Posted on 17 July, 2018

The Kilsyth Cobra Men have come back from a 17 point second half deficit to defeat the Frankston Blues in a 99-97 thriller on Saturday night.

Following a nightmare first half which saw them trailing, 62-45, early in the third period, the Cobras quickly got to work after the main break, riding the red-hot shooting of Isaac Turner to work their way back in the game. Turner broke loose for 10 third quarter points, helping Kilsyth pull to within five heading into the fourth period and setting the scene for a spectacular crunch time shooting display.

The Cobras caught fire from deep in to start the final stanza, with rookie Sean MacDonald and Ben Ursich combining to score 14 points in two minutes – including four three-pointers in quick succession – to give the Cobras an 83-81 lead. The Blues would answer, though, with forward Sam Muldrow throwing down an alley-oop jam to give Frankston the lead. The Blues big man hammered home another dunk minutes later to give his squad a three-point cushion, but Turner, Felix von Hofe and Chris Patton would respond with huge plays on the offensive end to give the Cobras the lead for good.

Following a Kilsyth timeout with three minutes remaining, von Hofe – the Cobras lone bright spot in the first half – drained a contested corner three to tie the game at 89. The Blues answered again with a Bennie Lewis triple, but Turner countered with another corner three to tie it at 92-apiece. After the Cobras forced a key stop, it was von Hofe’s turn again, this time connecting on an off-balance pull-up jumper from the elbow that bounced high off the rim and dropped to give Kilsyth a two point lead.

The Cobras held their ground defensively once more, and Patton made the Blues pay with a strong finish inside to make it 96-92 with under 50 seconds left on the clock. Frankston answered quickly following a timeout with a lob to cut the Kilsyth lead in half, but on the ensuing possession, MacDonald wiggled his way inside and earned a trip to the line, draining a pair of free throws to make it a two possession game and sealing the win for the Cobras.

The hero down the stretch, MacDonald finished Saturday’s game with a career-high 16 points (and added four assists) off the bench, while fellow reserve von Hofe led the Cobras with team-highs of 25 points and eight rebounds. Turner overcame a slow start to finish with 16 points, Ursich added 13, and Patton chipped in with 11 points in the win.

After missing the Cobras previous five games while leading Australia to a sixth-placed finish at the Under 17 World Championships, head coach Justin Schueller was less than impressed with his team’s lacklustre first half performance, but pleased with the gritty second half response that followed.

“I was disappointed in our first half – in particular our defence – and we weren’t dictating terms and allowed Frankston to play at a high level,” Schueller said.

“But in the second half we responded the right way and played great at both ends.”

“Ben and Sean provided big sparks for us, and assisted Felix who had been great all night. Chris, Dane (Pineau) and Desmond (Owili) anchored our defence well and we were able to get some run and capitalise from there.”

The win moves the Cobras to a league-best 15-4, keeping them one game clear of Nunawading in the SEABL standings. Kilsyth is now guaranteed a first round home playoff game, and can clinch the league’s top overall record with a win over the Albury-Wodonga Bandits this weekend or a Nunawading loss. And with the pressure set to rise with the postseason looming, Schueller is pleased the Cobras were able to pass a difficult late season test, something the team will face often in the upcoming weeks.

“It’s always pleasing when you find ways to win from that situation, but we need to be more assertive from the start to avoid that,” Schueller said.

The Cobras conclude their regular season campaign on the road against the Bandits this Saturday, with tip-off scheduled for 8pm. They’ll return home for playoff action on Saturday July 28, with time and opponent to be determined following this weekend’s games.