By RUSSELL BENNETT
IT’S normally a clichéd saying, but the Pakenham Warriors’ match-up with the Mornington Breakers on Saturday night really was a game of two distinctly different halves.
Ryan Rogers’ Big V men led at the half – scoring a season-best 50 points in the opening two quarters and draining nine of their 14 three-point attempts.
Their intensity was up, as was their confidence, as they looked to put the Breakers to the sword.
But then the final 20 minutes happened.
Starting point guard Cam Luke was easily having his best outing since returning to Big V action at the start of the season – his outside shot was lethal and he wasn’t alone.
But he wasn’t alone in his second-half cold-spell either.
“We just stopped competing after the first half,” Rogers said.
“Not having Jamie (Stow) out there definitely made a big difference for us.
“We had our best half of basketball for the season so far but then we were out-rebounded 60-30 for the game and our second half was our worst half of the season.
“It was just totally unacceptable.”
Rogers said his side “really had no answer” for what they produced in the final 20 minutes to lose by 30 points, 105-75, but he added that shooting – both hot and cold streaks – is infections throughout the group.
“Cam was really assertive in the first half but not as much in the second but (on the other hand) I thought Lee Belton had a fantastic impact – 10 points in 10 minutes.
“He’s fearless and backs his own ability, but having said that he has matured a lot this season – he’s the captain of the MMBL team for example.”
Belton drained nine three-pointers last week in an incredible outing for the Warriors’ MMBL side and Rogers said he should have utilised him more on the weekend – particularly in Pakenham’s 76-71 loss to Coburg on Sunday.
“I’m bitterly disappointed with the final result on Sunday,” Rogers said.
“We started strong but we had 14 turnovers in the first half and we still looked a bit timid – we led by five at the break but probably should have led by more.”
The foul count again got out of hand for the Warriors and Rogers admitted it’s something the side needs to work on, but there were some positives to come out of the game – namely Jamie Stow’s strong start to the game and the Pakenham debut of former NBL slam dunk champion Brett Rainbow.
“The biggest thing for us right now is that we haven’t had any real roster consistency for the past two months,” Rogers said.
“We haven’t had too many play every game, and that’s noticeable.
“Brett played more against Coburg than I expected he would. We were just happy to see him get through.
“He pulled up really well. He’s looking for a couple of big training sessions this week.”
With the Warriors now two games behind the .500 mark, Rogers said the next two weeks are vital for his team.
“This week is like a grand final of sorts,” he said.
“We need to start to protect home.”
“If we won yesterday we could be sitting third on the ladder right now, but instead we’re eighth.”
“This week it’ll be nice to be back home but the next fortnight will be really telling – we have Keilor and Shepparton at home and winning both those could provide a launching pad for the rest of our season.
“It’s going to be a good test of character for our guys but we have to get back to the nuts and bolts that our game is built around – defense.”
