Double digits: Staci Richardson was a solid contributor against Castlemaine, putting up 14 points. Photos: Aidan Briggs
Photo by
Aidan Briggs
Echuca Pirates have suffered a defeat in the first game of their second-round Country Basketball League double-header.
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The Pirates made the trek down to Castlemaine to take on the in-form Cannons on Saturday night and, despite a brave effort, fell 69-78.
A tense opening term saw the Cannons open up a three-point lead over the Pirates, claiming a 19-16 advantage at the first break.
The margin ballooned out to 10 points in favour of the home side at the main break, with Castlemaine bolstering the lead with a 27-to-20 quarter.
Solid: Pirates coach Dylan Payne scored seven points in the loss to the Cannons.
Photo by
Aidan Briggs
But just as they did against Bendigo last week, the Pirates burst out of the blocks in the third, playing a tight defensive game to restrict the Cannons to just 11 points while piling on 19 themselves to cut the margin back to just two points heading into the last.
However, the Pirates couldn’t sustain the intensity of the third term as the Cannons outscored Echuca by seven points to claim a nine-point win.
Tyler Phillips again top-scored for the Pirates with a game-high 21 points, while Staci Richardson and Will Poulton were both in double digits, contributing 14 and 12 points respectively.
Despite the loss, the Pirates will take confidence from the competitive nature of the game, which is in stark contrast to the 22-point loss they endured to Bendigo in week one.
The Pirates were also in action on Sunday, playing the Macedon Ranges Rockies in the second game of their double-header, although the result was not finalised at the time of writing.
The Pirates will come up against Mildura in round three, playing at home next Sunday.
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