Lakes Entrance secured its first win of the Gippsland Country Basketball League season, defeating arch rival Bairnsdale in an exciting contest at the Lakes Entrance Youth and Recreation Centre last Saturday night.
It was a hard-fought win by the Pelicans who began the night with nine players and lost star, Angus Murdoch, for a fair chunk of the contest with a foot injury, and with several players cramping they were still able to prove too good for the Bullets who suited up with 12 players.
There was plenty of intensity early as both sides struggled to sink the first basket, Taydn Perry (18 points) having the honour before Matt Pearce (16) hit back with two impressive threes for the Pelicans.
Lakes Entrance was making the running with Bairnsdale nipping at their heels, a Chris Fields (18) three against his old side just before quarter time narrowing the gap to just two points at the first break.
James Russell (17), Sacha Murdoch (12) and Edwards (15) were impressing at both ends for the Pelicans, with Will Guy (13) causing concerns for the Pelicans, while the biggest cheer of the night came when Bairnsdale’s Beau Evans came onto the court in the second term.
Lakes Entrance missed numerous free throws in the second quarter as the Bullets continued to nip away at their heels, youngster Oliver Palmer even happy to offer Pearce some free advice.
Edwards was keeping the home side in the contest as Perry, Guy and Bayley Croucher worked hard for Bairnsdale.
The Bullets’ ability to convert saw them snatch the lead in the final minute of the first half, the Pelicans left to rue missed chances.
Bairnsdale looked the fitter side going in at the break and the Pelicans were going to need to dig deep to get the points.
It was the Bullets’ turn to make the running during the third quarter, edging as far ahead as five only to be pegged back by the Pelicans with impressive three-point conversions from Field and Lakes’ Xavier Martin seeing the score change with the three quarter time in sight, Lakes Entrance leading by a point.
With the game on the line, the Pelicans dominated the final quarter, scoring 28 to 14 to win convincingly in the finish by 15 points, with Angus Murdoch returning after sitting out two quarters, scoring four points and inspiring the troops with his courage.
It was a tough ask for the Pelicans trekking to Traralgon on Sunday for the second leg of the opening weekend double header.
Jamie Webb and Finn Boag were welcome additions for Lakes Entrance with Angus Murdoch and Grant Balintong not suiting up.
The T-Birds were backing up after a hard-fought win the night before over Morwell, 108-86.
Playing with plenty of confidence, they got the jump on the Pelicans with a 26-16 opening quarter, with Dejay Ansell (24), Koby Tibballs (27) and Zac Bezzina (26) lighting it up from the start, Lakes Entrance forced to try and chase down their opponents from a long way out.
Lakes took the game right up to Traralgon in the second term, narrowing the margin to nine points at half time with Sasha Murdoch (13), Russell (14), Pearce (21) and the wildcard Boag (17) all impressing.
The Pelicans threw everything at the T-Birds in the third term, two early baskets to Boag narrowing the margin to just five points as the sides began to trade baskets.
Some solid baskets from Tibballs restored the margin to 11 points at three quarter time, Traralgon doing well to hold off the initial Pelicans onslaught.
Again it was Lakes who got the best of the start in the final stanza, an Anthony Wright (7) three pointer reducing the margin to five points inside the first two minutes.
But with the game on the line Ansell and Bezzina rallied with the ability to make clutch shots when needed.
The margin was under 10 points with two and a half minutes to play, three sensational maximums from Bezzina blowing the margin out late to 18 points.
The Pelicans were beaten but not disgraced, and they will enjoy a bye this weekend with their next matches being home fixtures against Maffra and Warragul on October 18 and 19.
