Season opener: Greta Pearson in action for Echuca last season. Pearson had three points in Saturday’s round one game against Melton. Photo: Steve Huntley
Echuca has come up short of opening up the new Country Basketball League North West season with a win, falling to the Thoroughbreds by eight points in a hard-fought contest in Melton.
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The Pirates and Thoroughbreds were neck-and-neck after the first three stanzas, before a fourth-quarter blitz saw Melton storm home to earn a 64-56 victory.
Both sides held the lead at various points throughout the clash, but eventually it was the Thoroughbreds who were able to pull away and start the season off with a win.
Despite the loss in a see-sawing encounter, Echuca coach Georgie Eishold said there were plenty of positives to take away from the performance.
“I was very, very happy. I think it showed a lot of potential for our group,” Eishold said.
“Unfortunately we didn’t get the win, but there are plenty of other things that I am super happy with from Saturday night, which is awesome.
“There were a lot of positives to take away from the game and I think for the first hit-out of the season that is a great way to start.
“We did lots of things really well, our defence was incredible at times. So if we can continue on that and get stronger and better as the season goes on, then that will be great.”
For Melton, the result is an ideal start to the season, with the club earning a win in what was not just the season opener, but also its first game in the CBL.
Looking to make a strong first impression, it was the home team which got off to a solid start in the first term.
Melton led 17-9 late in the first quarter, before a Maia Roberts field goal to beat the buzzer trimmed the margin to eight.
Having trailed by by as many as nine points at one stage, the Pirates ended the half with a bang, going on an 8-1 run to take a one-point lead into the main break.
A tight third quarter saw Melton retake the lead and hit the front by four points, but again Echuca finished strong to fight back, with a lay-up from Claire Byrne tying the game with three quarters in the books.
The stage was set for a big finish with the scores locked at 40-40 heading into the final quarter, but it was Melton who powered home. The Thoroughbreds outscored Echuca 24-16 to claim a hard-fought eight-point win.
“Melton were able to hit outside shots, and we didn’t convert on those outside shots as much as we should have,” Eishold said.
“There were a few calls that might have gone their way, but that is just the nature of the game.
“Unfortunately we didn’t get the result at the end of the day, but there are plenty of positives and plenty of things to be proud of for all of the girls in round one of the season.”
Proud Pirate: Echuca coach Georgie Eishold was pleased with the way her side played, despite the loss to Melton on Saturday. Photo: Steve Huntley
Melton’s Jessica Kivimets and Trinity Steele were crucial for the Thoroughbreds, putting up 22 and 19 points respectively, the two highest totals on the night.
Jayda Richardson was the top scorer for Echuca with 14 points, while Byrne and Eishold had 13 and 11 points each.
Eishold said she was impressed with the fight her side showed, coming back from behind multiple times throughout the game, as well as the way some of the Pirates’ younger players performed.
“It shows how strong we are as a team to come from nine points down and get back into the game,” she said.
“It is super important, it shows a lot of confidence.
“I think some of the junior girls, in particular Maia Roberts and Charlotte Gould, they definitely stepped up coming up from junior Pirates to seniors. They were two of the standouts. They were awesome.
“Claire Byrne was really good in the post. I think that given that we haven’t had a lot of weeks of training as a team, we bonded well together.
“We had a lot of fun and we enjoyed playing together, and I think that is the main thing. Everybody enjoyed themselves and we were all happy with how we all contributed to the game.“
Echuca’s defence was one of the strong points against a strong Melton side, something Eishold said she hoped the Pirates could carry on moving forward.
“Our defence was exceptional at times. We had a few lapses, but when we can look at how strong our defence was for a majority of that game, it is a good sign. Hopefully we can build on that,” she said.
“Strong defence always wins basketball games, so that was probably the biggest message that I relayed to the girls — we have to lift our intensity of defence and our offence comes from how good our defence is.
“The girls were great in being able to put words into action. It was really really good. I think that will be our key message throughout the season, how important our defence is to keep us in those games.”
The Pirates will have a bye in week two before returning to the court on Saturday, October 15, to take on Macedon Ranges.
It will be Echuca’s first home game of the season, with the game to tip off at 6pm.
