The Lakes Entrance Pelicans men’s team secured its first win of the Gippsland Country Basketball League season with a hard-fought victory at home last Saturday night against the Sale Sonics, 80-75.
Unfortunately the Pelicans were unable to go back-to-back, mauled by the Warragul Warriors on Sunday at the Warragul Leisure Centre by 63 points, 112-49.
The Pelicans began the match on Saturday night strongly, launching a 12-0 run that forced Sale to call an early timeout.
Massimo Hobbs (20 points) set the tone, scoring 13 points and dominating the boards in the opening period, getting plenty of support from Angus Murdoch (20) and Chris Fields (18).
Sale fought back late in the term, narrowing the gap to just one point by quarter time, but Pelicans coach Andrew Wright wasn’t perturbed, having liked what he saw late in the term.
The Pelicans managed to hold their ground, finishing the second quarter with a 20-16 run to take a 47-42 lead into half time, handy in the context of a tight contest.
The third quarter saw Fields crashing the boards on one end and finishing at the rim on the other, while Angus Murdoch attacked
the basket and earned trips to the free-throw line.
At the end of the third stanza, the Pelicans had stretched their lead to 10 points and were playing with plenty of confidence, youngster like Kobe Edwards (10) standing up at pivotal moments.
The final term was at times tense and willing, the Pelicans extended their advantage to a game-high 16 points, but Sale wasn’t ready to back down, chipping away at the lead in the closing minutes.
Tafare Chiripahura (21), Jake Hutchins (15) and Ash Bell (15) all part of the Sonics resurgence.
With unwavering energy from the bench and a roaring home crowd, the Pelicans held off the Sonics to secure a sensational five-point victory, the team’s first in 50 weeks.
Wright was delighted with the result and hopefully that his side can build on the result in the second half of the season.
“The energy from the bench was amazing, helping push the team over the line, we will look to build on the momentum gained, as the season progressed,” Wright said.
The win lifted the Pelicans to eighth on the ladder.
After the glory and ecstasy of Saturday night, it made Sunday a hard watch as one of the best sides in the competition went to work on the Pelicans inside and out.
Riding high on the confidence from their first win of the season, the Pelicans encountered a tough start as Warragul came out firing, putting Lakes Entrance on the back foot with a dominant 27-8 first quarter.
Hobbs (18) led the Pelicans’ scoring with seven points in the opening period, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace as Warriors like Oliver Muir (30), Jackson McEwan (14), Riley Morehu (13), Murray Myers (11), Kaden Gregg (10) and Daniel Whitfield (10) scores at will.
The second quarter followed a similar pattern, with Warragul extending their lead to 32 points by half time.
Wright took the opportunity at the long break to implore his young squad to bring the fight to the Warriors in the second half.
The Pelicans responded, showing improved defence and renewed energy in the third and fourth quarters as coach Wright made lineup adjustments, focusing on development and giving players valuable experience.
Massimo continued his solid play, while Murdoch (10) found a way to score in the second half.
Although the Pelicans ultimately fell short, coach Wright commended their effort and viewed the game as a key learning opportunity. The team looks forward to building on this experience as they prepare for future challenges.
It looks likely to be another tough weekend for the Pelicans playing Maffra at the Cameron Street Sporting Complex in Maffra on Saturday night at 7.30pm, before buttering up on Sunday against Wonthaggi at home for a 2pm game at the Lakes Entrance Youth and Recreation Centre.
