WELCOME to the brutal nature of playoff basketball, Werribee Devils.
The Devils got schooled in a 2-0 best-of-three series whitewash by the intimidating Keilor Thunder in the Big V basketball women’s division 2 semi finals.
Returning home after blowing a big lead in game one, the Devils failed to match it for intensity, physicality and endurance in a 73-53 game-two loss at the Werribee Sports and Fitness Centre on Saturday night.
Devils coach Lloyd Klaman told the Weekly the playoffs can be unforgiving for a side bereft of finals experience.
“We weren’t at our best and you want to be at your best in the finals,” he said.
“Take nothing away from Keilor, they were rough and tough and played playoff basketball.
“They’re probably a bit older and more match hardened than we are and when you get to the finals, the refs tend to let you play a bit more physical and it really disrupted us.
“We just got a bit tired – their physicality wore us down.”
The Devils went into the series as warm favourites having finished on top of the ladder with just two losses in the regular season.
The Thunder is no stranger to the playoffs, having won their most recent title two seasons ago.
They strengthened in the off-season, picking up veteran centre Jodi Impey from the Whittlesea Stallions.
Impey was an unstoppable force in game two with 22 points, 16 rebounds and five assists. She gave a tell-tale sign that it would be a long night for the Devils when she drained three opening-quarter three-pointers.
“You’d look at her and you’d think she’d be a low-post player, but she’s probably their best perimeter player,” Klaman said.
“She can flat-out play.”
Trailing by 12 at quarter time, the Devils would get hot in the second period on the back of the brilliance of Lisa Troyahn (19 points and 11 rebounds) and Elisha Burnette (15 points).
They cut the deficit to one by half time and blew a chance to take the lead midway through the third.
The Thunder offered no second invitation, going on a 14-4 run to round out the third and lead by 11.
The visitors closed out the game in the fourth.
Understandably, the Devils were hurting post game, but Klaman reminded the team of how far they have come, from also-rans to the minor premiers in the space of 12 months.
“It was all pretty raw in the locker room afterwards,” he said. “I said to them that we’re all disappointed about the result, but you’ve got to be happy with the year that we’ve had and where we’ve come from.
“We had a couple of hiccups, but all in all it’s been a pretty good year for the club and it’s kind of brought Werribee [women’s] basketball back to where it was.”
