By Tyler Wright
On the way to their recent match in Bendigo, the Sherbrooke Suns’ Big V Youth League men’s basketball team were lucky to recover from a setback.
The Suns’ bus engine caught fire on the Calder Freeway with players, managers and coaches on board, about 30 minutes away from the Red Energy Arena where the team was set to play on Sunday 28 May.
Coach Scott Gunther said smoke began coming into the bus at about 12pm, with passengers originally believing a blown tire was the cause of the fumes.
“The driver grabbed the fire extinguisher and we kept the guys all on the bus, and then pretty quickly realised it’s a little bit more severe than what we thought,” Mr Gunther said.
Passengers were evacuated as flames and smoke became visible from the engine.
“It could have been quite dangerous because all the fuel from the bus ended up spilling all over the Calder Highway,” Mr Gunther said.
While awaiting emergency transportation to their match against the Braves, players were videod dancing on an island in the middle of the busy road.
“Boys were hilarious making the most of a tough situation. Rain wind cold…. What do you do…. Dance!” passenger Peter Unwin wrote on Facebook.
“Different type of BIG V preparation.”
The Suns received support from the host team, who sent a courtesy bus, towels, food and water for players and supporting crew to get to the stadium safely.
The away team managed to get to the stadium on time for the 2pm tee-off.
“Something like that could go quite serious, but you know what? We’re all living a world today where there is some good, kind-hearted individuals and teams and people,” Mr Gunther said.
“Being able to make sure that all our guys were okay, managed to get there safely, but even went above and beyond and looked after them all, which was wonderful.”
Despite the difficult pre-game ordeal, the Suns came away with a 24-point win against their opponents, scoring 94 points to the Braves’ 70.
The Suns now take up second spot on the league ladder, with the Braves sitting at ninth place.
Sherbrooke’s number 10, Dylan Johnstone, scored 21 points and took six steals; the most in the game.
The team managed to secure a late night bus trip back to Sherbrooke.
“What could have ended up in disaster somehow ended up okay for the local boys,” Mr Gunther said.
The Suns have won 10 out of the last 13 games with a percentage of 117.40 per cent.
The side will play against Coburg on Saturday 3 June at Upwey High School’s Bell Real Estate Stadium.
