Posted on 14 August, 2017

In one of the most exciting Finals Series you will ever see, the VYC Cobra Men have defeated the Nunawading Spectres in Game 3 of the Finals to claim their third league championship in the past five years.

Looking to close out the Spectres on Saturday night, the Cobras fell just short in an overtime thriller, setting the scene for a deciding Game 3 on Sunday afternoon. Sunday’s decider did not disappoint, with the Cobras storming home with a remarkable second half comeback to defeat the Spectres, 61-52, to cap a stellar 2017 season.

“This group’s capacity to maintain its composure and belief during the finals when the opposition had established substantial leads was incredible,” Cobras Head Coach Mark Landells said.

“We also committed to our team’s creed ‘sometimes outscored, never beaten’; we needed to keep competing, fighting and not let this opportunity slip. Watching them mature and demonstrate their ability to never give in and find a way to win has been inspiring. “

After starting out hot in Game 3, things turned south for the Cobras in a hurry, with their trademark high-octane offence struggling mightily as they were held to just 21 first half points. With stars Ben Ursich and Jamie Ahale sidelined with early foul trouble, the Cobras appeared to be in grave danger of unravelling, but a spirited defensive performance was able to keep them within striking distance and fuel a magnificent second half run.

Giving up 98 points the night prior and having no answers for Nunawading’s blistering three-point shooting, Landells was forced to make defensive adjustments prior to Game 3 to limit the Spectres open looks from the perimeter. Those adjustments worked wonders, as did the Cobras renewed focus to contest every Spectres field goal attempt. Ahale and Ursich set the tone early on with their physical defensive play, but reserves Will MacRae, Roberto La Morticella and Harry Frith took it to another level with incredible energy and hustle, which ultimately sparked a 24 point Cobras turnaround.

“Even though Will fouled the Spectres Jack Saunders just before half time on a three-point attempt, we were sending a message that we were going to contest every shot they were going to take,” Landells said.

“They were not going to get anything easy, and the second half saw our team find another level defensively with denying ball reversal opportunities, providing help defence on penetration and fighting hard to defend their perimeter shooters.”

MacRae drained a three just before halftime to give the Cobras life, and started the third quarter in the backcourt alongside Mitch Dielemans, with the pair combining for the first seven points of the half to trim the deficit to 27-35. The Spectres would respond with back-to-back baskets inside, though, to push their lead back up to 12 points, but their lead would quickly vanish as the Cobras reeled-off a run for the ages.

Kilsyth would hold the Spectres scoreless for the next nine minutes of play, exploding for an incredible 24-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters. Adnam started the run as he scored inside twice inside, then MacRae buried his third triple of the game to cut the Spectres lead to 35-39. La Morticella followed with a spin move and finish inside – plus the foul – sending the capacity crowd into an absolute frenzy. Dielemans tied the game with a runner in the lane, and then late in the third period, Ahale converted a difficult left-handed layup and was fouled, completing the three-point play to give Kilsyth its first lead since the opening minutes of the game.

La Morticella opened the final stanza with his first three-pointer of the game, then finished scored on a left hand layup in transition as he was fouled, with pandemonium ensuing as the Cobras took a seven point lead. They weren’t done, though, as Dielemans kept the crowd rocking with a deep three-point bomb, and then capped the run with a slick no-look feed to Ursich, who finished inside to put Kilsyth ahead, 52-39.

The Spectres tried to claw their way back, responding with an 8-0 run of their own. But Ursich stopped the bleeding with a pull-up jumper, before handing over the reigns to Adnam to close out the game and the championship series. Adnam scored six straight points in crunch time to give Kilsyth a nine point lead with just over one minute remaining, and the celebration was on soon thereafter as the Cobras celebrated their title-clinching win at midcourt.

Adnam was named MVP for the series, scoring a game-high 23 points to go along with seven rebounds and two steals in Game 3, while Dielemans’ second half heroics saw him finish with 11 points and four assists in the win. MacRae narrowly missed out on a double-double, finishing with nine points and nine rebounds, La Morticella scored all eight of his points in the second half, and though they struggled from the field, Ahale and Ursich combined for 18 rebounds and came up huge on the defensive end.

Landells was thrilled with the production he got from his bench and the unwavering intensity from his starters despite battling fatigue and adversity.

“The contributions from rookies Will MacRae and Rob La Morticella was spectacular,” Landells said.

“And Harry Frith does all the little things that many people miss. Those three played with purpose and courage.”

“Ben Ursich was like a man possessed on the boards as were Jordy and Jamie. Through all of this, Mitch Dielemans was the floor general controlling our tempo and getting the ball to the right people in the right spot, as well as doing a strong defensive job on their dangerous point guard, Jack Gandalfo.”

It was a remarkable turnaround for the Cobras, who missed the opportunity to close out the series on Saturday night as their offence folded in overtime. With Ursich and Ahale playing the role of hero to help send the game into overtime, they couldn’t keep it going, with the Cobras scoring just two points during the five minute period. With fatigue clearly a factor in the extra session, Landells knew that depth would be a key factor in Sunday’s decider, and just as they did against Melbourne two weeks prior, the Cobras bench came up big when it mattered most.

“While the result was disappointing, we had mentally prepared ourselves to expect a three game series and not to lose focus,” Landells said.

“In Game 2, four players from each team played close to or in excess of 40 minutes, but we rotated ten guys through while they only played seven. We knew Game 3 was going to be battle and the strong-of-mind had the best chance of winning.”

While the bench played spectacularly in Game 3, Landells points back to midseason as a turning point for his group. With Ursich and Ahale in-and-out of the lineup due to commitments with the SEABL team, Landells was forced to rely on his young, inexperienced reserves to help navigate the Cobras through to the postseason.

“For the last six or seven weeks we had focussed on playing each game with a grand final mentality – preparing ourselves for any of the upcoming ‘sudden death’ elimination games in the finals,” Landells added.

“Jamie and Ben were getting regular playing opportunities with the SEABL team, so we had to start preparing for the situation that we may be without one or both during our finals campaign and we needed other players to step up and share the load. This actually laid the foundation for the rest of our group to become more accountable and to grow.”

With the 2017 season now in the books, Landells is truly appreciative of the support and efforts from his players, team staff, and the fans. Over 2000 fans packed Hugh McMenamin Court for Games 2 and 3, helping to create a spectacular atmosphere and the ultimate home court advantage.

“The outstanding support the team has received from the Club, Junior Program and Supporters has been greatly appreciated,” Landells said.

“I am extremely proud of what the team has achieved and the great work done by my Assistant Coaches – Gavin Meager and Brett Adams – and Team Manager Pam Jones.”

“It’s a selfless, unified group of 13 young men committed to being the best they could be. Their enthusiasm and support for each other regardless who was getting the minutes or not was paramount in lifting the players on the court to supreme efforts.”