By Russell Bennett
THE Casey Cavaliers are no strangers to achieving incredible things in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
Stewart Baird’s Big V basketball Division 1 men’s side last Sunday afternoon defeated a Blackburn Vikings outfit that had won a staggering 22 games in a row prior. Their last loss came way back in the opening round of the season against fellow powerhouse Warrnambool, but in Sunday’s preliminary final Baird’s men won the battle of attrition.
In front of a crowd that spilled well beyond the available seats on Court 4 at the State Basketball Centre, the Cavs won a brilliantly entertaining, yet physical, contest 85-77.
Big man Dean Johnson got off to a strong start in the paint – both offensively and defensively – in the opening stanza but the Cavs couldn’t break free of the Vikings despite going at nearly 54 per cent shooting from the floor. The home team got out in transition at every opportunity – with six more field goal attempts for the game, and 11 more shots at the charity stripe.
After leading by just three at quarter time, the Cavs found themselves down six early in the second as the Vikings pushed the tempo to new levels.
But as the quarter wore on, the visitors began to match them in that area with strong rebounding leading to quick outlet passes and fast break buckets of their own. All told, they restricted Blackburn to just two offensive boards for the quarter.
In a physical battle, Ben Louis was again outstanding on Vikings star Brendan Trewella, who finished the game with 23 points but on just 3-10 from the field.
In a sign of the physical intensity of the game in the first half, only one three point attempt was made from the two sides combined.
After leading by four at the main break, Blackburn jumped ahead by eight early in the third before Casey guard Mitch Chapman – who, along with a host of other Cavs players, had battled illness during the week – sprung to life. He finished with 20 points for the contest on 50 per cent shooting including 2-3 from downtown. He was the visitors’ barometer, particularly after Blackburn guard Nick George went down with a left knee injury in the third.
The Cavs led by a point with a quarter left to play before ultimately prevailing by eight points thanks to standout efforts from Brent Hobba (18 points, 10 boards) and Matt Witherden (11 points, 13 boards, 5 assists and 2 blocks).
“I’m really proud of the boys,” Baird said after the final buzzer.
“They’re a great shooting team but we’ve really focussed the last month on just challenging every shot on the floor – no matter how far away you are, go and challenge that shot.
“The other thing we spoke about pre-game and at practice was that all the pressure was at their at end – 22 wins in a row. We’ve been in that position – we walked into a finals series last year having won 17 on the trot and coughed it up, so we know that sort of pressure.
“We knew that if we could hang with them or even put a bit of a lead on the board that it would impact them mentally.”
The next task – Warrnambool in a best of three game grand final series, beginning at Cranbourne this Sunday at 1.30pm.
The Seahawks haven’t lost at home all season, and the Cavs will need to find a way to change that if they’re to win the Division 1 title.
“Getting the home one is going to be very important for us because down there they’re tough as hell,” Baird acknowledged.
“I don’t think they’ve lost at home, so we need to get the home one and put some pressure them. It’s a three-game grand final series so anything can happen.”
The Cavs’ Division 2 women’s side begins its own grand final series this weekend as well, traveling to Melbourne University to take on the home side from 7pm on Saturday. Game two is back at Cranbourne at 7.30pm on 3 September, with the third game (if needed) also at Cranbourne from 12.30pm the following day.
