A strong first half from the Bathurst Goldminers Youth League division two side wasn’t enough, as the Sydney Comets pulled away in the final quarter to win 79-74 on Saturday.
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Played at the Alexandria Basketball Stadium, the Goldminers took a six point lead at the conclusion of the final quarter.
But in the second-half, the Comets slowly chipped away at the Goldminers’ lead and took control in the final quarter.
Goldminers coach Andrew Osborne said the second-half was costly for the Bathurst boys.
“We fell away in the fourth quarter,” he said.
“The difference, from my perspective, was us missing the free throws we shouldn’t have,” he said.
“Our offensive rebounds killed us; they cost us dearly.
Yet it’s not all doom and gloom for the Goldminers, who are in their first season back in the Youth League after a brief spell out.
“We’ve had two five point loses and in the scheme of things, it’s not the worse case scenario,” Osborne said.
“We’re a young team, we’ve played four games together and we’re still getting use to the intensity of the game.
“We’re stilling seeing how our defence and offence is reacting.
I’m disappointed, but there’s plenty of room for improvement and time to make the finals.
“I’m certain, as time goes by, we’ll become a better side. There’s no real cause of concern [after Saturday’s lose].
Osborne said the Comets side was “very big” and that their smaller players were “bigger then some of ours”.
Matt Gray was the standout for the Goldminers, scoring 29 points.
Majok Deng (14), Will Cranston-Lowe (11) and Blake Schaefer (10) all scored double figures.
The Goldminers will travel to Penrith on April 8, to play the Penrith Panthers.
That will be followed by games against the Liverpool-Macarthur Razorbacks (April 22) and the Illawarra Hawks (April 29), both at the Bathurst Indoor Sports Stadium.
Games away to Camden Valley Wildfire (May 6) and the Springwood Scorchers (May 13) will follow.
Osborne cited the previously mentioned five matches as all winnable.
“It’s a run of games, that are not beyond the realms of possibility of winning all five,” he said.
“There’s six to seven good sides in the competition and hopefully we are there at the end of the season.”
Matthew Gray leads the way, in terms of points cored, in the competition, having score 167 points in the four matches he’s played in this season’s competition