Pumas men brush off Verle Williams masterclass to claim Geraldton Amateur Basketball Association title

Pumas have avenged last season’s grand final loss, going all the way to seal the 2025-26 men’s division one title in the Geraldton Amateur Basketball Association grand final by 12 points against Stateside. It was a full house at Activewest Stadium as the Stateside faithful showed up in droves to loudly cheer on the Scorpions in their first grand final appearance in 60 years. While Pumas may not have been the crowd favourite, the final score of 88-100 favoured them as they claimed their first title since 2023. Speaking post-match, Pumas’ Liam Hunt, who shot 23 points, said he was proud of their achievement. “I love playing with them and to be honest, I love the Buccs and what that brings, but it’s just a different feeling,” he said. “You’ve got guys all from Geraldton, all local and with the crowd the way it is, it’s just amazing. “You can’t help but love it, it’s just the best feeling especially after losing last year.” A full house was treated to an absolute masterclass from Verle Williams — fresh of a Buccaneers re-signing announcement made just 24 hours before tip-off. He put on a spectacular show full of his trademark flashy moves and crafty ball movement to put up 41 points — the second highest individual score of the season, to claim grand final MVP. Williams said the support from the Stateside and local basketball fans in the crowd was “awesome” “It was just like another Buccs game for me,” he said. “For me as a player, I love the crowd, so once they had my back after that first shot that went in, for me it got me going.” But Pumas put in a terrific team effort with three players shooting more than 20 points as Jarrad Mongoo top scored with 24 points, five of which were three-pointers. Harry Evans also played his best game of the year and had a heavy presence everywhere on court while shooting 20 points, his highest total of the year. It was always slated to be a heated contest between the two sides, as Stateside showed they were capable of beating the minor premiers back in round six. It could have fallen that way at the first period’s conclusion, as Stateside had a three-point lead in a quarter which saw both sides trade blows on the scoreboard. The roles were reversed at the main break as Pumas took a four-point advantage into half-time, which carried over into the final term as both sides shot 21 points in the third. But the final quarter proved decisive, as the chance of a comeback slipped away despite Williams doing all he could to lift his side. Pumas’ defensive unit did an excellent job to shut down division leading goal scorer Tyrone Papertalk Jr, keeping him to a season-low four points. Keeping Papertalk Jr out of the equation was essential for Pumas to take out the win, otherwise it could have been a much different result given his body of work this season. Stateside found other avenues to score through Kobe Simpson who pitched in 16 points, including five three-pointers. Beau Simpson also nailed two three pointers, as he and Raymon Bonney both finished on eight points.