Tara Murray
Wyndham is a step closer to breaking through for its first Big V men’s title since 2003, through to the state championship grand final series.
Three games were needed for Wyndham to beat the McKinnon Cougars and win through to the grand final against the Sunbury Jets.
Wyndham coach Lucas Allen said they were a step closer to their pre-season goal of winning a championship.
He said the group was aware that this was more than just about them.
“The last one was in 2003 and I don’t think there were any runners up as there aren’t any banners up,” he said.
“It’s something we spoke about with the group at the start of the year. We want to leave a legacy, not just for this group but the people who come on the floor before us.
“We want to make a lasting impression and banners on the wall are part of that. It’s been 19 years since the senior men’s team has been able to hang one. This year is something to be proud of.”
Wyndham entered game two at Werribee on Saturday night with a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three semi final series.
The Cougars did a lot of the damage early and were able to hold on, winning 94-83.
Allen said it wasn’t their best performance.
“We didn’t play well across the board,” he said. “A lot of calls didn’t go our way. That’s out of our control and we let it impact us, myself included.
“We were down 17 points in the last quarter and we got it back to four points. McKinnon got a couple of plays and got it back to 10 points and it was unattainable.”
Allen said they spoke to the group after the game about ensuring they got over the disappointment of the result ahead of game three on Sunday.
He said the group took a positive attitude to the game and it paid off with the side winning, 99-87.
“The guys came ready to play,” he said. “We went from 17 points down in the third quarter to 27 points up in the third quarter the next day.
“A massive swing. Sometimes it’s making shots at the right times. Our ball movement was better, our defence was better and we were making shots better.
“We were able to get a bit of a buffer and were able to have some breathing room.”
Maurice Howard had a big weekend with 62 points across the two games. Allen said he did a lot of the heavy lifting on Saturday night when others weren’t scoring.
Allen was also quick to praise the performance of Abram Tong in game three in shutting down Sheriff Black for the first three quarters.
Wyndham now faces the Sunbury Jets in the best-of-three grand final series.
Wyndham will host game one on Sunday afternoon. The game slot was chosen meaning the match isn’t going head-to-head with game one of the women’s grand final series.
“We’re really hoping Wyndham locals will come along and help us,” he said.
“Winning game one goes a long way to getting the chip. We’ve had really tight tussles and it will come down to who can be themselves for longer.”
