Craigieburn Eagles may be undermanned but you wouldn’t know by looking Big V men’s division 2 results.
The Eagles have won their past six matches and nine out of their past 10 games to sit comfortably in the top six with the season two-thirds done.
Eagles coach Simon Wilson said that no matter which players took to the court, they were stepping up.
“The last six weeks have been good,” he said. “Nothing has really changed and we’re still short-handed. On Saturday night, we had seven players and two youth league players.
“Against Mildura, we only took seven players up there with us.
“We have a system that’s not reliant on just one team member doing the scoring. Whoever steps on the court, I can trust they will contribute.”
He said the youth league players were not looking out of place when they got their opportunities to play in the senior side, with the association’s junior program a strong one.
On Saturday night, the Eagles found their groove in the second half to easily account for Altona Gators.
The Eagles led by just three points at the main break, before outscoring the Gators 47 to 29 in the second half for an 83-62 victory.
Wilson said his side stepped it up on both ends of the court in the second half.
“The ball wasn’t going in the hoop in the first half,” he said. “We lifted the intensity defensively in the second half and it filtered through to the offence.”
Four Eagles scored double figures, while three pulled down at least 10 rebounds. Jae Dickinson and Dexter Graham both had double-doubles.
Despite sitting fourth, Wilson said the Eagles weren’t yet looking ahead to finals.
“We’re taking it one game at a time – finals are still a long way away,” he said.
The Eagles’ women lost 52-34 to division 2 ladder leaders Warrnambool Seahawks.
It was a bad shooting night for the Eagles, who went 15 from 62 from the field, just one from 15 shots from beyond the arc and shot free throws at 33 per cent.
Not one player finished in double figures.
In other results, it was a tough weekend for Hume City Broncos, with both their male and female state championships sides losing to Knox Raiders.
The Whittlesea Pacers’ women suffered a 62-55 loss to Hawthorn Magic; the men side had a bye.
