Two things were rising on Saturday night; the Casey Cavaliers and the tempo at which they played at.
Casey battled fiercely to grind out a hard-earned 80-90 result away at Keilor.
In a game that had multiple swings, the Cavaliers fought uphill all day to climb back into the contest, rallying in the second half to overrun the Thunder.
The hosts controlled the majority of the game, extending their advantage to as many as 12 midway through the third.
Casey got firing to close out the third frame, entering the fourth on a 9-0 run that trimmed the deficit to just one.
In the final term, a beautifully executed pick-and-roll saw Nate Roberts barrel down the lane off the feed from Preston Bungei.
Roberts drew the help defender and laid it off to Hunter Marks, who finished through contact to put the Cavaliers in front for the first time in the game, a lead they never relinquished.
“We came out of halftime with a way better pace in what we wanted to do offensively,” Casey head coach Luke Kendall said.
“It’s a credit to the guys, they’re still learning to play with each other.
“Defensively, I felt we managed them (Keilor) a lot better and our intensity was the right way, our coverages were way better.
“We felt a lot more comfortable going into the fourth and we ended up getting over the top of them.
“It was a strong finish from the guys and I was pleasantly happy after the game.”
The Cavaliers were behind by double-digits for a large chunk of the matchup after starting slowly.
But there was one key switch that Kendall decided to flip to turn the game on its head.
“It was about getting into halfcourt sets quicker, we wanted to open up the game and go a little bit earlier in the shot clock,” he said of his halftime message.
“We were able to pick up the pace and only had two turnovers in the second half, so that was a big difference in the turnaround in the game.
“It was a well-rounded scoring affair and everyone got touches and opportunities so now the way moving forward is to speed up that style of play so we can have more possessions and get out and run.
“As long as we take care of the ball, I’m happy to play at that sort of pace and use that sort of athleticism and size.”
Team skipper Bungei finished with 17 points, while Trendon Hankerson was cooking offensively, knocking down 6/12 shots from the floor to post 21 points.
Roberts brought his usual talented interior effort as he recorded a double-double of 13 points and 14 rebounds.
Casey’s win moved its record to 8-4 on the season, good enough for third in the NBL1 South table.
The squad still has a game in hand in round 9 as Sandringham visits Casey Stadium on Friday night.
For Kendall, the aim is to continue to push and not get complacent.
“We’re now being that team that was hunting teams, now we’re the hunted,” he said of being third placed.
“Everyone seems to be raising their game against us, which is good, it’s what we want.
“We often need to touch back onto where we were and remember those things that we have done and changed this season to continue this success.
“I’m still happy with how things are progressing as we go longer and longer into the season, it’s been good.
“We still want to keep playing that team style and continue to build and that’s part of the grind of this middle part of the season.
“It’s about building on our mindset and going in and staying hungry for the rest of the season.”
