Posted on 23 April, 2012
The Swinburne Lady Cobras came out on top Friday night against Hobart but fell Saturday to Launceston while the men flipped results on their two games, losing Friday to Hobart and coming out victorious against North West Tasmania on Saturday.
After a close first quarter, the Swinburne Lady Cobras pulled away in the second after six straight points from Sarah Parsons and five from Kristen Barnes to go up 32-25 at halftime. The hot shooting continued in the third quarter as the Swinburne Lady Cobras took their largest lead, 19 points, after a pair of free throws by Gemma Kerr. Although Hobart made a late run in the fourth to cut the margin down to 11 points, it was not enough to keep up with the Cobra offense.
Despite being outrebounded by 18 on the glass, the Swinburne Lady Cobras cruised their way to a big 65-51 victory. Guard Chantella Perera led the Swinburne Lady Cobras in all categories, scoring 23 points, pulling down 12 boards, handing out 4 assists and collecting 3 steals for the night. Perera recorded her second double-double performance for the season.
On Saturday, the Swinburne Lady Cobras were looking to extend their win streak, but just barely missed the mark and instead suffered their second loss of the season as they went down 66-62 in the final three minutes to the Launceston Tornadoes.
The Swinburne Lady Cobras were neck and neck with the Tornadoes throughout the first two quarters, going into the halftime tied at 30-30. In the third quarter, the Swinburne Lady Cobras picked up steam after a 3-point play by Kristen Barnes and went on a 9-4 run to close out the period up six. But in the fourth, the Swinburne Cobras could not keep their shooting rhythm as they only scored eight points while giving up 18 on the defensive end.
The Swinburne Lady Cobras were within one point with 1:24 remaining in the game when Tornadoes guard Stacey Poke went to the line and hit both free throws. The Lady Cobras got three shot attempts on their next offensive possession but failed to score. Despite four three-point looks in the final minute, the Lady Cobras would score no more and ended the game losing by four.
The Swinburne Lady Cobras were again handled on the boards by 16 rebounds and could not stop the Tornadoes’ post play, who was led by centre Tayla Roberts with 21. Chantella Perera led the Swinburne Lady Cobras’ offense with 20 points and Kristen Barnes also hit double figures with 13.
The Swinburne Cobras’ Tasmania weekend also ended in a split, with a Friday loss and a Saturday win. The Cobras took the floor in strong fashion Friday night, stringing together a 29 point first quarter against the home team Hobart Chargers to go up by eight. But the Chargers fought back in the second and had a 49-41 advantage at the half.
Neither team was able to take full control of the score and it was a back and forth battle the whole way with nine lead changes. In the fourth quarter both Swinburne Cobra big men Tim Lang and Auryn MacMillan fouled out, leaving their line up small and susceptible to the Chargers’ post play. The Cobras maintained the lead up until the 2:37 mark when the Chargers stormed ahead after a big dunk in transition by import Brandon Polk. Down the stretch, the Chargers converted on free throw opportunities and the Swinburne Cobras ran out of time.
The Chargers went on an 11-3 run in the last two minutes to end up winning the game 87-80. Although the Swinburne Cobras shot 46% from the field, their 19 turnovers hurt them offensively as the Chargers were able to convert on those lost possessions. Matt O’Hea’s last second half court shot was good, but it was too little too late and the Chargers took the win.
It was a gutsy and well-earned victory for the Charger, who had a slow start to the season going 1-4 in SEABL competition.
Guard Garfield Blair paced the Swinburne Cobras with 21 points and eight rebounds followed by point guard Zach Malvik with 20 points and five assists.
The Swinburne Cobras had a quick turnaround as they returned to the floor the following night in Ulverstone at North West Tasmania to beat the Thunder 83-64.
After five early lead changes in the first half, the Swinburne Cobras took over at the start of the third quarter and kept the lead the rest of the way. Matt O’Hea scored seven of his 11 points in the third, hitting two jumpers as well as one deep from beyond the arc.
A key factor in the win was the Swinburne Cobras’ ability to play big and score from the inside. The Swinburne Cobras attacked the basket hard, scoring 54 of their 83 points in the paint. They surpassed their shooting percentage from the night before, scoring at an impressive 47% from the field.
Centre Tim Lang had a double-double performance against the Thunder, scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Other major contributors were Zach Malvik with 19 points and five assists and scoring leader Garfield Blair with 24 points.
Swinburne Cobras Head Coach Grant Wallace was relieved with the weekend. “Coming home from Tasmania 1-1 is a reasonable effort. I was proud of the way the boys stuck to task and stayed together to defeat North West Tasmania. Given other results from the weekend, every win at this time of year is vital.”
The Swinburne Kilsyth Cobras return home to the Hugh McMenamin Court this Sunday, 29 April 2012, to face the Bendigo Braves. The women tip off at 12:30pm followed by the men at 2:30pm in this weekend’s SEABL double-header.
