IT was a weekend of mixed results for the Swan Hill Flyers, with the men’s and women’s teams each walking away with one win and one loss.
The highlight for the weekend undoubtedly belonged to the women, who secured their first win of the season on Sunday afternoon with 69-64 victory over the Macedon Ranges Rockies at home.
A disappointing result the night prior, losing on the road to the Echuca Pirates by 29 points, was quickly forgotten.
Although missing their leading point scorer in Carlee Hazlett (20 points) from the previous night, Swan Hill were helped by a number of key inclusions – including Kelsey McCoy, Maeve Sheldrick, Mollie Quin and Ava Seymour, with the quartet all having an impact against Macedon Ranges.
A dominant second term, where the Flyers piled on 24 points to 13, proved to be the difference, with very little separating both teams for the remaining three quarters of the game.
While there were some nervous moments in the last quarter, the young Swan Hill outfit managed to hold firm over the closing moments of the match to record a five-point victory.
Zoe Morris led the way, registering a team-high 18 points and dominating in the key, while Kelsey McCoy (12 points), Maeve Sheldrick (8) and Tamara Weiss (7) were also strong contributors in the win.
It was a similar – albeit different result – for the men’s team, who started their weekend with victory on the road against Echuca on Saturday night.
In what’s becoming a common theme for the Flyers, the match went all the way down to the final buzzer, the hard-fought contest finishing 71-67.
Swan Hill coach Steven Bowden stepped up in the absence of young star Lachlan Somerville, with Bowden registering a game-high 19 points for the Flyers, while Lachlan Gardner (13 points), Matthew Gardner and Hugh Broad (both 11 points) were the other Flyers to reach double figures.
Returning home with a win under their belts, the side was unable to maintain the rage on Sunday, succumbing to the Macedon Ranges Rockies 72-78 in another heart-stopping encounter.
In a game that ebbed and flowed, the visitors managed to win the key moments – and had an answer for every challenge the Flyers threw at them.
Somerville returned to the Swan Hill line-up and produced his best form, scoring a game-high 21 points, while Matthew Gardner (16 points), Steven Bowden (15) and Hugh Broad (14) continued their solid form.
The Flyers will hit the road now for their final weekend of 2022, with both the men’s and women’s teams facing another double header next Saturday and Sunday, against the Maryborough Blazers and always-strong Bendigo Braves.
