SURFCOAST Chargers men’s team were staring down the barrel of their third-straight loss when they clicked into gear.<\/p>\n
The Chargers had a huge last quarter, outscoring fourth-placed Collingwood 34-19, to take an 87-82 Big V Division 2 away win last weekend.<\/p>\n
“Our defence actually started to get the stops we needed and we were converting after a sluggish first three quarters,” coach Dan Riches said, noting the Chargers scored about 20 points in the opening five minutes of the fourth term.<\/p>\n
Key players Jason Reardon (heel) and Nathan Gronbeck (ankle) returned from lengthy stints on the sidelines, while Aaron Ruiz unexpectedly got himself up for the clash after nursing a back issue.<\/p>\n
The win came after losses to fellow top three sides Sherbrooke (94-77) and Mildura (102-78).<\/p>\n
Riches said the Chargers became a slower team in those games.<\/p>\n
“We became a half-court team, which you need to be good at, but we’re a running team.<\/p>\n
“So the biggest issue was that our offensive transition, it went down to about 10 per cent, and Reardon is a great trigger for that for us.<\/p>\n
“But that was the thing we’ve been pushing for in those two losses, was our run had stopped.<\/p>\n
“But it’s also if you haven’t got two starters, it affects what you’ve been used to up to that point.”<\/p>\n
Riches said he saw glimpses of the Chargers getting their run back now they had their full squad available.<\/p>\n
“It’s the biggest area that we’re going to focus on the next month is to bring that back and I’m confident we can.”<\/p>\n
Surfcoast, who are second on the ladder with a 9-2 record, play Melton away in Round 12 this Sunday, June 22 at 2pm.<\/p>\n
The Chargers women lost their Division 2 game 69-59 to Blackburn in Round 11 and they play Gippsland United next on June 28.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SURFCOAST Chargers men’s team were staring down the barrel of their third-straight loss when they clicked into gear. The Chargers had a huge last quarter, outscoring fourth-placed Collingwood 34-19, to take an 87-82 Big V Division 2 away win last weekend. “Our defence actually started to get the stops we needed and we were converting […]<\/p>\n