THE season has come to an end for the Echuca Lady Pirates.
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A brutal 31-point loss to Maryborough on Saturday afternoon ended the season.
There were moments this year that are going to be remembered fondly.
But at the same time, it is difficult to sugarcoat 11 losses in 12 games.
The Pirates have shown improvement in almost every area of the game, but still struggle weekly to get wins.
Though that one win — after such a long wait — is going to mean a great deal to the team.
The win was the highlight, but there were many good moments — and good performances — for the team throughout the year.
The team have been buoyed by the debut season of Remy Day, and the breakout year of Lucy Higgins.
Higgins played 12 matches in the 2016 season, but could only manage one appearance in the 2017 season.
In 2018/19, she would take to the floor in 11 of the team’s 12 games, one of three players on the team to see this many matches.
In her appearances this season, Day averaged 9.55 a night, hitting 105 points for the season to lead the way from Alexandra Tenace’s 96 points.
Tenace was the Pirates’ best player at the line, hitting 23 free throws for the year to go with 35 field goals, and a three-pointer.
Higgins had her most impressive season in 2018/19, scoring 90 points at 8.8, and hitting 13 three-pointers throughout the year.
Lucy Eishold was the only other player to regularly average close to double figures, finishing her 10 games with 85 points.
Meg Eishold was on track for a big season on the score sheet, with 30 points in three appearances, when an injury ended her year.
One of the biggest issues for the Pirates throughout the season though was not regularly getting high point tallies from other players on the court.
The Pirates used 15 players throughout the season, but only five of them averaged more than eight points a game.
Three more players averaged more than five points per game.
Coach Simon Eishold has been open about the team’s struggles shooting, and when you compare their tallies from the season before (only Morgan Dingwall hit the eight ppg average with a strong 9.36), there has clearly been an improvement in players stepping up and trying to lead their side on the score sheet.
But the team still only put up 50 points a game, combined with giving up more than 80 on average.
It isn’t a line that bodes well.
These numbers are a minor improvement on what had happened in 2017/18, and that is a great result for the side.
There should be continued improvement in 2019.
So, the question now becomes: what is going to have to change for the Pirates to continue to improve?
The answer has already been identified from within the Pirates’ own camp.
Coach Simon Eishold has openly told the Riv that the biggest difference between his girls and the better sides in the competition such as Bendigo has been commitment.
Bendigo, for example, train three nights a week to make sure their side is at their absolute best.
This may be the solution for the Pirates.
A bit of extra work could see a massive improvement in the side’s fortunes for next season.
The biggest issue here is that the players are playing multiple sports and don’t have the time to designate to preparation for the basketball season.
The reality is — as the men’s side has shown — it doesn’t take long to turn a side around.
If this team puts in the work required, they can be a good side.
The question is, though, are they willing to put in that work?
If not, they will struggle and likely stay at the bottom of the table.
Sports journalist