THE Kennedys Tours Shoalhaven Tigers men’s team have missed out on the chance of hosting a Waratah League Division One quarter-final by losing to the Sutherland Sharks on Saturday night.
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At the Tigers Den, Ian Ozolins men went down 79-77, thanks largely to a slow start – which saw the hosts trail 24-5 seven minutes into the first quarter.
“Sutherland came out of the blocks more energetic than us, hitting their shots and playing with a lot more purpose,” Ozolins said.
“That intensity put us off our game and flustered us at the start but once the boys gathered themselves, we worked our way into the game.
“Obviously we were down by a big margin at quarter-time but I reassured the boys that we were still in this contest, with plenty of time left in the game.
”In the second quarter, we were a completely different team, lifting our defensive intensity – with bodies flying all over the floor and being put on the line.
“As such, we fought our way back into the match and actually restricted Sutherland from scoring their first field goal until late in the second quarter – which saw us actually hit the front.”
Unfortunately for Ozolins and his troops, they couldn’t maintain the lead, losing a game that the coach said could have easily ‘gone either way.’
“Down the stretch, we had our chances to level and win the match but it wasn’t to be,” Ozolins said.
In the loss, Tom Ozolins top-scored for the Tigers with 22 points, while his brothers William and Bruce had 15 each.
The defeat sees the Tigers finish in seventh spot on the ladder, setting up a do-or-die quarter-final with the Canberra Gunners on Saturday, August 5 at the Belconnen Basketball Stadium.
“We are much happier to be playing Canberra in the quarter-final, saving us a long road-trip to Tamworth,” Ozolins said.
“We know how well we can play against them, being the better team for one and half halves against the Gunners, during the two meetings this season.”