The hard work put in by the Whittlesea Pacers has paid off in the form of their first win in the Big V women’s state championship basketball competition.
A tough first season for the Pacers in the top division has included several close losses.
Last week though they finally broke through by beating Eltham – getting the points and putting in a dominant performance as well.
The winning streak lasted one week, with the Pacers suffering a disappointing loss against Waverley on Sunday.
The middle two quarters cost the Pacers as they lost 74-42.
Speaking before Sunday’s game, Pacers coach Brett Tidswell said it was a relief for the whole club to finally get that win.
“It’s been building and its good to get it over the line,” he said.
“The girls were ecstatic and relieved that all the hard work paid off.”
Tidswell said the winless run had been challenging for the players.
“It was a pretty tough time as the girls could see they were almost there without getting the results,” he said.
He said it was encouraging that all the players seemed to be finding form at the same time.
“Teams can’t just focus on one player with us – they have to stop everyone,” he said.
“Ellie McLean, after a year off, has hit her straps in the last month. Trudy [Armstead], our import, is starting to find her feet.”
Tidswell said he and the players were confident they could win at least another two or three games before the season is out.
The Pacers are last on the ladder, but only one game behind Melbourne and Eltham.
Tidswell is realistic enough to know that wins are unlikely to come against the top sides.
“We are quietly confident that we can mix it with the mid- and lower-tier teams when we are at out best,” he said.
“We may not win games against the top sides, but we want to cut down the losing margins.
“It’s about improving every time we’re on the court.”
The Pacer men were also on the end of a thrashing from Ringwood.
The Falcons outscored the Pacers in every quarter to win 116-74.
Chris Kaba, who was part of the National Basketball League pro-combine during the week, top scored with 18 points for the Pacers.
