Melton Thoroughbreds had to come from behind to notch their second win of the Big V women’s division 2 season.
After a poor first half, the Thoroughbreds trailed by nine points at half-time against Mornington Breakers on Sunday afternoon.
Thoroughbreds coach Lauren Olcorn said they addressed a couple of key areas at the break.
“It was a really tough first half,” she said. “Mornington came out and were shooting a really good percentage.
“We had to play catch-up basketball. We became more focused on defence in the third and fourth quarters and looked to attack the basket.”
The shots then started to fall for the Thoroughbreds as they reduced the margin to four points at the last change.
The last quarter was all the Thoroughbreds, who shot 31-15 to claim a 71-59 victory.
Olcorn said the step up in defence had made a big difference.
“We wanted to win the rebounds and Mornington started to tire,” she said. “We were able to keep control and keep poise in the final quarter, which was pleasing.”
Jenna Conroy and Emily Attard scored 19 points each, with Olcorn saying they stepped up on the offensive end in the second half.
She also praised the efforts of Molly Young on the defensive end.
Olcorn said Amina Benjamin and Caitlyn Spence were making the most of their minutes on court.
“They are two of our new players,” she said. “They don’t get a lot of court time, but they play their roles every time they step on the court and lift the intensity.”
Despite getting the win, Olcorn said the players had plenty to work on, including their poor starts.
It was a second straight game in which they’ve started slowly.
“Against Craigieburn, we were disappointing – we didn’t get into the game until the second half,” she said.
“The first half needs working on as teams like Craigieburn will make us pay.”
The Thoroughbreds are third with two wins after three rounds.
The men’s side had two tough losses across the weekend.
On Saturday night, the Thoroughbreds lost 89-81 to Southern Peninsula Sharks.
For a second straight game, they gave up a three-quarter time lead.
Four of the side’s five starters scored double figures.
On Sunday, the Thoroughbreds started slowly against Altona Gators and couldn’t recover, eventually losing 83-75. Without import Dexter Graham in the side, Emmanuel Malou top-scored with 28 points and pulled down 16 rebounds.
Both Thoroughbreds senior sides have byes this weekend.
The Thoroughbreds’ youth league men division 2 side enjoyed a better weekend by winning both its matches.
On Saturday night, they defeated Whittlesea Pacers 93-80 and then backed it up on Sunday, by winning 91-84 against Frankston Blues.
