THE Swan Hill Flyers’ finals drought will continue for another season, despite the men’ side defeating ladder leaders Castlemaine by five points in a come-from-behind classic on Sunday afternoon.
The Flyers produced their best basketball in the third period, outscoring the Cannons 28-14 to turn a seven-point half-time deficit into a seven-point three-quarter-time lead.
Between the third and seventh minutes of the term, they went on a 10-1 run.
Castlemaine scored the first six points of the final quarter and pressed hard, with the Flyers holding firm throughout the final 10 minutes to eventually record a gallant 70-65 victory.
The Flyers’ experienced players proved the difference, with Lachlan Somerville top scoring with 21 points.
Also among the Flyers’ better players were Lachlan Gardner with 16 points, and Matthew Gardner and Steven Bowden, who each posted 11 points in the upset victory.
Bowden proved a solid inclusion for the Flyers after missing the 37-point loss the night before to the Maryborough Blazers, the 114-77 defeat effectively ending Swan Hill’s finals chances.
It was a game to forget for the Flyers, who were outworked and outplayed in both the first and last terms by a Blazers team who were also fighting for their finals future.
After a slow start that put Swan Hill 18 points down at quarter-time, the visitors were forced to play catch-up, eventually running on empty in the final period as Maryborough again dominated with a 38-16 term.
Somerville was again among the Flyers’ best with 21 points, and was bettered only by Matthew Gardner with 22 points, with Torben McFarlane (15 points) the only other player to register double figures for Swan Hill.
The men’s match followed on from the Flyers women’s fixture against the Blazers, with Swan Hill falling 19 points short in their penultimate game of the season.
The Flyers were left to rue a second-quarter lapse, when the home side outscored Swan Hill by 21 points.
For the remaining 30 minutes, the Flyers proved more than competitive, even outscoring their more fancied rivals in the first and last terms in the 95-76 loss.
Scarlet Grey and Shaylea Kerr continued to show why they are considered players of the future for Swan Hill with 27 and 22 points, respectively, while Karla Allen (12 points) and Indi Grey (10 points) also registered double figures.
Both the men’s and women’s squads will finish the CBL North West season at home this Sunday against the Kyneton Tigers, with the women’s match to tip off from 11am.
