By RUSSELL BENNETT
A DISAPPOINTING second half condemned the Pakenham Warriors Big V men to a 23-point loss to the Breakers in Mornington on Saturday night.
The Warriors went into the clash clinging to a top-five spot in Division 2, but now find themselves on the outside looking in after giving up 58 points over the final two quarters.
Trailing by just four points at the half, 38-34, Pakenham came out of the blocks sluggishly in the third with Mornington continually finding ways of getting to the hoop.
Warriors guard Mike Godfrey was doing everything he could to keep his side in the contest on the other end of the floor, but Pakenham seemingly couldn’t buy a bucket. The Warriors were getting their fair share of open looks, but none of them were dropping.
Import guard Darren Galloway has been stellar all season for Pakenham and went into the contest against the Breakers on the back of three straight 20-plus point performances.
But he had a night he’d rather forget on Saturday – going scoreless on 0-8 from the field and fouling out in just 21 minutes. Forward Darrell Morgan couldn’t find his touch from the field either – going 0-7 and finishing with just two points.
Pakenham coach Jeff Reid could seemingly feel the contest slipping away midway through the third, urging in a timeout for his men to lift their intensity, but the Breakers exploded towards the end of the quarter – leading 66-47 with a quarter left to play.
“We’re not out of this game, but we have to want it,” Reid told his charges after the third.
“We’re not diving on loose balls and we’re not hustling back. They want it more than us!”
But it simply wasn’t the Warriors’ night as they saw their own missed shots at one end translated to open baskets for the Breakers at the other. And to compound the frustration, Mornington continually found a way to get a hand in passing lanes in the second half, despite racking up 24 turnovers of their own for the contest.
Reid urged his men during a tough final quarter to never give up, adding in one timeout “that’s one rule of Pakenham basketball – we fight it out until the end”.
The fourth quarter did see a marked improvement on the offensive end – adding 26 points – but the heat was out of the clash for much of the closing stages as the Warriors lost 96-73.
Sean Armstrong finished with 13 points and 4 rebounds for the Warriors, while Godfrey added 12 and 5 to go along with his four steals. Simo Pajdic (9 points, 5 boards) also impressed at stages throughout the clash, as did Duk Makuei (11 points); while Paul Phillips and Hayden Davey finished with near double-doubles.
For the Breakers, Cade Egan (16 points in just 13 minutes) and Rhys Borham (26 points) were lethal from the outside – combining for eight three-pointers.
The Warriors Big V women, meanwhile, continued to show signs of improvement despite having their colours lowered at home by Melbourne Uni 81-42. Pakenham scored 22 points in an encouraging second quarter but the side is still searching for some much-needed consistency. Natalie Bjelan again led the way for the Warriors with a big 15-point, 12-rebound double-double while Peta Rhodes also added 11 points.
The Warriors men will host Western Port in a crucial game this Saturday from 6pm at Cardinia Life, while the Big V women head to Patterson River Stadium to take on Chelsea from 8pm.
