Werribee Devils coach Lloyd Klaman was understandably narky on Sunday.
He had just witnessed his team throw away a good opportunity in the 67-59 loss to Camberwell Dragons in the opening game of the Big V women’s division 1 season at Balwyn High School.
“We knew it would be a tough game but we put ourselves in a position to win and didn’t,” Klaman told Star Weekly.
“These kind of games come back to bite you later in the year. It was a little disappointing because it’s a game I thought we could’ve won.”
The Devils were counting the cost of sloppiness in their first game back.
They committed an unseemly 25 turnovers and their shooting percentages were horrible, just 33 per cent conversion from the field and 44 per cent from the free-throw line.
The 15 missed free throws in an eight-point game particularly hurt.
“We didn’t shoot well from the field, we didn’t shoot well from the free-throw line – it wasn’t a great day shooting for us,” Klaman said.
“Our free throws were terrible, you want to be 70 per cent or above.
“Down the stretch, we missed seven free throws in a row and if we make those it’s a different ball game.”
New recruit Lydia Brooks was outstanding with 12 points and 11 rebounds in her first outing for the Devils.
The starting crew were largely responsible for the Devils taking an eight-point lead into half-time. But when they were subbed out of the game, the bench struggled to make an impact.
Kelly Richardson, with 11 points and five rebounds, was the only sub to provide an offensive presence, while Lauren Conroy worked hard defensively.
“We had the lead for about 23 of the 40 minutes so we were right there,” Klaman said.
“But there were so few contributors, the ones who were putting in got tired towards the end and we just got run over. We lost our way.”
The Devils will need to smarten up their act before going into battle with Mildura Suns in their home opener at Werribee Sports and Fitness Centre on Sunday.
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