By Marcus Uhe
The Casey Cavaliers’ difficult start to the new NBL1 season has continued with a pair of losses on the road over the weekend.
Friday night saw them cross the South Australian border to Mount Gambier, but their hunt for gold proved elusive despite a stellar performance from Malcolm Bernard, going down 80-97.
Bernard scored 41 points on 55 per cent shooting to lead all comers for the Cavaliers, but played a lone hand as one of only three to score in double figures for his side.
He set the tone early with a monster three from just inside the halfway line, and mixed up his offence with more threes and strong finishes at the rim as the Pioneers’ defence struggled to contain him.
The visitors were playing catch-up for nearly the entire game, having fallen behind 19-27 after the first quarter and 36-53 at the half.
Mount Gambier feasted inside early, scoring on 78 per cent of their two-point shots, where Casey languished at 35 per cent.
A balanced spread of scorers provided too much for the Cavaliers to contain, and while they matched the Pioneers in scoring in the second half, the damage had already been done.
Preston Bungei added 20 points and eight rebounds and Sidy Djitte recorded a 12-point 14-rebound double-double, but those three contributed for 73 of the team’s 80 points.
A slow start cost them again against Sandringham on Sunday, falling behind 13-27 after the first quarter and failing to recover on their way to a 19-point loss.
Much of the first quarter was tight until the final three minutes when the Cavs relinquished the rope.
From 15-12 with 3.07 left on the clock, the Sabres finished the quarter on a 12-1 run.
The Cavs managed to regroup and match it with their Bayside opponents for the remainder of the game, only outscored by five points across the final three quarters, but much like Thursday night’s encounter, the poor start opening quarter had cost them dearly.
The lead was cut to single figures in the third quarter but the speed of the Sabres’ guards often proved too difficult for their opponents to contain, and rendered the Casey big men ineffective.
The Sabres continued to put the likes of Hunter Marks and Sidy Djitte into screening actions, continually freeing-up driving lanes.
Preston Bungei nailed an acrobatic circus shot, falling to his right and shooting on the way down late in the third quarter as he tallied 31 points and 12 rebounds.
His teammates were unable to follow suit, however, with Djitte the only other scorer in double figures.
They’ll host a back-to-back next weekend at Casey Stadium, with Bendigo on Friday night and the fellow winless Geelong side on Saturday in an excellent opportunity to get their first victory of the campaign.
