Saints stumble after dual defeats

MYRTLEFORD’S basketballers will be looking to move past two narrow losses from the weekend with just one match remaining before the North East Men’s Country Basketball League finals commence. The Saints came up just shy in both of their home court outings this weekend, falling to Albury Cougars 83-86 on Saturday in the final minute, before losing 88-97 to Wallan in extra time. The two sides could hardly be split on Saturday, with the lead changing often as the Saints led 50-39 at the half. Ryley Bouker was unstoppable, finishing with 31 points for the match including six from outside the arc. Saints’ star Jalen Barker returned to the court on Sunday after missing the Albury match, and top scored for his team with 37 points against the Panthers. However, Wallan was able to grind away for the victory, outscoring the home team by nine points in extra time. The results see the Saints sit fourth on the ladder, with coach Sam Gebauer backing his group in to make a long run into the finals series. “It was tough to walk out of that weekend without a win, but on the positive side of things, neither of those teams had an easy game,” he said. “I felt that Wallan and Albury were both firing on all cylinders against us and we struggled quite a bit. “We were missing Jalen (Barker) on Saturday and had Marcus La Spina playing both games but not being at full strength hurt us a lot, but ultimately I think it was just one of those weekends where the other two teams were just on and we were just not at 100 per cent. “We do close out games reasonably well, but Albury and Wallan are class teams, great groups that I think just hit the shots they needed to hit.” The Saints will look to rebound and regather momentum heading into the finals, taking on the languishing Mansfield Eagles on the road. “It shows our group that we aren’t untouchable – while I still think we’re the strongest team in the league, I do think it’s not a bad thing for the boys to see we have to work for this, we can’t just stroll our way through the finals,” Gebauer said. “We’re walking into the game as very strong favourites, and I’m very confident we’re going to handle our business there, but ultimately we need to just use this game as an opportunity to bounce back mentally and emotionally. “The boys can see the ball go in the ring a couple of times and walk into that first round of finals with that confidence so we can make a deep run.”

Saints stumble after dual defeats

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