Posted on 8 May, 2018
The Cobra Men continued their blistering start to the 2018 SEABL season with an 84-73 win over reigning champions Mt Gambier on Sunday.
Kilsyth rode a huge fourth quarter performance from center Chris Patton, with the Cobras big man scoring nine of his 18 points during crunch time to keep the Pioneers at bay. With their lead trimmed to just 78-73 with under three minutes remaining, Patton scored inside off a nice feed from Sam Daly to put the Cobras ahead by seven, and then delivered one final blow as he followed a Felix von Hofe miss with a tough and-one finish to ice the game.
Patton’s 18 points marked a season-high, while Felix von Hofe continued his strong play of late with a team-high 21 points – including an 11-for-11 performance from the charity stripe. The backcourt duo of Isaac Turner and Sam Daly were a handful once again, with Turner scoring 17 points while Daly added 13 points, nine rebounds and four assists in another impressive all-around performance.
Kilsyth Manager of Basketball Operations, Mark Watkins, assumed head coaching duties for the third time this season, filling in for Justin Schueller — who was absent due to junior national team commitments. It’s Watkins’ second win at the helm this season, and arguably the team’s best to date as they shot down the 2017 SEABL national champions.
“I challenged the guys in the change room that we wanted to be up for a battle with Mt Gambier,” Watkins said.
“The guys lifted and embraced the assignments given to them, even with the late addition of Tim Coenraad. It was pleasing to see that everyone found a way to contribute and help the club get a great win over a team we haven’t beaten in a while.”
Though the Pioneers brought Coenraad – an NBL veteran with the Illawarra Hawks – the Cobras did the job defensively as they held Mt Gambier to their second lowest point total of the season. That stinginess translated into some easy transition baskets on the other end for the Cobras, with Daly able to get out in transition and create for himself and others on several occasions.
“Our intensity on the defensive end forced some tough shots and our constant pushing of the ball produced some easy baskets,” Watkins added.
The Cobras win was their fourth in a row, pushing their record to a league-best 5-1 overall. They’ll look to continue their hot start when they head to the nation’s capital to take on the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence (Friday) and Canberra Capitals (Saturday). Following their pit-stop in Canberra, the Cobras will return home for date with league newcomers Diamond Valley on Saturday May 19.
