Swift and accurate: Lester Strong for the Raiders.By Greg Oakford
THREE-time defending Conference SEABL champions Geelong Supercats (17-3) showed the aspiring Knox Ford Raiders men’s team what it takes to be a champion team.
At The Arena in Geelong on Saturday, the Supercats handed Knox their seventh loss for the season 114-99.
With the defeat, Knox now hold an 11-7 record and remain on top of the East Conference after second place Ballarat went down to the Southern Districts Spartans.
Hot on Knox’s tail now is the dangerous North West Tasmania Thunder (10-8), who have started to find a rhythm.
The Raiders got off to a horrible start, only shooting 25 per cent from the field in the opening quarter, while the home team shot at a very respectable 52.2 per cent.
They held a 28-21 lead at the end of the first 12 minutes of play. In the second quarter, both team’s came alive offensively scoring 30-plus points each for the term.
South Dragons guard, Nathan Herbert found his rhythm connecting on some long three-point baskets and finished the game with 28 points and 7 rebounds, while teammate Shawn Myers was consistent all game with 22 points and 9 rebounds.
For the Raiders, it was the combination of Lester Strong (23 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks) and Sean Carroll (22 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists) that did most of the damage for the blue and gold.
Coming into the second half, the Raiders trailed by 10 and made a number of mini runs at the Supercats but could never seem to cut it to less than six points.
With CJ Massingale (15 points, 10 rebounds) struggling to find his mark from long range and the much more physical Geelong team wearing the Raiders down on the boards 61-42, the signs were all there that pointed towards a Supercats victory.
At the end of three, it was the home team that still led by 10.
Baskets were not as easy to come by in the final term and the Raiders could only manage to post 19 points to the Supercats 24.
Brad Bridgewater (23 points, 14 rebounds) proved to be a tough task for the smaller Raiders inside, who were without the services of strong man Paul McMaster.
The final score reflected a 15-point loss for the Raiders, who have this week off to rest and recuperate for the final stretch of the season as they make a push for a top playoff seeding.
Meanwhile, the Knox Ford Raiders SEABL women’s team hit rock bottom, dropping their 10th consecutive match, losing to local-rival Nunawading Spectres (13-4) on Sunday at Nunawading.
After a better than predicted start to the 2008 season, the young squad have struggled to put a win on the board dating back to the start of April.
Sarah Graham (18 points) including four three-pointers and Carla Mathisen (17 points) including five three’s carried the majority of the scoring load for their team as the more experienced Spectres never looked like being troubled after jumping out to a 26-8 opening term.
Caitlin Cunningham (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Jodie Datson (14 points, 9 rebounds) were the home team standouts and gave the Raiders problems on defence throughout.
The Raiders now drop to 5-13 and eighth spot of the ladder and out of playoff contention.
