By RUSSELL BENNETT
THE Pakenham Warriors’ inability to play out a complete game has again proved costly, with the Big V Basketball Division-2 men going down to Craigieburn 74-67 on Saturday night at The Colosseum -Cardinia Life.
Jeff Reid’s side is a vastly improved outfit from their first game of the year, a 71-55 loss also against Craigieburn, but the team’s inability to play a consistent four quarters is still frustrating.
Pakenham led by seven points after the first quarter on Saturday, but that was reduced to the slimmest of margins at the half, 32-31.
The Warriors then came out from the half-time break with a lack of intensity and, seemingly, their shooting strokes as they scored just nine points to Craigieburn’s 20 in the third quarter.
“There’s been a massive improvement with our team over the season so far, but we just can’t quite get everything together for the full 40 (minutes),” Reid said.
“We don’t seem to like coming out after half time – we’re just flat.”
The Warriors didn’t get the run of the referees’ whistle either against the Eagles, with a host of drives to the basket going unrewarded.
“That then forces the guys to settle, and it’s just frustrating because it can really change the way we play,” Reid said.
The Warriors found their intensity in the closing stages of the game, but by then it was too little, too late.
One of the other frustrations for Reid was the team’s inability to back up their outstanding showing against the Collingwood All-Stars – a 97-69 win in Round 7.
“I’m not sure if we were in cruise mode, or if we’re just happy where we’re at,” he said.
“Saturday was a perfect example of what happens if we do drop off – we can’t afford to just cruise.
“If the effort isn’t quite there for the full 40 minutes you can get lucky against the lower teams (and still win), but against the better sides it only takes a couple of minutes and all of a sudden you’re down 10.”
Darren Galloway led the way for the Warriors against the Eagles with 15 points (on 55 per cent shooting), eight rebounds and a couple of steals; while Reid also praised young forward Hayden Davey for another strong game. He finished with 17 points (including a pair of three-pointers) and eight boards
“He’s been great; he’s an excellent player who’s only going to get so much better,” Reid said of Davey.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Maybank (26 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals) and Eric Miraflores (21 points, 6 rebounds) were the stars of the show for Craigieburn.
Pakenham will look to bounce back fast this Saturday night in a must-win game against the North East Bushrangers at the Wodonga Sports and Leisure Centre.
The Warriors’ women’s side showed plenty in the first half against Coburg on Saturday, trailing by just nine points, but they couldn’t go on with it – losing 95-39. They’ll also travel to Wodonga to face the North East in the first game of this Saturday’s double-header, from 5pm.
