Posted on 17 May, 2017

Fuelled by the return of Ben Ursich (Augusta Jaguars – United States) the Cobra Men overcame a seven point fourth quarter deficit to beat rivals Knox, 80-73 on Saturday night. Ursich was big down the stretch, finishing with 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench, while Zac Wuersching (10 points, six rebounds), buried the game sealing jumper with less than a minute remaining to secure a vital road win.

The night belonged to Ahale (23 points, 10 rebounds) and Adnam (18 points, six assists), though, with the pair combining for 28 first half points to keep Kilsyth close early on. After a slow start, Dielemans got going when it mattered most, scoring seven of his 11 points late in the final period to help the Cobras win their sixth game of the season.

After their impressive road win over Knox, the Cobras raised their play to another level on Sunday, lighting up Diamond Valley in spectacular fashion at home to win, 107-57.

Kilsyth’s offensive explosion was spearheaded by Ahale’s unconscious shooting, with the guard going 14-21 from the field and burying six three-pointers en-route to a 35 point performance. Adnam (15 points, seven rebounds, nine assists) had his second straight impressive outing as he flirted with a triple-double, Jed Wilson (18 points) and Matt Dwyer (10 points) were big off the bench, while Dielemans added 13 points for the Cobras in the win.

The Cobras record now sits at 7-4, a half game behind Sandringham for second in the Watson Conference. With 11 games played, Ahale (21.1ppg) and Dielemans (20.4ppg) currently sit as the VYC’s top two scorers.

While the Men had a weekend to remember, Brett Spicer’s Women struggled for the second straight round, falling apart late on Saturday night to lose to Hawthorn, 42-54. Trailing by just two points entering the final period, the Women surrendered a crushing 12-0 run to start the quarter, and were held scoreless until three minutes remaining in the game as they saw a winnable matchup slip through their fingers.

Britt Miller led Kilsyth with 10 points in the loss, with the Women plagued by a 2-14 shooting performance from downtown while converting just two of five attempts from the free throw line.

Facing a talented Melbourne team on Sunday, the Cobra Women again struggled to find a rhythm offensively, losing to the Tigers, 48-59 at home.

After getting off to a slow start, the Cobras cut a 15 point deficit to three points early on the third period following back-to-back baskets from Bree Mackenzie. But as was the case the night prior, the Cobras surrendered another game sealing run, with the Tigers reeling off a 19-2 spurt to head into the final period with an 18 point lead.

A late flurry from Genna Ogier trimmed the Kilsyth deficit to 11, but it was too little, too late, as the Cobras dropped to 4-8 on the season. Mackenzie led Kilsyth with a team-high 14 points, while Ogier had an impressive all-around performance, finishing with 10 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.

The Cobra Women return home on Saturday night as they get set to host Nunawading at 6pm, with the Men to follow in a showdown against undefeated Bulleen at 8pm. The VYC Doubleheader caps a massive six game showcase on Saturday, with WNWBL Round 3 action tipping off proceedings at 10am.