Finals are meant to be tight, close-fought contests, and that was the case when Craigieburn met Keysborough in the Big V men’s division 2 qualifying final on Saturday.
Scores were level with two minutes to go, when some clutch-free, throw-shooting from the Cougars carried them to an 88-81 win.
Eagles coach Dennis McNamara said it was a similar game to the previous time the two met when the Cougars got over the line in the final minute.
“The end result wasn’t what we wanted, but we played really well for most of the game,” McNamara said.
“Scores were level with two minutes to go, and the 50/50s then went their way.
“You’ve got second and third on the ladder playing, and the game was exactly that.”
The Eagles led by 50-41 at half-time; a quarter later, the lead had dropped to a single point.
McNamara said two things went the Cougars’ way in the final minutes.
“They got free throws late in the quarter, which helped them get the lead. We had the same amount of free throws in the last quarter, but we got them earlier on.
“We had poor overall shooting in that last quarter, shooting at 15 per cent. We shot at 42, 52 and 40 per cent in the other quarters.
“Sometimes you don’t make the shots, and that’s just sport. The difference was who executed them better.”
McNamara said the Eagles would continue their training regime.
“You can work at things all week and, in the end, they don’t go your way. One of their [Keysborough’s] players who had made one three-pointer all year shot three from three.
“We didn’t focus on his outside shot, but he probably won’t do that again.”
Eric Miraflores top-scored for the Eagles with 25 points.
The loss isn’t the end of the year for the Eagles, who get a second chance when they play Coburg this weekend.
“We beat them comfortably the second time we played them; the first time they beat us.”
Eagles enter the game at less than full strength. Mark Welch is playing limited minutes due to a calf injury, while Rob Toller-Bond is doubtful after rolling his ankle.
The Eagles’ youth league women’s side fell five points short of a grand final appearance in their division 1 run. The Eagles were nine points down at half-time and, despite outscoring Warrandyte in both the last two quarters, lost 59-55. Tiana Rubeidis top-scored for the Eagles with 15 points.
The Whittlesea Pacers’ women’s division 1 side starts its finals campaign this week after having the week off.
