Posted on 27 April, 2021
The NBL1 Cobras have fallen short in the first round of the battle for the Ashes trophy, with the Women and Men both losing on the road to the rival Knox Raiders on Saturday night.
The Cobra Women fell victim to a second half run to lose to the Raiders, 82-70, as they dropped their first game of 2021. Trailing, 49-52 early in the second half, the Cobras surrendered a 23-7 run – fuelled by former Cobra, Klara Wischer – spanning the remainder of the third period and early into the fourth, to fall into an 19 point hole. A late 11-2 spurt, led by former Raiders Bree Whatman and Lauren Scherf, saw Kilsyth claw to within 10 with three minutes remaining, but it was too little, too late for the Cobras as they fell to 1-1 on the new season.
Hannah Lowe’s team was plagued by a cold shooting night, with the Cobras shooting 37 percent from the field and managing just 30 second half points. Despite the tough loss, there were positive signs for the young Cobras squad; Scherf recorded a 20 point, 10 rebound, five assist double-double, Whatman added 15 points and five assists, Tia Hay chipped-in with 11 points, and Abi Curtin and Sarah Haberfield were solid off the bench as they combined for 14 points.
The Cobra Men followed a similar script to their female counterparts, going cold from the field late as they fell to the Raiders, 72-63. After a Deng Riak and-one finish inside put Kilsyth ahead, 57-56 early in the final period, the Cobras went just 3-16 from the field the rest of the way and committed five turnovers as they let a golden opportunity to topple their heated rivals slip away. Pete Godfrey’s men had several opportunities to cut into a six point lead in the final minutes, but four straight misses and a pair giveaways put the final nail in the coffin of a bitter road loss.
Tim Lang led Kilsyth with game-highs of 16 points and 12 rebounds, Adi Tomada produced another impressive all-around line, finishing with 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals, Ben Ursich added 13 points and six rebounds, and Deng Riak recorded 10 point and eight rebounds in the loss. Though the Cobras ended the night shooting just 34 percent from the field and 4-for-27 from deep, an ultra-impressive defensive performance kept them in this one until the end. After two rounds of play, Godfrey’s men lead the NBL1 in points allowed (70ppg) – a promising early season stat which should pay dividends moving forward.
The Cobra Women and Men return home this Saturday night to take on the Hobart Chargers, with all the action starting from 6.00pm. Click here to get your tickets now.
