The Lakes Entrance men’s Gippsland Country Basketball League team has finished the weekend sitting in sixth place on the ladder after registering its second win of the season last Saturday night at the Cameron Sporting Complex in Maffra against the Eagles.
Maffra, a genuine finals contender on paper, looked a tough assignment, but with superstar Sam Whelan not playing, the sides matched up well, the Pelicans getting over the line in tough final term, showing grit, determination and teamwork.
The Pelicans wasted no time, putting up the first six points for an early advantage before Maffra evened the ledger.
Massimo Hobbs was instrumental in the win for the Pelicans delivering a remarkable 36 points, including six triples, the Eagles struggled to contain him from the opening minutes.
Hobbs was dominant both inside and outside, making plays at will.
Despite the strong start by Lakes, Maffra fought back in the first quarter to seize a 20-16 lead with players such as Marcus Cope (13 points), Brodie Johnson (13) and Byron Sandemann (19) testing the defence.
The second quarter was played in a similar vain to the first with every point hard earned as the Eagles extended the half time break to a workable three points.
The Pelicans responded fiercely early in the third stanza, scoring the first three baskets and reclaiming the lead thanks to back-to-back three-pointers from Hobbs.
However, Maffra struck back late in the third to reclaim the lead before James Russell calmly sank two free throws to level the score at 58-58 as the three quarter time buzzer sounded.
Chris Fields (16) played a pivotal role on the boards and contributed four crucial three pointers.
As the game entered the fourth quarter, the Pelicans’ defence became a defining factor.
Key stops from Jay Vale and Russell proved essential with the team’s defence ultimately securing the win down the stretch.
Maffra’s frustrations were evident, culminating in a technical foul that handed the Pelicans two free throws and possession.
The final buzzer sounded to a hush of silence from the local crowd, and plenty of excitement from a dedicated bunch of Lakes Entrance faithful, the Pelicans home 79-73 in a thriller.
Coach Andrew Wright was delighted with the effort.
“We are building nicely, they are a good scalp and hopefully we can keep racking up the wins,” Wright said.
There were no huge celebrations with the Pelicans required to back up on Sunday in a home fixture against Wonthaggi, who are ranked inside the top four sides in the Country Basketball League.
Despite going down to the Coasters by 11 points, 73-62, the new and improved Pelicans were again impressive and look more than capable of picking up a couple more wins in the second half of the season.
Both sides entered the game riding high on confidence after securing wins the previous night.
The Coasters started strong with a quick six-point lead established but the Pelicans settled into their rhythm, eventually pulling ahead 13-9 thanks to Vale who drained two crucial triples. However, Wonthaggi levelled the scores, closing the first quarter at 13-13 with Jenson Garnham (22) and Vincent Monaghan (30) already causing issues for the Pelicans defenders.
In the second quarter Lakes Entrance held its own initially, but Wonthaggi went on a dominant 18-3 run to end the half with a nine-point lead.
The Pelicans came out in the third quarter with a renewed defensive focus, while at the other end Angus Murdoch (15) led the team in scoring.
Despite this, the Coasters countered with another run, going 16-3, Russell and Fields responding with back-to-back three pointers and
Grant Balintong adding a late basket to end the third quarter at 61-45 in favour of Wonthaggi.
In the fourth quarter Hobbs, who hardly troubled the scorers in the first three quarters after putting on a clinic the night prior, took over, scoring 11 consecutive points, prompting Wonthaggi to call a timeout.
After the timeout, Hobbs continued his hot streak with another basket and a free throw.
Jay Vale followed up with a three-pointer to bring Lakes within seven points, with three and a half minutes remaining as another upset brewed.
However, the Coasters held their ground in a hard-fought finish, edging out the Pelicans in a close battle with coach Wright again delighted with his side’s effort.
“Our team’s cohesion is improving in each game, we are heading in the right direction and are certainly a team on the rise,” Wright said.
The men’s next match is next Saturday, November 16, when they tackle the Bairnsdale Bullets, backing up the next day at Moe against the Meteors.
