The Echuca Pirates thrashed Swan Hill Flyers by 45 points in Country Basketball League action on Sunday.
An emphatic statement was made by the Echuca Pirates in Sunday’s Country Basketball League action.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Swan Hill was no match for the men, who won 100-55 for a first win of the new season.
Oscar Jones and Keoni Anderson were a one-two punch the Flyers couldn’t handle — totalling 51 points between them.
Jones went in to take over mode to end the first quarter, scoring nine points in an 11-2 run.
The burst put the Pirates up 32-17 and they never looked back.
Any good scoring duo has an ebb and a flow — when Jones wasn’t adding points, it was Anderson’s turn.
The youngster picked his spots in the second half, scoring 17 after a quieter seven in the first.
And Swan Hill clearly had issues when Anderson put the ball on the floor.
He went to the line a bunch of times and even added a nice and-one down the stretch.
Other scorers on the day included Ben Dri (14), Mitchell Sutton (11) and Luke Caine (10) — five players in double figures evidence of a strong offensive scheme from coach Kaine Anderson.
Players from both sides fight for a loose ball.
And now the Pirates have set themselves up well heading into this weekend’s double-header.
Both opponents, Wangaratta and Wodonga, are below Echuca on the ladder — though the former hasn’t played yet.
Meanwhile, the Wolves are 1-1 like the Pirates.
First up is Wangaratta on Saturday, with tip-off at 7pm at Echuca Stadium.
Then the Wolves match-up comes about 18 hours later — at Wodonga from 2pm on Sunday.
While the men made the buckets rain on the Flyers, the opposite happened in the women’s fixture.
Echuca was outmatched in a 106-53 loss — unsurprising as it continues to readjust to being back in the CBL.
Two players not missing a beat are Greta Pearson and Rose Byrne, who both scored 17.
Byrne just loves putting a ball in a basket — her exploits with the Pirates following regular goals scored for the Echuca in Goulburn Valley League netball.
The netball-basketball duo will certainly be key moving forward.
Its next chance to contribute on the hardwood comes when Echuca’s women play the same double-header as the men.
20°C