Season ends for Wangaratta Warriors

THE Country Basketball League season is over for the Wangaratta Warriors after falling in their final two matches. The Warriors’ slow start allowed Wodonga Wolves to take a 66-90 win at home on Saturday, while they were outclassed by finals contender Wallan 58-115 on Sunday. While Wangaratta fought hard on Saturday and kept pace with Wodonga, a 19-8 first quarter deficit proved too much to overcome. Sam Maher top scored with 13 points, with the entire squad contributing in both offense and defence. Facing up against the finals-bound Wallan was a different story, as the league’s top scoring side went to work. The Warriors limited the damage in the first and fourth quarters, but Wallan’s middle terms were simply too strong to contain. Interim coach Matt Green said his side performed well to close out a challenging year on the court. “The group that we went into the two games with put together games that we should be proud, especially with the way we went about it,” he said. “We felt we matched up quite well in the Wodonga game with them, but unfortunately we got off to a little bit of a slow start and gave them a bit of a lead. “The Wallan game was pretty tough, as we expected, and as seen by the result we came up against a very disciplined, structured team who execute their style of play and game plan very well. “We had to adjust fairly early on in the game. “The biggest thing that stood out to me, the thing I was most proud of, was the way the guys responded to that level of intensity and the pressure we were put under. “The boys did what they could to match it.” The Wangaratta Warriors finish the 2023 North East Men CBL season on the bottom of the ladder with only the one win to their name, but Green said the young group was bursting with potential. “As a group, this season was about giving those younger players exposure at a CBL level, and I think as the season’s progressed, we have seen that group become more comfortable in that environment to trust their ability a little bit more,” he said. “The objective is to remain together as a group – it’s a fairly long period of time between now and the commencement of the next CBL season. “It’s going to be a case of staying ready. “There are obviously people we would like to add into the team, look at getting a couple more senior people or experienced players within the group, and start working towards what we want to achieve going forward into next year.” The CBL semi-finals are this weekend, with Benalla hosting Seymour on Saturday evening, before Wallan take on Myrtleford on Sunday afternoon.

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