Week #11 recap - Game #14 vs Lakeside Lightning (110 – 104 loss), Game #15 vs Perry Lakes Hawks (116 – 80 loss)

It turns out Lakeside did have a player out, Austin Bruton was still unavailable with injury. However Christian Moody was back, and Liam Rush also played. It’s handy to pickup an NBL player and add them to an already strong side. Liam has been training for some time now with the Lightning and when Moody and Bruton were injured he stepped up and has fitted into their style well.

We played a hard game against the Lightning and were actually in the lead for a good majority of it. Again the experience of the Lakeside veterans showed through, with Moody, Rush and Olsen stepping up at crucial times towards the latter part of the fourth quarter. I also made some mistakes in the last few minutes, with a timeout or two not being called when it would have been beneficial.

To be honest I haven’t had a massive amount of experience with late game close situations…over 8 years of being an SBL head coach (1 year of WSBL in there) my record is 24% (40-124), not something I’m super proud of but something I am aware of and working hard to overcome. It’s easy to read philosophies, or watch other coaches in those situations and think you’re prepared but when the pressure is on and you’re trying to judge for yourself…lets just say I learnt a lot and will be better for it next time.

We then backed up again to play Perry Lakes. Last time we had beaten the Flames and backed up against the Hawks, and lost 117 – 82. This time we came very close to the Lightning then dropped the game to the Hawks 116 – 80, 1 point more than the previous game. The Hawks played their usual tough, disciplined game and we were ready for it. Beyond that, there wasn’t much there. The team was overall very flat, and we struggled to find consistent contributors.

Unfortunately in the game against the Hawks we lost Ty Alabakis to a re-occurrence of his collarbone injury. It may be a break again, which means he is possibly out for the remainder of the season (but hopefully right to return to the US). We also had some off nights from a few players, but luckily that was the extent of it.

The good:

• Forcing 33 turnovers against Lakeside and 26 against the Hawks
• Solid games from :
  Jarrod Balcombe – 30pts, 10rbd and 17pts, 9rbd
  John Taylor – 25pts, 8rbd, 5ast (in 24mins)
  James Elliot – 9pts @ 80% in 8:29mins (nice for his first game) and 13pts, 9rbd

The not so good:

• Guess what…free throws …56% (14/25) and 58% (14/24)
• Whilst the defensive intensity is there, the outcome is still allowing an opponent to shoot 45% (Lakeside) and 41% (Perry Lakes)
• Being outrebounded by 18 and 26

If there is one positive out of this season, it has been watching Jarrod Balcombe mature as a player. He started off as an introverted teenager, who had potential. He continues to grow and mature this season, has added a more physical side to his game and is becoming more vocal. He still has a lot of potential to realise and I’m sure he will continue his improvement through the remainder of the season.

Next up is Cougars on Saturday night at Cockburn, with the following weekend a Saturday vs Wolves, Sunday vs Giants double. The Cougars sit fifth on the ladder with a 10-5 record and remain one of the best defensive teams in the league. Combined with a very efficient offense, it is a big challenge for us.