Megan Moody, led the Raiders to victory against Nunawading on Saturday night with 24 points. THERE didn’t seem to be any obvious reason why the Knox Ford Raiders’ four-game winning streak abruptly ended at the hands of Nunawading on Saturday night, other than the fact Knox Converse Stadium hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the home team this season.
The Raiders have only won four of their nine home games this year, as opposed to an impressive record of eight wins from nine games on the road.
Saturday’s performance was lethargic in patches and, if not for the 35 points scored by import C.J. Massingale, it may have looked far worse by the final whistle.
To give credit where it is due, the Spectres brought a tight defence with them and showed the type of intensity that had taken the Raiders to 12 wins from 17 games, and Knox struggled to convert their opportunities, especially in the opening quarter.
By the time the Spectres’ lead had ballooned to 13 points at half-time, the Raiders had to reassess their strategies, and the results were positive as the margin quickly diminished to just one point at the last change.
Try as they might, along with an increasingly vocal crowd, the Raiders could overcome their determined visitors. After taking the lead midway through the last quarter, Knox couldn’t deny Nunawading, even forgoing a chance in the dying seconds to force the contest into overtime.
Despite the loss coach Damian Cotter kept his chin up and quickly turned his attention to this Sunday’s home game against Mildura.
“We’ve had a good run and it’s a tough competition, so we have to wear this loss and work on our weaknesses at training this week.
“More importantly, we need to earn some respect at home and show our fans that we appreciate their support. We’re lucky enough to continually have more than a thousand people at our games, so I think it’s time to repay those who come to watch us.”
In the women’s game, the Knox Ford Raiders defeated Nunawading 71-61, which was warmly applauded given that leading players Hollie Grima and Katrina Hibbert missed the match due to national commitments with the Opals.
Down by more than 10 points during the first half, the Raiders rallied after the long break and started providing shooter Megan Moody (24 points) with some good looks on goal.
As the gap closed, the Raiders lifted another gear and took the ascendancy on the back of solid contributions from Cara Angel (10 points) and veteran Chelsea Laing (eight points, 11 rebounds).
In a terrific last quarter, the Raiders added 19-8 and cruised to a comfortable win, leaving them on top of the ladder ahead of a crucial double-header this weekend against Frankston and Kilsyth.
SEABL Men
This week: (Saturday) Geelong v Mildura, Frankston v Kilsyth, Mt Gambier v Bendigo, Nunawading v Hobart, Ballarat v Albury Wodonga, (Sunday) Knox v Mildura, Kilsyth v Hobart.
SEABL Women
This week: (Friday) NW Tasmania v Bendigo, (Saturday) Frankston v Knox, Ballarat v Albury Wodonga, Launceston v Bendigo, (Sunday) NW Tasmania v Bendigo, Kilsyth v Knox, Nunawading v Albury Wodonga.
