Pirates premiership defence in tatters

The Pirates were an improbable chance of a top four finish entering the weekend, needing to win every game for the remainder of the year in order to be a chance.

The team kept the dream alive on Saturday night on the road in Castlemaine, producing one of their best performances of the year in a 78-74 win over the Cannons.

Liam Tenace lead the way with 15 points, while Lachlan Tenace and Regan Smith each scored 11.

The team also seemed to find their mark from behind the arc, hitting seven three-pointers to Castlemaine's six.

But Sunday's game would be the end of the line for the Pirates, losing 55-53.

Tyler Phillips was able to put up 16 points in what was a defensive battle for both sides.

And though the result would not go the Pirates way, coach Leo Tenace said he was none the less proud of his team's efforts.

“They are a great side, there is no doubt about that,” he said.

“There were opportunities during the game to get the win, but unfortunately we weren't able to. But we played a lot of really good basketball and put up a really strong effort.”

Tenace said the side's defence was their key.

“It was a defensive slog for both sides,” he said.

“We worked to lock down their scoring, and it really showed with the final score. It was far from an easy contest, but we were really happy to keep their score so low.

“It's disappointing not to get the win, but we were able to walk away from the contest really happy with the performance.”

But while Echuca was left proud with their outcome, there is still an unavoidable fact - their season is essentially over with two games to play.

“We can't make it,” Tenace said.

“It's a tough position to be in where we know that our season is done, but we still have games to play where we want to produce our best basketball and end our season on the best note possible.

“It's a case of staying positive through these final games of the season, trying to enjoy the last games of the season and getting the last two wins.”