Shane Fleming
THERE was a heartbreaking end to the Swan Hill Flyers’ opening men’s match in the 2024 Country Basketball League North West on Sunday, with the Flyers suffering a one-point loss at home to the Melton Thoroughbreds.
Swan Hill led throughout the match but were unable to hold on to their advantage throughout a frantic final quarter, with Melton overrunning the Flyers by 23 points to 19 in the final quarter to record a 76-75 win.
Rubbing salt into the wound for the home side was a pair of missed free throws in the final minute which would have given the Flyers the lead with just seconds to play.
Also hurting Swan Hill’s chances of victory late in the game was the absence of key players Lachlan Somerville and Matthew Gardner, who both racked up five fouls and were fouled off in the dying stages of the match.
Despite the loss, Swan Hill men’s coach Hugh Broad remained upbeat post-match, the first-year coach telling The Guardian there were still positives to take from their opening match of the season.
“We had just five CBL men in our team this week and four development players on the bench so to come as close as we did and lead for most of the game, I was impressed,” Broad said.
“We’ve had a really good month on the training track and I believe we’re fitter now than we were this time last year, which is a positive.
“Now it’s about getting a bit of confidence into our younger players, who all did really well today.
“They fought really well and played their role, which was all we wanted them to do.
“Those last couple of minutes were really tough on those boys with fatigue but we’ll learn from it.
“We were leading the whole way, but that happens – that’s basketball.
“Foul trouble kind of snuck up on us a little bit.
“We were doing really well for three quarters but then we had Lachie (Somerville) and Matty (Gardner) get fouled off and that really hurt us.
“We were leading anywhere from five to nine points – it was never a convincing lead but it was enough.”
Along with Somerville and Gardner getting into foul trouble late, the Flyers were also below par outside the paint, with Lachlan Garden and Torben McFarlane the only Flyers to register a three-pointer.
“We hit just one outside shot, which was not like us at all,” Broad said.
“We’re normally good for five or six three-pointers at least and we hardly hit one.
“It was round 1 and our boys were a bit fatigued, and combined with our boys who got into foul trouble which forced extra minutes from our development players at the end, I feel it was probably a mixture of all those elements that combined to give us the result we did.
“With that said, it was a great first hitout, all things considered.”
Broad was the Flyers’ leading scorer with 25 points in what was an impressive return from an ACL injury that saw him miss the entire CBL season last year.
Also among Swan Hill’s better players was Lachlan Gardner, who racked up 20 points, with Somerville the only other player to register double figures with 16.
The Swan Hill Flyers women’s team also begun their 2024 CBL campaign at home to Melton on Sunday afternoon, with the Thoroughbreds claiming an 85 to 54 win.
The final score was far from a true reflection on the game for the first quarter and a half, with the Flyers trailing by just three points with three minutes remaining in the second period.
That was as close as Swan Hill would get, however, Melton ending the half by going on a scoring rampage, posting 16 of the next 18 points to go into the main break 17 points in front.
The Flyers rallied in the second half but were unable to bridge the gap, with the Thoroughbreds extending their lead in the final period by an extra 12 points.
It was an encouraging defensive display from the young Flyers, who despite being undersized at times, were able to create several turnovers with their speed and pressure on their bigger opponents.
Developing star Scarlet Grey was a shining light for the Flyers and top-scored with 15 points to be the only player to post double figures, with experienced trio Karla Allen, Tess Denham and Tamara Weiss also among Swan Hill’s better players in defence.
