The Chemist King Mount Gambier Lakers are forced to ponder what could have been after a shock exit from the 2021/22 Country Basketball League South West women’s finals series.
The Lakers rolled into Saturday night’s home semi-final against Portland at the IceHouse as favourites with a superior win-loss record.
Two wins earlier in the season against the Victorians gave Bryan Green’s young team even more reasons to be confident of progressing into the decider.
However, their dreams were dashed as Portland coasted into the final with a sterling performance.
All appeared to be going to plan during the early stages as the Lakers started on the front foot.
The Wormald sisters Olivia and Maddy were in fine form making an impression around the ring, as did Keryl Ousey.
Maddy Wormald was on fire from the three-point line to allow the home side to rocket away and bang 26 onto the scoreboard points before quarter time.
The fast start allowed Mount Gambier to gain some confidence by extracting a seven-point lead which could have been a launching pad for greater success.
However, Portland regained some ground as the battle for possession heated up in the second term.
Ousey went down after a knock to the head, while the likes of Johanna Jones, Sophie Miles and Tenielle Human tried to set up plays for the shooters.
But the Coasters were still able to gain the upper hand of the physical passage of play to cut the deficit down to one point.
When the players returned after the main break the decent crowd settled in for a fascinating finish.
However, the loudest cheers were heard from the Portland bench as the Victorians stamped their authority and stunned the Lakers.
The Coasters were in the mood and went on a match-winning streak in the opening minutes of the third term.
Strong defensive pressure created headaches for Mount Gambier under its ring and the constant turnovers started to show on the scoreboard.
In the space of just two minutes Portland flew to a 10-point lead with the assault led by Nicola Handreck and Alana Storm.
The Victorians did not look back as they crushed Mount Gambier outscoring the home side 26-7 in the third term.
The Lakers dusted themselves from the disaster and put in an improved performance in the final term.
A couple of successive three-pointers from Maddy Wormald offered some hope for the home crowd as she joined her sister Olivia and team mate Ousey in the 15-point club.
The Lakers fought back and won the fourth term, but the late charge was not enough to overturn the scoreboard and save the season.
Big efforts from Alana Strom, Handreck, Millie Jennings and Tyleah Barr helped Portland pull off the stunning 77-65 upset.
The Coasters now turn their attention to Saturday night where they face the Warrnambool Mermaids in the CBL Grand Final.
Meanwhile, reflection time begins for the Lakers as they rue a missed opportunity.
Despite overcoming significant challenges caused by COVID-19 being the only South Australian based team in the competition, a young Mount Gambier squad beat all comers during the season.
Just stepping onto the court on Saturday night was an achievement after all players were in isolation leading up to the big game following an outbreak of coronavirus.
It may have ended in disaster, but the Lakers had a lot to cheer about across the campaign and the future looks bright.
