.

The Lakers-Hamilton match was a typical physical encounter. Hamilton players were tough off the boards and found range from outside. The Lakers on the other hand, struggled to reproduce the run and momentum of their earlier game. Tyson Kettle and Berkefeld worked hard for consistent scores Hamilton won 54-42.

The Lakers bounced back into the winner's circle on Sunday morning with another hard fought contest against Portland. The Lakers applied defensive pressure to restrict Portland's scoring and then managed to build a 20 point margin at the final siren.

The Lakers Men finished the weekend on a scoring spree against Millicent in which Howe-Tipene, Daniel Peacock and Steve Csono headed the squad tallies for an 84-55 result.

The Lakers Men built on their team work over the weekend and will be working to set up team plays and structures for the second round in Millicent on December 5th and 6th.

Premiership Tables at the end of Round 1:

Women:

Men: