Cavaliers miss the point

By Ben Hope
THE home-ground advantage wasn’t enough to get Cranbourne over the line against Melton after a frustrating one-point loss on Sunday.
Cavaliers coach Cory Smith said the 68-69 defeat came down to a couple of lucky breaks that could have gone either way.
“There were only a couple of things throughout the game that probably made all the difference,” Smith said.
“Melton just had that little bit more luck. Both teams were playing well and there wasn’t much between us but someone had to win in the end.
“It was a good game and a disappointing one to lose. I think we played pretty well.”
Throughout the first half both teams fought hard to stay in the lead with the Cavaliers getting in front for brief stints during the second quarter.
At quarter-time Cranbourne was down 16-23 but managed to chase Melton to 38-39 at the main break.
Justin Mcmillin (18) put up the points for the Cavaliers as did Jayden Mcmillin (15) but with similar numbers coming from the Melton players it wasn’t enough to get Cranbourne out in front.
The third quarter saw Cranbourne score another nine points, but Melton held the lead 47-52 at the start of the final interval.
“We couldn’t get in the lead at all in the second half but it was always pretty close,” Smith said.
“It was a great game with good plays from both sides.”
In the final quarter the home crowd did its best to rev up the Cavaliers and the home side responded. Within the final three minutes Cranbourne managed to chase down the eight-point lead in a nail-biting finish.
Unfortunately for the Cavaliers the 21-point final quarter rally fell short and left Melton one point ahead at the final buzzer.
“The home crowd support was great and really helped us to rally in the final quarter,” Smith said.
“We will just keep trying to improve on what we are doing and see where we can go from there.”
Smith is predicting a tight physical game this weekend as the Cranbourne meets local rival Pakenham at the Cranbourne Basketball stadium.
With both teams coming off a loss this week and with one game between them on the ladder, both will be desperate for a win this Saturday for a shot at the top four.