Pirates fall to Kyneton

Coach Leo Tenace said the team's shooting of free throws had cost it badly.

“Credit to Kyneton, they shot 16 threes and that's always going to make a major difference,” he said.

“When we got momentum back and got the game on our terms in the third quarter and got Kyneton into foul trouble, we missed too many foul shots.

“If we'd made those fouls shots and put a bit more pressure on them I think we would have been able to get the result we desired.

“We were a bit undermanned, and with the public holiday coming up that was to be expected, but it doesn't help you.

“But in the end we made some mistakes and it hurt us. It's something we can go away and learn from - when we have the opportunity to put the foot down and apply pressure we need to take it.”

Earlier in the night, the Pirates’ women's side fell just five points short of getting their first win of the campaign, with Zara Pearson continuing her form of last season with 24 as the side lost 71-66.

Coach Lisa Baker said her team had played excellent basketball.

“It was a complete turnaround from what we produced last week,” she said.

“We played really well. If the game went a few more minutes we would have had them. They played some of their best basketball and it was great to watch.

“Everyone played their roles really well and it showed in how close we got. There was a lot to take out of it for this team going forward.”

Both sides will be on the road this week, with a Saturday night game in Mildura and a Sunday afternoon clash in Swan Hill.

“It's not an easy road trip,” Baker said.

“But we're excited to play our first double-header of the season. We match up really well against both sides so we are looking forward to getting out there.”

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